I object to the use of the word evil in newspapers. It�s so inappropriate whatever the context.
I never thought I�d see the day when I see London on television with images of fear, death, destruction and chaos; the world of wars and violence isn�t one that exists in my world, it�s far away, on the news, places I don�t recognise, place�s I may never see, people I don't know.
Home is safe, home is always safe.
Even in books, Orwell�s nightmare of England in constant fear was one that scared me so much, more than any book has ever terrified me, because despite being incredibly extreme, it feels so close, so very possible.
And now people have been too scared to use transport in London. People would rather walk around the city from station to station rather than take the risk. Those who do, travel with fear and suspicion of everyone around them. Try not to wear a rucksack, or look like a foreigner.
You might get shot in the street, in broad daylight�
By the Police.
What kind of world is this; what country is this we�re living in? It doesn�t happen here; police don�t need to carry guns, no one does here�
Do they?
My reaction to the bombs of a few weeks ago was not one of total shock. This is what scared me the most. It didn�t entirely surprise me. We�ve been waiting, in the back of our minds for years has been the thought, the feeling �something will happen here. Since 9/11, since Iraq, it was coming; we could almost smell it in the air. It was the bitter residue of Blair�s patriotic speeches, the afterthought; the unspoken. The blood on the hands of those in power; blood seeks retribution, an eye for an eye. Hit them where it hurts. Hurt the innocent, the innocent have already been hurt. Now they all lay dieing� across the world.
There�s no solution, I don�t see a way out. Everyone is out for their own ends; as Orwell predicted, all bad news can be propaganda, all fear equates to control, and yes, people�s lives and deaths are merely an elaborate piece of P.R. work.
Driving past Kings Cross, I felt humbled to even see it once again, with my own eyes rather than on the news. Will it ever feel the same, will the fear be resolved?
Will we ever really feel safe, or have we now lost our innocence?
