I was thinking about this yesterday and about how only five people have died (so far, at least).
Now, before anyone jumps on me - yes, five people is still five too many. But in the context of terror attacks that is still a very low number, especially when you also factor in that, Lee Rigby aside (which would've been classed as a one-on-one homicide had the assailant not been a muslim), this is the first attack in nearly 12 years.
IRA bombings in mainland UK were much more frequent (although at least they came with a warning). In Turkey, terrorist attacks (be it by the PKK in the past or IS today) usually claim in the region of 20-30 victims, and occur around twice a year. In Pakistan you're looking at around 50 victims in a similarly regular basis. In Iraq, the number and frequency is staggeringly high. Indonesia and Nigeria also suffer regular attacks but they aren't reported as much.
And yet if you were to believe the news media and the politicians in the last two days you'd think that we had suffered a major attack and that we are facing a huge and unique threat. Of course there are many planned attacks that get foiled (I think an intelligence expert interviewed yesterday said around four per year) but if anything that just goes to show how prepared we are and how capable we are at fighting terrorism.
But the truth about our security doesn't fit the fear narrative. I've had a couple of friends tell me they're too scared to go to the England game, forgetting that they are far more likely to die on their journey down the M1. My girlfriend is Filipino/Canadian and she's had family from both countries texting her to see if she is OK (she lives in Luton!), which just goes to show that the idea that we have just suffered a major catastrophe and are under attack as a nation is spreading beyond these shores, perpetuated by the rent-a-gobs like Katie Hopkins Nigel Farage, and the politicians/civil servants who view this as an opportunity to consolidate their position.
