Londoner comments on attacks
Yesterday was tragedy followed by farce as our brave politicians,
partying in Gleneagles and Singapore, bravely leapt to our verbal
defence. “The security response plan was performing perfectly!” - at
least the bit that involves mopping up body parts was. Actually for an
hour after the first bomb the “authorities” persisted in the fable that
it was a “power surge” and loaded everyone onto buses. Fortunately only
one of those exploded.
Never mind, we were “defiantly going about our business”.. I felt many
things yesterday, as I suppose did others, but defiance wasn’t one of
them. Shock, nausea, relief (at still being alive) - but no surprise.
No one was left in terror wondering who might have done it for what crazy
reason. Everyone knew it was because of the barbarism Britain was
helping to visit on Afghanistan and Iraq. I suppose people were more
resigned yesterday - its been expected for 2 years. The Chickens coming
home to Roost was a sensible explanation for what happened yesterday -
not a mad, agitational slogan
I didn’t feel particularly free yesterday either, as the mayor
emotionally informed the world’s media. The bombs didn’t stop the boss
from expecting me at work, while other businesses made a tidy profit
from the captive and suddenly needy audience trapped in the city. “In
light of todays events staff should feel free to leave at 4pm - as long
as they notify their line managers first” writes the Principal. Thanks
very much. I wonder what has to happen to get the afternoon off?
“Muslims should stay indoors in case of reprisals” the BBC helpfully
notified us (and the BNP) yesterday. That won’t happen in London - it is
simply too multicultural and too mindful of recent mass anti-war demos.
I don’t think most people will feel the urge to “revive the spirit of
the blitz” or “teach them a lesson” either - the list of countries to
bomb or threaten is already unwieldy. When peoples emotions turn to
anger I expect there will be an obvious target in Blair and the
government’s eternal warmongering.
The day before yesterday was the “victory” of the Olympic bid decision,
and I was in the city. A posse of jets with red white and blue contrails
roared over so quickly that it wasn’t possible to take more than a
couple of steps before they had come and gone. Today I can’t stop
imagining what it would be like to have those jets dropping bombs on you
if you were caught in the open. And I can’t stop thinking about Fallujah
last November - when British troops threw up a cordon around that city
while Marines went in to slaughter its people
Tony Hartin
London
8/7/05
Daithi:
Did Karl Rove enable this tragedy?
http://gaelicstarover.blogspot.com/2005/07/aid-to-enemy.html
Please sign this petition to demand further disclosure…
http://petitiononline.com/noorkhan/petition.html
8 July 2005, 11:44 pmeric v:
please keep in mind that ‘chickens coming home to roost’ assumes that it is known who perpetrated the London attacks. I must emphasize that it is not known who did so. Given the revelations (in the london times and london guardian) that those indicted in the madrid bombings were working for the madrid police and madrid municipal counter-terrorism organization, and given the obvious answer to the question “who benefits from the london attacks,” it would be wrong to assume that the attacks were organized without the assistance of elements of the british government.
9 July 2005, 1:53 amD. Crews:
Tony, how can you overlook the obvious distinction? Airstrikes and ground operations that flatten homes, splatter children, and kill thousands are “liberation” and “neccessary” to keep us free. Desparate acts of violence that inconvienience our empirical corporate machine and only kill dozens are “despicable acts of terrorism”. Get it?
9 July 2005, 5:43 amles:
Hi Stan,
Good to see your getting more comments from Britain. Tony Hartin’s piece was well received by myself.
There is one point about the Bus bomb that is, I believe being suppressed by the media. There is a statute of Ghandi in Tavistock Sq. The Guardian carried a small letter about it today(9th July) but it has not appeared in any other media.
I posted a piece Thursday evening on my blog at http://outsidethegates.blogspot.com
9 July 2005, 5:55 amDoug Nielson:
Michael Rupert is suggesting that “Perhaps the reason for the attacks was just to make it possible to quickly impose martial law in both the United Kingdom and the United States, and using stan Goff for backup for this perspective. See it here:
9 July 2005, 1:45 pmhttp://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/070805_global_battlefield_summary.shtml
It seems to me that Rupert is a conspiracy nut. Just because Bush and Blair’s policies caused this attack and just because they will try to use it to their political advantage doesn’t mean they organized it.
Stan:
And let me say here, I explicitly disagreed with Mike on this assumption. Anyone who reads the text of this piece (which I was paid for and cannot reprint now), will see that I am also explicit in the article that this is not the case. In fact, I am saying exactly the opposite.
Let me say it here. This was not an inside job!
9 July 2005, 1:57 pmPartridge:
Hey Stan,
Thought your readers might be interested in some of the Left reactions to the bombings from this part of the world.
George Galloway (on behalf of Respect) and Galloway’s statement to the House of Commons
Socialist Workers Party (IST)
Socialist Party (CWI)
Labour Against the War (UK)
Workers’ International League (Socialist Appeal Group)
Communist Party of Great Britain
Communist Party of Britain
Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist)
Workers Revolutionary Party
Irish Anti War Movement
Stop the War Coalition (UK)
Socialist Equality Party
Scottish Socialist Party
Sinn Fein
British & Irish Anarchist co-statement
Also, I’ve just heard the following on the BBC World Service: Birmingham (UK) city centre has just been evacuated, and all roads sealed off. Police are said to be acting on ‘unspecified tip off’ (BBC’s words) or something.
Meanwhile, in the Milan area of Italy, Italian security services has arrested some 140 people in order to ‘make people feel safer from terrorism’ (paraphrasing the state’s words). According to the BBC they appear to be mostly illegal immigrants and petty criminals, and this is a “pyschological excercise”.
9 July 2005, 3:58 pmJonas:
After a long string of false predictions Ruppert seems to have become a bit more cautious with his dark prophecies. I don’t like him for the fact that only the chosen few who subscribe to his website will be saved. What kind of activism is that?
9 July 2005, 4:33 pm