Mayor Livingstone's comments on the London bombings

For those that missed it, this is part of Ken Livingstone's comments delivered a few hours after this morning's bombings:-

"I want to say one thing specifically to the world today. This was not a terrorist attack against the mighty and the powerful. It was not aimed at Presidents or Prime Ministers. It was aimed at ordinary, working-class Londoners, black and white, Muslim and Christian, Hindu and Jew, young and old. It was an indiscriminate attempt to slaughter, irrespective of any considerations for age, for class, for religion, or whatever.

That isn’t an ideology, it isn’t even a perverted faith - it is just an indiscriminate attempt at mass murder and we know what the objective is. They seek to divide Londoners. They seek to turn Londoners against each other. I said yesterday to the International Olympic Committee that the city of London is the greatest in the world, because everybody lives side by side in harmony. Londoners will not be divided by this cowardly attack. They will stand together in solidarity alongside those who have been injured and those who have been bereaved and that is why I’m proud to be the mayor of that city.

Finally, I wish to speak directly to those who came to London today to take life.

I know that you personally do not fear giving up your own life in order to take others - that is why you are so dangerous. But I know you fear that you may fail in your long-term objective to destroy our free society and I can show you why you will fail.

In the days that follow look at our airports, look at our sea ports and look at our railway stations and, even after your cowardly attack, you will see that people from the rest of Britain, people from around the world will arrive in London to become Londoners and to fulfil their dreams and achieve their potential.

They choose to come to London, as so many have come before, because they come to be free, they come to live the life they choose, they come to be able to be themselves. They flee you because you tell them how they should live. They don’t want that and nothing you do, however many of us you kill, will stop that flight to our city where freedom is strong and where people can live in harmony with one another. Whatever you do, however many you kill, you will fail.”

Thank you for posting this Selador. I thought that was an excellent speech - very eloquent.

Alexa

It was a good speech, for unusually, it addressed the perpetrators as people, not inhuman monsters. I don’t remember that happening ever before.

But I honestly don’t see why anyone’s so surprised by today’s events. The security forces and politicians weren’t surprised at all, and had to come on TV and say, “We knew an attack was inevitable and unstoppable”.

Why inevitable? Because we invaded an Arab country and over 20,000 civilians have died as a result. Yet we think it’s somehow not playing by the rules when their sympathisers come over here and kill a few of us? “Oh, it’s soooooooooo not fair, I was about to have a cup of tea and you’ve gone and ruined my day”.

WE. STARTED. A. WAR.

WE. ARE. AT. WAR.

(Our army is still there, killing people every day. In case you hadn't noticed.)

I have every sympathy for those affected by the bombs. I’m often in London myself and it could easily have been me in the wrong place at the wrong time. But do NOT think that our country’s government hasn’t directly caused this.

Next time around (and we’ve just missed our chance at the last elections, so we’re stuck with it for a while), please vote for someone who

1. Doesn’t invade countries who aren’t even the tiniest threat to us.
2. Doesn’t modify the UK political system to railroad his own psychotic ideas through government whenever he’s outvoted;
3. Has ANY ability to listen to the people whom he represents. If everyone apart from him, even the whole country, turned out on a march to protest against something, he’d still say we’re all misguided and wrong, and do it anyway.

For the first time in my normally very English and tea-drinking life, I have been forced to hate something. That thing is Tony Blair, who has created a climate of war and fear which I have never known in my lifetime.

I must say - good speech.

Freya - did you have a point, other than glossing over your fellow londoners suffering to state trite truisms? I'm not sure you did. Although I suspect we can write on your tombstone "I knew it was coming" when your turn is up.

How base and crass.

Did anyone start a politic thread on this? Please punt the above posters droppings into it, thanks.

Since when has terrorism *not* been politic? As much as we want to focus soley on the tragedy, you can't separate the two. Terrorism is simply politics taken to its extreme. If they can't convince you with talk, they'll blow you up. Fear will keep the local systems in line, as a well-known movie terrorist once said.

Which is why Mr. Livingstone's speech is so great. There is sorrow and mourning in London tonight. But there is not an ounce of fear. It is my greatest hope that the English government has the class not to try to play on those non-existant fears, unlike how the American government played on our country's all-too-eager-to-fear consciousness.

That was an excellent speech. London is a fantastic city. The terrorist aggression against London and its people will only strengthen Great Briton's resolve to rid the world of these criminals.

I'll tell you why the terrorists do it.

Because they know that the people they target will start fighting more with each other as a result.

Works everytime.

My thoughts are with you in Great Britain today, keep you eyes off the ground, and have a pint or two out of spite!