Hackney Road

by Simon McDonnell - NA Thu Jul 21, 2005 18:26 simon at elevated dot to

Eastenders Enjoy the Sunshine
As the sun came out this afternoon in London - only hours after the terror blasts, Eastenders took to the pavement cafe's to enjoy a few lagers. On a visit to Dublin last weekend I was struck by how Dubliners seemed so much more concerned about the bombs in London on the 7th of July than Londoners themselves. Are Londoners really innured to terror attacks after years of IRA attacks as the media say? Its definitely business as usual over here.

A cheeky chappie enjoys a pint 500 metres from the cordoned off Hackney Road

Pub banter continues apace, while young lover stroll and a gent chooses some nice fresh papaya 500 metres from the cordoned off Hackney Road

Cafe society, cockney style 500 metres from the cordoned off Hackney Road

by A Thu Jul 21, 2005 18:58

I was in London a day after the bombings. I think what gets celebrated by the state as stoicism. Is merely disassociation...the town is so big, lives are so atomised. It reminds one of the Billy Connolly shark attack skit where he is intially surprised that the Aussies are so calmly wading out of the water to the sound of the alarm. Billy then realises that everyone is reassured and relieved that the shark is busily eating someone else to effect them.

On th subject what gets celebrated in Australia and in liberal circles as tolerance is often indifference.

Londoners have learnt to live with their city spewing so much violence across the word in terms of deploying troops to Iraq and arms sales everywhere. Yes they have the ability to learn to live with a lot!

by Bob Thu Jul 21, 2005 19:13

And this is part of the point of yesterday’s bombings: to divide British Muslims from British non-Muslims (let us not mention the name Christians), to encourage the very kind of racism that Tony Blair claims to resent.

But here’s the problem. To go on pretending that Britain’s enemies want to destroy "what we hold dear" encourages racism; what we are confronting here is a specific, direct, centralised attack on London as a result of a "war on terror" which Lord Blair of Kut al-Amara has locked us into. Just before the US presidential elections, Bin Laden asked: "Why do we not attack Sweden?"

Lucky Sweden. No Osama bin Laden there. And no Tony Blair.

by aye aye Thu Jul 21, 2005 21:20

Doesn't it? sorry that really ought be "innit?"
an tigeann an bearla?

Even allowing for today's incidents occuring at mid-day and not full rush hour the Tube system is now replaced by shuttle service, no one called an ambulance, a great deal of suspicius packages were dutifully reported, no one got to see the pakistani general president on telly, financial markets applied same mechanism as last time to prevent runs on the market and broke profit at closing carrying the majority of european exchanges with them exception of course Finland on the nokia revelations bad news there, time to leave nokia, all incident sites closed isolated and sweeped for WMD agents, Oil didn't quiver, pints were sipped in Hackney only furlongs from Columbia road, nutter picked up and escorted off of Whitehall, press conference went swimmingly.

Londoners are very well trained.

tack on lee please 30º more, & leave iraq please.
that little "please" is important. don't go saying "must" ,-.)

by redjade Thu Jul 21, 2005 21:22

Simon

thanks for reporting from the scene.

I think you have started to convey something here that is quite interesting - even there's no 'news' per se.

Just tell the story as you see it :-)

by Chekov Thu Jul 21, 2005 22:23

Keep us updated and don't go getting blown up, y'hear.