Is it being an Englishman abroad that makes Andrew Sullivan such a great observer on today's attacks? He points to Tim Worstall's comment:
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.(Turns out that Worstall is abroad too.) Sullivan also spots this, from the London News Review: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.
What the fuck do you think you're doing? This is London. We've dealt with your sort before. You don't try and pull this on us.Here's Sullivan himself, with his pithy endorsement of British stoicsim:Do you have any idea how many times our city has been attacked? Whatever you're trying to do, it's not going to work.
All you've done is end some of our lives, and ruin some more. How is that going to help you? You don't get rewarded for this kind of crap.
And if, as your MO indicates, you're an al-Qaeda group, then you're out of your tiny minds.Because if this is a message to Tony Blair, we've got news for you. We don't much like our government ourselves, or what they do in our name. But, listen very clearly. We'll deal with that ourselves. We're London, and we've got our own way of doing things, and it doesn't involve tossing bombs around where innocent people are going about their lives.
And that's because we're better than you. Everyone is better than you. Our city works. We rather like it. And we're going to go about our lives. We're going to take care of the lives you ruined. And then we're going to work. And we're going down the pub.
So you can pack up your bombs, put them in your arseholes, and get the fuck out of our city.
Brits regard the best response to outrage to carry on as if nothing has happened. Yes, they will fight back. But first, they will just carry on as normal. Right now, a million kettles are boiling.I'm not drinking tea these days, but I think I'll boil the kettle anyway.
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Comments (19)
Chin up folks, I'm boiling the kettle in Leeds as we speak and will be having a very English cup of tea in an understated and dignified show of support. Stay safe :)
July 7, 2005 20:09 Permalink for comment
The kettle is on in Boston for you. Stay strong and take names.
July 7, 2005 20:34 Permalink for comment
15 mugs and counting. Its so quiet here, I think everyone is glued to the tv (its quite surreal).
July 7, 2005 20:35 Permalink for comment
That sums up the feeling here in Bradford too :) .
July 7, 2005 21:14 Permalink for comment
Kettle on in New Zealand.
What a true observation though. Is this the rationale: storms are not caused by people (at least not in the direct sense), while terrorism is? It’s easier to confront a bunch of misguided nutters and go to work than confront God, Mother Nature, whatever you believe is causing the storm.
Today the British people are saying, ‘Up yours, al-Qaïda.’ I join them.
July 8, 2005 00:38 Permalink for comment
Let's hear all of the Muslim countries come out and denounce these bombings!
Put your money where your mouth is Muslim leaders everywhere! Get on the worlds stage and shout out loud...
'You do not support these actions, you do not support Al-Qaeda and those organisations in no-way represent the Muslim faith'....Come on, lets hear it.............nothing?......Well if you can't then i'm afraid you're gonna see more racial profiling, i'm afraid your gonna be searched at airports, your going to always be looked at twice, you will hear people saying '..looks like a suicide bomber..'...I'm afraid you will have to be concerned for your safety....
However ignorant that may sound, you have given us no choice. We are yet to hear an outpouring of sorrow and regret from key Muslim leaders, where are you as I watch the news? Where are you in front of podiums denouncing these attacks carried out by so called Muslims?
And why do those that call themselves Muslim feel they can stand on our streets and praise Al-Qaeda?? How do we let them get away with it...I've seen it! In Finsbury park, 10 minutes from my mothers house I have seen you threaten our country....Your lucky we don't behead you!
To be completley honest and it saddens me but I am starting to wonder about your faith.....
July 8, 2005 02:55 Permalink for comment
Roka39, the BBC interviewed a Muslim mosque leader a few hours after the bombings and he denounced these cruel, inhuman actions. I believe these denunciations will come; they similarly came after 9-11 from some, but it takes the media some time because the hot news is reporting on stories of carnage, tragedy, and hope. Then come the analyses.
July 8, 2005 03:44 Permalink for comment
My kettle boils over. Did they realise that Aldgate is primarily a Muslim area and the Edgeware Road is London's Arab district?
July 8, 2005 07:56 Permalink for comment
An excellent point, James, and it's near one of the large mosques. Terrorism is about as un-Islamic as it gets. And un-Christian. And inhuman.
July 8, 2005 08:51 Permalink for comment
Roka39: You'll find the wikipedia entry includes condemnations from several Islamic leaders, as forthright as any.
July 8, 2005 09:31 Permalink for comment
Dear Friends,
This act of terrorism should be condemned by all of us, in equal voice.
I am a numerologist I have mastered the technique of forecasting the terrorist attacks all over the world. I predicted this attack of 7/7 on London, three months back ,in the month of April. But I am afraid no body paid attention to me. Now I am again predicting that next major terrorist attack will be performed on "NEW DELHI" in the month of "AUGUST". If you want further informatiom , please feel free to contact me.
Again I would like to condemn the killing of innocent people any where in the world.
Always with peace loving people,
Romesh Narayan Chaudhary
July 9, 2005 09:50 Permalink for comment
Romesh, I am glad you took the courage to record an upcoming event. Should it happen, and I pray it does not, then I hope others will take heed of warnings, whether numerological, psychic, or from more physical-realm sources.
July 9, 2005 12:01 Permalink for comment
Hi, I feel sympathy about terror in London
It's sad subject on this blog
July 11, 2005 19:25 Permalink for comment
The kettle is on in Australia, but i gotta admit, its bubbling hard and its going to boil over one day.
July 12, 2005 14:51 Permalink for comment
The kettle is on in California - Englishman in USA.
July 15, 2005 02:13 Permalink for comment
What a jolly super show of solidarity.
I'm a little bemused by the romantic notions held by some ex-pats of "Britishness" - something which is largely a cultural anachronism now - still, that doesn't matter.
Thank you guys, some of the ignorant comments I've seen online had started to make it look like the solidarity was all one way between the US and UK.
@Matt - oh, so *now* you guys in Boston want our tea eh? Heh. :)
August 11, 2005 10:29 Permalink for comment
This weekend has proven that Romesh Narayan Chaudhary’s post of July 9 (above) was correct in its prediction of New Delhi being the next target. If numerology netted him ‘August’, or the eighth month, then bear in mind ‘October’ was once the eighth month. If you believe in predictions and numerology, then it shows that we haven’t advanced an awful lot as a human race if these events have continued on the same old foreseen path. We need to act.
October 30, 2005 02:02 Permalink for comment
In fairness, Romesh said New Delhi would be the next attack. But since the 7 July, there have been several other terror attacks, including Sharm el Sheikh and Bali. So I don't think there's much evidence here for numerology.
October 30, 2005 14:38 Permalink for comment
You are right, Johnnie. It’s worth mentioning that neither were covered in any depth here by our mainstream media, despite the Sharm el Sheikh bomb killing more than London.
October 31, 2005 04:41 Permalink for comment