London

According to the BBC site the death toll from the bombs stands at 38. According to The Sun it's 53. I suppose you pays your money and takes your choice but I prefer to think that the Beeb are correct now. Sadly The Sun may be correct by the morning as a number of those injured are in a critical condition. Either way this is given to be, according to the BBC, the largest death toll from a single terrorist attack in Britain.

No real surprise that these atrocities have attracted a great deal of discussion across the blogosphere. I like this quote

So thanks then, terrorists. You've just succeeded in bringing the families of millions of Londoners that bit closer together, giving them an increased love of their city and an enhanced appreciation of their way of life.

from Clagnut and he refers to Adactio where this comes from

The terrorists responsible for these attacks are clearly not only a bunch of murdering bastards, they are a bunch of murdering bastards who don't know their history. London made it through the blitz and through years of IRA bombings. Londoners react to explosions not with fear and terror but with resolution and bravery.

For an interesting perspective and a comprehensive review of a range of new sources try Crossing the rubicon. In common with a few US based posts this one appears to forget the recent history of terrorism in this country

I hope this country will wake up to a taste of Middle East terror in its own back yard. Time will tell. (Quoted on that blog from an email)

For those with a poor memory, and in support of the quote above - this year is the 60th anniversary of the ending of WW2, a period when London and much of Britain was subjected to sustained bombing. From the late 1970s until very recently there was a sustained terrorist threat from the IRA and many cities and towns still bear the scars of outrages committed there - Warrington, Manchester, Guildford, Birmingham and Omagh to name a few. In London there was the Harrods bomb in 1983. None of this means that the British are happy about being subject to terrorist attack or that as "old hands" anyone feels comfortable about it but it's sadly not a new experience and a bomb is a bomb whatever the motivation of the murderer who planted it.

Of course there are also messages suggesting that it's all our own fault for committing troops to Iraq but I find it difficult to believe that the people on the Circle Line train really had much to do with sending troops to war.

Some interesting reflections on John Naughton's blog particularly Random thoughts and Quote of the day which is the rousing speech given by Ken Livingstone.

Above all else my thoughts are with those grieving tonight and those injured in this horrendous assault on each of us.


Tag: London Bombings