I'm English, okay?

[puddingcat]

So I found out around 1.30, when minspi let me know that maybe the REM concert wouldn't be. Watched the news open mouthed for half an hour or so, went back to patchwork. Later turned out trains would be running again, later still that REM's just been postponed for a week.

*Shrugs*

I was in the Marks & Spencers in Manchester 20 minutes before the IRA blew it up. I couldn't get into the office on the following Monday because of structural damage. I was worried about potential secondary thingies then, but nothing happened. I lived in Moss Side the year after whatsisname was shot in the Chinese restaurant (my local, as it happens). I lived in Longsight the year the gangs moved over there & started dealing in crack as well as in guns.

Al Qaeda (if it is them) haven't done secondary attacks before (afaik). Seems a bit daft to start panicking in case they do this time. Follow sensible safety protocols, yes; run around wailing & praying to Saint Tony to Save Us From Teh Evil, um - No.

I'm surprised it didn't happen before. I'm surprised more people didn't die. I'm sorry for the families & friends of those people who did die. I'm particularly sorry for poor old ukmonty (well, actually, his liver, since he'll no doubt be destressing in the most booze-intensive way possible).

But, really. It's just a few bombs.

Comments

[faerierhona.livejournal.com]

Why? What happened to ukmonty?

[puddingcat.livejournal.com]

Nothing's *happened* - but working for the Underground can't be fun atm.

[faerierhona.livejournal.com]

Ah, OK. Sorry - so many of my flist were caught up in it all!

[nurse-liz.livejournal.com]

So does that mean that you and minspi will be coming to Norfolk this weekend?

Hope so.

Liz x

[(Anonymous)]

Oh, I don't know. He'll be on a bus until late Friday. *Supposed* to be sorting things this evening, but the Beer Fairy asked him out for a drink...

[puddingcat.livejournal.com]

*Points up* That was me, btw.

[nurse-liz.livejournal.com]

I guessed - you don't fool me by being anonymous. :)

I agree with the sentiment of your post. On hearing the news I made contact with a couple of friends who live in London, but my overall feeling is a strange sense of pride in how quickly everything just gets back to normal. Like you say, we're used to people trying to blow us up in the UK.

Hopefully see you tomorrow.

Liz x

[puddingcat.livejournal.com]

Right - all sorted. minspi thinks that driving a minibus from Durham to London, then travelling out to Norfolk, is too much like hard work (don't blame him, really). So London it is (without an excuse!). Have fun in the fens :)

(al Qaeda will have to try harder if they want to stop me having fun...)

[trashcan17.livejournal.com]

Can confirm REM gig postponed until 16th ... my other half gipsy_queen was due to be going down to work security for it and got the word from her office llate this afternoon that it was being moved for a week ..

[ukporl.livejournal.com]

I'nt manchester brilliant?!

[ukmonty.livejournal.com]

booze? who has boozes? i have fine meths and am sticking to it!

Thanks to everyone who has asked how everyone is.

Tpmorrow we get it fixed. It (life) goes on.

[vulgarcriminal.livejournal.com]

That's a great song. Have you heard Tori Amos' version? It's amazing.

[nannyo.livejournal.com]

I think I love you! You express very clearly some things I wanted to say.
Have a lovely weekend with lovely minspi and now you don't have to worry about cute and sexy shoes that are good for standing in a muddy field, you can just be your cute and sexy self.
N.

[dragonmamma.livejournal.com]

Very true all of that post. Thanks for expressing it so well. As you can see from today's news most people are being very phlegmatic about it all. Truly awful for those who have lost loved ones or dont know where they are at this time.Mine thank the gods are all safe and sound. Otherwise we will continue to go about our business as usual. Hope that the G8 develop more resolve in the face of this and achieve something positive and lasting.
It angers me that the joy of winning the Olympic bid will be overshadowed for years with the "and then the day after...." tag.
Unless of course it was the French who did it out of spite?

just a few bombs

[cpnbirdseye.livejournal.com]

Hello, I know it's terribly bad form to comment on stranger's journals and whatnot but I've just got to butt in after reading this entry. I'm not sure what part of London you live in, but if you witnessed what I witnessed yesterday morning (king's x area) and then had to jump on a tube train this morning, I'm fairly certain you wouldn't have the attitude towards yesterday's events that you do. It's very hard to remain unperturbed when you're in an atmosphere of barely suppressed confusion and panic like there was yesterday.
I appreciate that you've lived somewhere where there's been crack dealing or whatever (i live in peckham so not much of a stranger to it myself) and that you were in manchester when the IRA bombed the M&S (although IIRC that one was on a smaller scale to yesterday) but going off on people for panicking, when (it's looking likely) over 50 people have been blown to shit seems a bit off. In my opinion.

Re: just a few bombs

[puddingcat.livejournal.com]

Ok, I'm a little wary since your journal has no friends or apparent entries, but anyway:

I can understand *immediate* shock & panic; Manchester was the same. My point was that al Qaeda don't have a history of *repeated* attacks a few days or even hours, later. There have been a few closely spaced devastating explosions then nothing for a year or more.

The IRA, otoh, have a history of striking randomly and repeatedly. Spending a lot of time in and near London in the 80s and 90s, the "omg what if there's a bomb?" level of ongoing worry was much higher than it has been over the last few years, even after 9/11.

I'm travelling into London tonight (into Euston) and I'm really not bothered at all about more explosions. *If* there were more packages, I'm totally confident that the emergency services & intelligence etc will have dealt with them. I was more afraid returning into Manchester after that bomb, since it wasquite possible the IRA would have secondary devices.

Most people I know in London feel the same (see zenmeisterin for a particularly good explanation). The news reports, by mid-afternoon, had started to be reporters using terms like "devastation" and "crippled" while people caught up in it were much more phlegmatic.

So basically (random thoughts aside), I can understand the immediate panic, but I'm not in the slightest bit surprised that London as a whole is carrying on as normally as possible today.

[g33k-gawdess.livejournal.com]

Hey, hon, glad to see you're okay. Was thinking about you yesterday. Hopefully Britian won't go batshit insane like the US has since 9/11. Y'all seem to have a level head about everything, though.

[puddingcat.livejournal.com]

Thanks for caring :)

Part of it, I think, is that we weren't the first - 9/11 came out of (seemingly) nowhere. The "Authorities" sound as if they were pretty much expecting an attack sooner or later, and (not to belittle those hurt or bereaved), it was *so* much smaller than the attacks on the US.

Now, if they'd bombed Old Trafford or Lords, there'd have been an outcry. The City's full of workaholic yuppies who can work from home on wireless networs or on the golf course, but disrpting Man U or the cricket would be a witch-burning offence... ;)

[nannyo.livejournal.com]

Totally unrelated to this post, but I direct your attention to this post and the ensuing discussion of bad and wrong: http://www.livejournal.com/users/duranorak/1067205.html

I feel that it's probably ALL YOUR FAULT, and for that I am very grateful... teee heee.