Explosions in London

[j$]

This morning 8.47 UK time, at least six explosions on the underground and one bus throughout central London. Very little information at the moment, I will keep you updated.

j$

[Bell Green]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4659387.stm

G8 is on today and yesterday London won the bid to host the 2012 Olympics. Many injuries and a few fatalities. Underground is closed. Tony Blair to give a statement at midday. Investors are panicking and the pound has already gone down. Shocking news.

[Bell Green]

In Tony Blair's statement he confirmed that this was indeed terrorist activity. The reports also say that the bus bombing was the work of a suicide bomber.

Even though the UK government have been warning about the possibility of terrorist attacks, the public have generally ignored it. My feeling is that there is more to come. My wife works in the city near Liverpool St and I'm hoping she gets out soon.

[j$]

At least one al-queida related website claiming responbility so far ....

I don't think the public have ignored it. I remember very clearly the Aldwych bus bomb, what eight years ago; as a nation we had twenty years of irregular IRA attacks. It is in our psyche therefore the detente of the last 10 years doesn't mean we have become lazy. I'm angry not afraid.

Also if you compare this to the attacks in Madrid and Russia, then there is no evidence to suggest continued attacks after the effect. I hope time doesn't prove me wrong on that.

I hope your wife gets home OK - it might take her a while ....

[Caravan Ray]

We have had non-stop coverage on the ABC since about 2 hours after the event.

With G8 and the Olympics bid happening - somebody has really done their homework and picked the 'maximum effect' timing. Such calculated violence is truly scary.

[Bjam]

Gah. This is insane. My family is all spread out over England and Scotland, but one aunt in London, and she should be fine, unless she decided to take a trip to central London, which would be unlikely. Of course we can't get through to her mobile because the service is all screwed over from everyone trying to phone. (Coincidentally she's also the aunt that's travelling here on 9/11/05)

I was the first to find out in the family, so a very very sleepy me was very suddenly awake and running into the family's bedrooms screaming about attacks and blasts. First to find out about Diana's death as well. Lots of "No way. You're joking. What?! No." then it kinda turns to bad words.

This is crazy. I hope everyone in the UK and their family and friends are alright.

[Me$$iah]

I dont want to upset anyone, but
London has been the target of many terrorist attacks over many years. I lived there for a while and, when I first got there i was struck by the complacency of the people toward bomb scares and threats. After being there only a few months I too became as complacent as everyone else.
I hope that the people of the U.K. arent frightened by the government into accepting even more draconian laws and further erosion of cilvil rights and freedom. Remember terrorism is not new and the U.K. has never need ID cards before etc. As for the olympics well...I dont even wanna start there.

[jimtyrrell]

Scary news. My thoughts are with all of you across the pond. Hope you're okay.

[j$]

London has been the target of many terrorist attacks over many years. I lived there for a while and, when I first got there i was struck by the complacency of the people toward bomb scares and threats.

And how did you gauge this, exactly? Complacency is not the same as being used to it, and therefore knowing how to deal with things when they happen. And how would lack of complacency prevented an attack like this on a public transport system? Why do terrorists target public transport? Because it causes the most chaos & death but also because it is almost impossible to protect against ....

Sorry, I just find this a bit of a meaningless statement ....

j$

[roymond]

Sorry, I just find this a bit of a meaningless statement ....j$

I'd say its part of learning to talk about issues that we're not used to talking about, not to mention experience. I hear what you're saying, but don't be defensive when someone puts together some thoughts for discussion. The underlying issue is exactly what you say...there is no true defense from this stuff. Your distinctions add to the conversation.

[Justincombustion]

Man, one of my very good friends that is still in the Navy was stationed on Capitol Hill (near the Pentagon) on 9/11. About a year ago, he transferred to London...DOH! Poor bastard.

[Me$$iah]

I hear ya j$,
but dont get me wrong. I aint trying to cause troub or nothing, I was just tring to say that London and the U.K. has been through this before and sometime even much, much worse, and has always come through it a stonger free-er nation. And I hope this continues. Im sorry if I upset ya, not my intention.



If I had wanted to try to cause troub I would probly have said something like
'Cor..The Olympics and now this, they really are trying to divert attention from G8'

[j$]

If I had wanted to try to cause troub I would probly have said something like
'Cor..The Olympics and now this, they really are trying to divert attention from G8'

Heh.

But Roymond, when i said it was a meaningless statement - I meant 'what exactly would you do to improve security in a major capital like London?' It's all very well to imply that complacency in the populus is a root cause of terrorism, it very well may be, but I just don't see what we could have done / what we can do to ensure that this specific event doesn't happen again ...

For example there haven't been any rubbish bins anywhere on the tube for ten years - to avoid people putting bombs in them. Mobiles don't work on tube trains, even though the engineering 'ware to make them work is in place, for the most part to prevent automated triggers. We are constantly advised to be vigilant of abandoned packages - 100s are 'detonated' every year. What could we have done more to prevent this happening? No aggression and certainly no defensiveness, just want to know if people who make this comment have thought any further than 'we should be more careful'

Don't assume just because I disagree with something, it is neccessarily a knee-jerk reaction, any more than I do to the people I'm disagreeing with.

j$

[Me$$iah]

OMG no... sorry dude..I like so didnt mean that to sound that way
I wasnt trying to imply that complacency was the root of the problem or any thing...just a comment on my time in London.

