Wednesday 25 May 2016

Project Fear vs Project Foolhardy


Hay sent me this photo of Whitby Abbey yesterday:


I edited it to this for a more ethereal feel:


If you walk over a high cliff, there's a more than evens chance you're going to kill yourself. Wander across a busy road with earphones and a blindfold and I wouldn't give much for your chances of reaching the other side in one piece. Nor would the RAC, your local council, the National Trust or any other organisation involved in either cliffs or road safety.

Now, some would call these warnings Project Fear. I merely call them sensible warnings of highly probable, self-inflicted outcomes. There would be a high chance of you killing yourself, but there's also a lower chance you'd merely suffer a catastrophic injury. There's a very slim chance you'd be totally unscathed, but it would only be a teeny weeny chance.

Project Foolhardy, on the other hand, will say; "Don't worry - it'll be OK. Those warnings are coming from fearmongerers and The Establishment - they all have vested interests. We have a plan that will avoid you hitting the beach or being hit by a car. Can't tell you what that plan is yet, the cost, what it involves or when we're going to implement it. You'll just have to trust us and believe we can do it because we're a great and resourceful nation, have the Commonwealth and had the greatest empire the world has ever seen. We're also politicians and you can trust us to have your best interests at heart."


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