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National Security Strategy - bias, omissions and weasel words

The much hyped The National Security Strategy of the United Kingdom - Security in an interdependent world (.pdf 64 pages) is now available online on the Cabinet Office website.

Is anyone really clear about exactly how the current plans and policies of the Government actually fit with this National Security Strategy, except in the vague, generalised, non-specific, hand waving political management consultant speak terms ?

A flavour of the various biases and omissions in this National Security Strategy document can be gleaned from a simple word count of some keywords and phrases:

• 2 mentions of "liberty"
• 4 mentions of "freedom"
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• 5 mentions of "surveillance"
• 6 mentions of "horizon scanning"
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• 15 mentions of "police"
• 86 mentions of "national security"
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• 41 mentions of "risks"
• 34 mentions of "risk"
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• 8 mentions of the "internet"
• 5 mentions of "cyber attack"
• 2 mentions of "cyber crime"
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• 2 mentions of "money laundering"
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• 24 mentions of "organised crime"
• 9 mention of "crime"
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• 51 mentions of "terrorist"
• 53 mentions of "terrorism"
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• 4 mentions of "flood"
• 11 mentions of "flooding"
• 11 mentions of "pandemic"
• 36 mentions of "climate"
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• 4 mentions of "biological weapons"
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• 37 mentions of "nuclear"
• 19 mentions of "proliferation"
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• 32 mentions of "energy"
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• 14 mentions of "Middle East"
• 14 mentions of "Iraq"
• 14 mentions of "Iraq"
• 26 mentions of "Afghanistan"
• 4 mentions of "Pakistan"
• 4 mentions of "Iran"
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• 5 mentions of "India"
• 10 mentions of "China"
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• 7 mentions of "Russia"
• 10 mentions of "United States"
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• 1 mention of "Lebanon"
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• 1 mention of "Irish"
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• 1 mention of "Islam"
• 1 mention of "Islamic"
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The omissions are just as revealing:

• Zero mentions of "genetics"
• Zero mentions of "genetic engineering"
• Zero mentions of "biotechnology"
• Zero mentions of "Israel"
• Zero mentions of "Palestine"
• Zero mentions of "Ireland"

These are serious omissions, given the potential and actual threats which they pose.

The document is full of the usual NuLabour weasel words
See Political Lexicon 2008 - list of mostly NuLabour Orwellian Newspeak:

• 10 mentions of "serious" (apart from SOCA)
• 20 mentions of "tackle"
• 19 mentions of "engagement"
• 14 mentions of "public"
• 19 mentions of "strengthen"
• 19 mentions of "strengthening"
• 22 mentions of "early"

The idea of a US style National Security Council seems to have been watered down:

Full post as published by Spy Blog on March 19, 2008 (boomark / email).