I assume the above comment was flagged for its flippant tone, but I'm vouching for it, because it raises a very valid complaint about anecdotal evidence. The U

I assume the above comment was flagged for its flippant tone, but I'm vouching for it, because it raises a very valid complaint about anecdotal evidence. The UK is a large country, so even if some event is rare, it's easy to find 10-20 incidents, and claim it is widespread. And if it's emotionally charged, people are afraid to call out such misleading use of anecdote, because they'll be accused of downplaying or defending the events, despite having valid concerns. This gives whoever decides which anecdotes enter the public consciousness the power to pain any picture they like, no matter how divorced from reality. I'm sure you can think of a few such cases in the recent past.