Friday, July 08, 2005

The terrorists failed

Link BBC NEWS | UK | London bombs killed 'at least 50'

The nation mourns as the predicted death toll from yesterday's bombing is expected to reach fifty.

And yet, and yet. The atrocity has failed to scar our national psyche. The government is not set to fall. The stock market closed at barely below the limits of normal trading. London is coming back to life. Hospitals were able to cope with the situation.

We are shocked, but we are not terrified. We mourn, but our national resolve is strengthened.

The terrorists have achieved nothing of any worth to themselves. Instead they have revealed that their reach is shortened, and their planning weak. They have done nothing to disrupt the G8 summit. All they have done is to unite the leaders and raise Tony Blair's reputation as a statesman. They failed to capitalise on the moments of national celebration %u2014 Live8 and the Olympic Games %u2014 where they might have done so much more damage.

There will be lasting repercussions. Families are without fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, children. Colleagues will look at empty chairs, and remember. Lives have been cut off short. Survivors will face weeks, months, years or a lifetime of injuries.

Let the murderers take these on their consciences for the rest of their lives.

But in terrorising Britain, they have failed.