Fuckers!
11:42 CET: Mass E-mail from “Nick” - who works disturbingly near to Tavistock Square “I’m okay. Bus blew up in front of office…. it’s split in two….there’s a leg on the pavement”
I’m also quickly tiring of hearing the phrase “England ist ein Kriegsführende Nation” - much like the World Trade Centre (which, this thankfully seems to be on a much smaller scale, although still terrible), London really is a World City, the idea that all the victims will be British or even non-Muslim is ridiculous.
Nosemonkey liveblogging much better than watching German TV
To Karl in the comments I’d like to add this quote from Tim Worstall’s site
I have a prediction to make, that tomorrow we’ll find out whether Britons are, still, in fact, Britons. Many years ago I was working in The City and there were two events that made travel into work almost impossible.The first was a series of storms that brought down power lines, blocked train routes and so on. Not surprisingly, the place was empty the next day. Why bother to struggle through?
The other event was an IRA bomb which caused massive damage and loss of life. Trains were disrupted, travel to work the next day was horribly difficult and yet there were more people at work than on a normal day. There was no co-ordination to this, no instructions went out, but it appeared that people were crawling off their sick beds in order to be there at work the next day, thrusting their mewling and pewling infants into the arms of anyone at all so that they could be there.
Yes, we’ll take an excuse for a day off, throw a sickie. But you threaten us, try to kill us? Kill and injure some of us?
Fuck you, sunshine.
We’ll not be having that.
No grand demonstrations, few warlike chants, a desire for revenge, of course, but the reaction of the average man and woman in the street? Yes, you’ve tried it now bugger off. We’re not scared, no, you won’t change us. Even if we are scared, you can still bugger off.
Spot-on quotes from Ken Livingstone too!
“That isn’t an ideology, it isn’t even a perverted faith, it’s mass murder. We know what the objective is. They seek to divide London.”
Black and white, Muslim and Christian, Hindus and Jews, young and old. It was an “indiscriminate attempt to slaughter irrespective of any considerations for age, class, religion — whatever.”
2-3 dead they keep saying on German TV. We’re not being shown pictures like this of what’s left of a double-decker bus (seats 88). Fuck. Although the 45 that the sensationalist Sky are reporting seems miraculously low in itself.
Bearing in mind that Spain had compulsory ID before the Madrid bombings, if any politician uses this to justify their introduction today, I will scream.
ADDED 17:00 Casualty numbers really are miraculously low. Nothing more to add today, I’ll have to think a while before saying anything else, except that apart from anger, I felt a great surge of pride in the way my countrymen reacted - German TV reporters were talking about panic and then showing interviews of calm, collected people giving eye-witness accounts and going to the pub for a lunch-time beer. Perversely wonderful.
I’m going to London end of August…
I can’t believe what I’m reading right now (at work, no TV or radio)..*speechless*
sorry, that was me..
I suppose it was an inevitability, but it is thoroughly saddening business.
I worked a summer job in London in 1991. I think back then the IRA had bombed a couple of train/tube stations. The lockers in the stations were not operational because of that and the trash bins were a threat. Anyway, I never knew if I was going to be a victim but after a while I just forgot about it.
Karl: As I’m sure you’re aware, the title “I’m Going To Live There” was a statement of determined intent. Not shock.
Barbarians.
I had a post. I took it down. I like yours more. Says everything I felt like saying.
I loved how the met put it: we’re shocked…but not surprised. Britain feels like it’s got one hand helping the victims to stand up and the other sticking two fingers up at the fuckers. As Jarndyce put it: I’ve just been out with my daughter on the swings, take that Mr. Terrorist.
I am suddenly very proud that I am going to be a Londoner.
I can’t even begin to control my anger at this stupid act of cowardness. Blowing up children and innocent people just because you’re an intolerant prick makes you just that more of an asshole. I wish I was a Londoner today.
Like Karl I used to work in Central London during the early 90’s and the IRA were very active. Tube and rail stations were always being shut, or evacutated. I never saw any panic. When asked to leave Paddington station we all did in an orderely fashion. After a while (like Karl) the bombs and threats became sort of normal and I didn’t worry about it, infact I was more worried about getting home late.
As for today I wont put into words what I think. Strong lanuage would be a bit of an under statement.
London is the only European city I’ve ever been to and it DISGUSTS me that anyone would take out thier mislaid emotions on such a cool place. I’m breaking out my Union Jack and flying it from the balcony of my apartment for you all!
Fuck the differences between Americans and Europeans. The terrorists don’t care who they kill.