I remeber soon after i moved there I was on a tube, and all of a sudden it stopped the lights blacked out for a second then re-alit. A voice scratched out over the intercom "we regret to inform you that due to a bomb threat at the next station, this train will be delayed for for a few moments. Please remain calm, Everything is under control and we'll soon be on our way...Thank you". A BOMB .....OMG a BOMB was running through my head.. I looked up and a chap in a suit, looked at his watch then commented to a fellow passenger..'Damn ..Im going to miss neighbours now'.....I thought wat, a bomb and this guy is worried about a TV show
But after being there a while I too became upset with small delays caused by crashes or bomb scares or political rallies/marches etc.
I guess that tho is just part of living in a political centre, like what London is

BTW my sister, her husband and 2 kids all live in London (theyre all fine) and I wasnt wishing any harm or putting any blame on the folks that live there. Just i guess internet and wat I was trying to say dont mix to well

Cheers
-Me$$iah

[j$]

Don't worry, man, I didn't take offence or anything. And I am very glad that your folks over here are OK. Seriously.

I work for a drama school that specialises in bringing american kids over to England to give them British styles of acting lessons ... and maybe not surprisingly, but very weclome all the same, the outpouring of support that has been sent from alumni, work colleagues over there and parents has been asbolutely amazing. So thanks to everyone who has taken / takes the time to get in touch with people over here, via internet, phone, whatever. It may sound corny but that sort of thing is really very much appreciated. By me and my colleagues anyway.

j$

[mkilly]

I'm of course really bummed to hear about this. I don't know what to say other than I hope we can find those who did this and prevent attacks in the future.

[jack]

i have to wonder if one of the other cities had won the olympics, would they have been the recipients? paris, madrid, NYC....all good, high profile targets.

i personally think it has more to do with the olympic choice than the G8, although the G8 seems the obvious motive, it seemed more the intention to deflate goodwill and demoralize people and in the UK at least, thats exactly what has happened. one minute, they are celebrating in the streets, the next minute they are dying. hopefully, the world will rally around this tragic event and see that this can happen anywhere, including the good old USA.

my first thought when i heard this was i hope johnny cashpoint was ok.

[j$]

Thanks, Jack I am fine (actually I am in Oxford at the moment so a good 50 miles away from the attacks) but I did have a very scary morning where I couldn't get through to my other half, who was at a conference in London. Anyway, he is fine, thankfully ...

But after him, my first thought was for songfighters in London. Which is the main (unwritten) reason i started this thread, so London songfighter could post up and let us know they were ok. I also started thinking about American songfighters for whom work brings them to London occasionally, specifically Roymond. Weird that 'protect the family' instinct that kicks in, even with a virtual family....

j$

[Me$$iah]

I did have a very scary morning where I couldn't get through to my other half, who was at a conference in London. Anyway, he is fine, thankfully ...
j$

That makes me very happy to hear.

I knew that you had gone to Oxford , I didnt think tho that you had gone alone. If Id known I wouldve asked if everything was cool. Beleive me I too had a scary morning, trying to call my sister, and the phones wouldnt connect and then it took like 25 mins for a text message to get through. Worrying times

Though I guess everyone was phoning and texting friends and family so its not surprising

[roymond]

Thanks Johnny, I am coming to London in two weeks, actually. My brother-in-law and his family live there (also safe-via email...no phones). My step sister is in Madrid. I witnessed 9/11. Our families are somewhat metropolitan, I suppose, so we'll be exposed to this. But then there was Columbine...in the burbs.

I used to fly a lot for work. Multiple times a week. I never worried if the security checks would delay me. I worried if I got there too late to get through the checks in time. I was always amazed at the shit people gave the inspectors for having them open bags, take their shoes off, etc. Especially the week of the shoe bomber!

This morning I felt the same chills I had after the Madrid bombings, which brought back 9/11 angst. Unlike London, we weren't used to it. Even the week of 9/11 I wasn't afraid of the subways, I was concerned about the buildings falling upstairs while I was passing under. Trains I was on reversed perhaps a dozen times because of that, letting us off miles from home and left to walk through the security zone and over the bridge to Brooklyn. Very soon after, though, I stopped riding on crowded trains. I'd rather be way late then crammed on a subway car thinking about it...

I wish everyone there well. Glad you and yours are.

[Caravan Ray]

On a brighter note - Congrats on the Olympics!

I was in Sydney in 2000 - it was fantastic! The trains ran on time and 3 million people were actually polite to each other for 2 weeks!

[roymond]

On a brighter note - Congrats on the Olympics!

I was in Sydney in 2000 - it was fantastic! The trains ran on time and 3 million people were actually polite to each other for 2 weeks!

Indeed, congrats! And let's not lose site of brighter sides. But for now that's prolly not that easy.