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Paul Bigland

~ Blogging on transport, travel & whatever takes my fancy.

Paul Bigland

Category Archives: Terrorism

London and the aftermath of yesterday’s tragic events

23 Thursday Mar 2017

Posted by Paul Bigland in London, Terrorism, Travel

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London, Terrorism, Travel

When I wrote my last blog entry about living in London during the IRA days of the IRA’s bombing campaign I never imagined that 24 hours later London would be the scene of another tragic attack which would cause the death of 3 innocent people.

Of course, as soon as it happened we had wall to wall media coverage and acres of speculation. Some sections of the right-wing media (especially in America) ramped up the hype and hysteria, aided and abetted their followers who hope to sow division and fear amongst people. Here’s an example of their bullshit.

Phares

No. One man didn’t ‘shut down a city’. No-one has ever shut down London, not the Luftwaffe, not the IRA, nor the far right bomber David Copeland – and no-one ever will.

I lived in London for nearly 25 years. At heart, I’m still a Londoner. The city made me who I am and I’m eternally grateful for everything the city gave me. I was still living there the last time their was a major incident, the 7th July bombings on 2005. I covered that horrific day for a magazine and I vividly remember the reaction of Londoners as events unfolded. It was one of stoicism and resolve. The resolve not to be cowed, not to be beaten. I was intensely proud of my fellow Londoners that day, I still am. I’ve no doubt that they’ll be showing those same strengths today.

People of many different faiths and nationalities were killed on 7/7. The same may well be true of yesterday as the killers really don’t care who they kill. All they want to do is spread terror – and that’s the one thing we must never let anyone do – including their right-wing friends in the media. So here’s a hat-tip to people like James Cleverly, who’s taken on the poisonous Katie Hopkins

MP

This is the true spirit of London, not ‘Hatey Katie’s’ warped vision.

tube message

 

 

Working from home, and other thoughts

21 Tuesday Mar 2017

Posted by Paul Bigland in London, Musings, Terrorism, Work

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London, Musings, Terrorism

– and it’s not a bad place to be today! The Spring weather’s taken a turn for the worse up in’t Pennines. There’s a chill wind, rain and threats of snow (in fact, as I typed this, it started hailing), so I’m happy to be catching up on paperwork, picture-editing and listening to the news – most of which is depressing.

The death of former IRA leader Martin McGuinness features in many reports. Understandably, his memory generates strong feelings from some, but there’s no doubt that , without the willingness of him and others to reject the bullet for the ballot box, ‘the troubles’ would still be with us. I lived in London for nearly 25 years and experienced first-hand the devastation that the IRA wrought. In 1996 I was still living in the East End. I was at home the night the massive South Quay bomb detonated. We lived over a mile North of the explosion in Bromley by Bow, but we though our windows were going to blow in. The blast rattled the hell out of them – and us. I’m glad to see the back of those times which were far more dangerous than today’s hysteria around Islamic extremism. The IRA killed for more UK citizens than Islamists ever have. So, I’m grateful to McGuinness for being part of bringing those days to an end. There’s a lesson in what he did for anyone who wishes to learn it. Who would have thought that two implacable enemies, McGuinness and the Unionist firebrand the Rev Ian Paisley  would form such a rapport that they would earn the sobriquet ‘the chuckle brothers’?

Right, enough of philosophising, I’ve work to do…

20170321_104707

 

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