A State of Fear: How the UK Government Weaponised Fear During the COVID-19 Pandemic

By: Laura Dodsworth

Narrated by: Laura Dodsworth

Length: 10 hrs

Publisher's summary

This is an audiobook about fear. Fear of a virus. Fear of death. Fear of losing our jobs, our democracy, our human connections, our health, and our minds. It's also about how the government weaponised our fear against us - supposedly in our best interests - until we were one of the most frightened countries in the world.

But why did the government deliberately frighten us. How has this affected us as individuals and as a country? Who is involved in the decision-making that affects our lives? How are behavioural science and nudge theory being used to subliminally manipulate us? How does the media leverage fear? What are the real risks to our well-being?

Ahead of any official inquiry into the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, Laura Dodsworth explores all these questions and more, in a nuanced and thought-provoking discussion of an extraordinary year in British life and politics. With stories from members of the general public who were impacted by fear, anxiety, and isolation, and revealing interviews with psychologists, politicians, scientists, lawyers, Whitehall advisers and journalists, A State of Fear calls for a more hopeful, transparent and effective democracy.

©2021 Pinter & Martin (P)2021 Pinter & Martin

A must read/listen

Excellent listening to this book, well done Laura! Easy to listen to, well researched and referenced!

An ode to reason and logic amidst chaos. Just brilliant!

No, this is not a book meant just for skeptics or contrarians. In fact before this “pandemic”, I was a person who may have been completely brainwashed by the fear and would have supported the lack of proportionality and authoritarianism that ensued with aplomb.

But alas, 2020 happened. And anyone who has been paying close attention to world events—and no I don’t mean just watching your favourite mainstream media channel, I mean really paying attention—would have smelt something fishy by the time the first lockdowns ended.

This virus was catastrophic, without a doubt. But the reaction, the solutions, and the government intervention has been appalling. In a situation that required all the honesty and transparency a government could conjure up, we got lies, manipulation and sheer exaggeration.

This is a book that doesn’t try to yank you out of your brainwashed state (if you indeed have been brainwashed), but rather put forth all the obscene, ridiculous and disproportionate fear mongering that was dished out by the mass media in the UK. It covers everything from a British perspective, but you’d be hardpressed not to spot parallels with wherever else you’re from, too. I’m not British, but almost 70% of this book applied.

If only we could use this book to learn how to be better, more informed citizens of the world. And if only just a handful of politicians take this book to heart, we may spy some hope for humanity yet.

Perplexed by pandemic behaviour?

From Jan 2020-late 2022 I found the behaviour of my friends, family and colleagues perplexing. People otherwise intelligent, scientifically minded, suspicious of government and big business were behaving and speaking in ways I couldn’t understand. This book provides a thorough examination and subsequent explanation for how so many people were swayed.

Essential reading

A real page-turner. if everyone were to read this book, we'd be much less likely to repeat 2020.

Excellent Read!

Very well written and researched! Disturbing, buy eye opening and an imoportant read in this, our new world/normal

Excellent book

The author is a great narrator
Read this book because the of the info the author provides. The gov will try it again because it worked the first time

Highly recommend

A comprehensive guide to what happened in Britain during the so called Covid Pandemic and the governments highly effective strategy to scare the public into giving up all their liberties. Very well written. Happy to report I was never “nudged” the entire time.
Ex Pat, Massachusetts USA.

good to have this documented

Sad to realize how effectively governments weapinized fear against us. Although the idea that the governmemt did not properly balance the pro's ans con's of a lockdown, seems a bit naive to me. Power is their drug and they got lots of it. That's the pro, the con is that their tax slaves had to endure their edicts, so the tradeoff was quickly made.

How governments exercise control

The book is written about the UK government but the tactics used are recognizable in every country for COVID 19 or any other government initiative.

fascinating and informative

Laura does a great job in presenting a wealth of information on how society has been manipulated by government, media and BigPharma.