‘Politics’ at Psychology, Philosophy and Real Life, Page 13

Not content to focus on actual physical acts of terrorism, the UK government now plans to extend powers to deport or exclude foreigners on the basis of their beliefs. As the government prepares to make it illegal to ‘justify’ terrorism, and to exclude those whose views ‘pose a threat to UK security’, we ask about the psychology of terrorism and wonder why UK politicians are so reluctant to engage in reality-based analysis. Contrary to currently popular political demagoguery, ‘to explain’ and ‘to justify’ are not the same thing.

As London’s Metropolitan Police announce their intention to focus stop and search operations on young Asian men in an attempt to prevent suicide bombings, we take a look at some underlying assumptions about stop and search. Mathematics and reflections on the psychology of suicide bombing suggest that stop and search will make virtually no difference to the probability of a suicide bombing taking place.

The UK Government’s response to the Joint Scrutiny Committee on the draft Mental Health Bill offers some hope but there is a long way to go before Government plans can be made into a workable mental health bill, the Mental Health Alliance said today. The Government intends to press ahead with plans to broaden out powers of compulsion and deny professionals the flexibility they need to offer people the right care and support.

Most or all of us have experienced the feelings of success that come with completing some difficult project or task we’ve set ourselves. What if that project were the planning and execution of a terrorist attack on London that left at least dozens dead and hundreds wounded? Is there a ‘psychology of terrorism’?

Governor Jeb Bush is aggressively defending a new law which will force Medicaid patients to try mental health drugs from an approved list of medications for which the State of Florida has secured special pricing, even if those patients are already stable on more expensive drugs.