Not Worth It

Of course we have "overreacted", to put it very politely indeed, to the events of 11th September 2001, now almost forgotten anyway, and only mentioned by those whose schemes for loss of liberty have been on the record since the Major years and before, or by those who imagine it to have been some sort of inside job, or by those (largely the same category as the first) who either imagine or pretend that it was something to do with Saddam Hussein.

In fact, 9/11 killed about as many people as die on Britain's roads each year. The death toll was very rapidly surpassed by that of poor, "collateral" Afghans, and that was some years ago now in a war which is still going on. Whatever 9/11 was worth, it was not worth that, nor was it worth the selling out of our civilisation's principles on torture, or war of aggression, or very prolonged detention without charge (not trial, charge), or freedom from vast and constant State surveillance.

To his credit, Bush withdrew the American troops from Saudi Arabia. In consequence, there has been no further attack on American soil. By contrast, London, Madrid and an essentially Australian target in Bali have all felt the reaction to the lack of such realism, in the British case a reaction entirely homegrown.

And where is Osama Bin Laden? For that matter, has America (or Britain) secured any level of economic or political freedom from Saudi Arabia? Just as Israel can with impunity forge British passports or sink an American warship, so Saudi Arabia can with impunity bomb the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and attempt to bomb the United States Congress. Imagine, just imagine, if there were the slightest suggestion that Iran so much as aspired to do any of those things.