so an attack is imminent

[myoriginal3]

AIBU to be a little freaked, living in London?

The attack if there is one could come anywhere at any time. *

But that's not strictly true.

Attacks are more likely in big cities, airports, anywhere that large numbers of people congregate. Because that's where most damage will be done, and most media coverage.

My small rural village is much less of an interesting target- otherwise we would have police patrols here too surely?

BTW I mentioned my DC going on school trip into London after another atrocity somewhere and I was told I was ridiculous. Guess what that trip didnt go ahead and a year later the day my dd went into L on school trip was the westminster attack, she wasnt hurt but it goes to show...

If it shows anything, it is that in an incident in which six people died, 9 million odd other people in the city at the same time were absolutely fine. It doesn't or shouldn't vindicate your fears, if anything it should lessen them.

terror threat* levels

More likely. But could come anywhere at any time. That's what terrorists do. And if you don't believe me look at the history of the troubles.

What worries me is that TM makes a point of NOT raising the status

Oh ffs no she doesn't. She wasn't being stoic and resilient by not raising them before, it's not HER who raises them! There was a need to this time. That is all there is to it.

"I'm also amazed people don't remember the IRA bombings more vividly. They bombed the Conservative AGM and killed and maimed Thatcher's colleagues and friends as well as all the pub bombings etc."

Yes I remember that vividly - but it was politicians - political targets (I am not saying that made it okay, it didn't - just that as a school girl in E Anglia I didn't feel like a potential target)

Some of you are lucky to be able to be so incredibly naive about terrorism.

The pub bombings - not political targets, granted.

We need to negotiate from an apologetic position to reach the PEACE that we all want

Complete drivel.

Ffs listen to the actual terrorists, to their goals and aims.

How do you to negotiate apologetically with that?

'Awww shucks sorry about existing. How about we all top ourselves or convert to your warped view of Islam?'

It makes me nervous. I admit I'll be more cautious of where we go. Devastating that some sick individuals believe this is what Allah would want.

Am I being thick, what's the pattern?

They were all on the 22nd

Tanyadm I suppose not, thank you.

And, I'll repeat, they were not raised today. They were already at this level, it's just that we didn't know about it.

What does it go to show, Rose? That no one should ever go on a school trip on the off-chance of terrorism?

8.6 million people live in London, another 750,000 commute in daily and about 47,000 tourists visit on average each day. Since the year 2000, 55 people have been killed in by terrorism, not counting the terrorists themselves. So your risk of being killed on any given day has been about 1 in 40 million or - to put it another way - there has been a death from terrorism about once every 100 days. For comparison, about 28 people die in London every day from air pollution.

Let's keep a sense of proportion.

And folk were only pointing out the politics of it in an attempt to get everyone to calm down. These cunts are generally sad loners who sometimes band together. The risk they pose is difficult to completely assess because of this. Our police and intelligence services generally do a very good job of this as far as I can see but they won't ever be able to completely eliminate it. We probably have to look for social and community solutions.

People saying these terrorists want the collapse of western civilisation, I thought what they actually wanted was for the west to stop interfering in the Middle East?

The Troubles were only across the Irish Sea (in the main) Some of the atrocities of the troubles were carried out on the mainland.

Did you not do this in history at school even, if you're young? The good Friday agreement was signed in 1998. That's only 19 years ago.

Did you really take so little notice?

What is classed as "imminent"? When does "imminent" end? Is it today? Tomorrow? Next week? If/when another attack does occur?

How long till the warning is "relegated" again?

That is okBuddhasbelly if i didnt make sense to you then clarificationwas needed

I am sure the experience in Northern Ireland was far worse than on mainland Britain - but don't invalidate my experiences because they don't coincide with yours. I am sorry you had to grow up with that - I fortunately didn't have to.

We need to address the fact that we went too far when the Blair/Bush brigade went on their Crusade in 2002. Rather than admit our mistake we've carried on in denial. And now our children are killed.

At the same time, Islamic extremism is killing and oppressing Shi'ite Muslims, Christians and other minorities across the Middle East, Africa and Asia. It's comforting to think that we can find a simple cause and blame ourselves and attribute rationality to the attackers. But it's not that easy. Plenty of people who have nothing to do with our wars or us are being slaughtered purely because some people irrationally hate anybody different from them or who believes differently from them. For parts of Sunni Islam, Islamofascism is an extremely good description. And it's not a tiny movement. It's global and has millions and millions of followers many of whom are extremely powerful.

What's your source for that octopus?

How do you know that thatdearoctopus? Can you expand on that?

Nah.

She just wants soldiers on the streets so we all feel 'safe' and she gets brownie points for having 'done something'.

There were 10,000 bomb attacks during the years of the troubles. That's an average of one every day just about. Every day for for 29 years.

This is nothing new. And London and the other major cities in the U.K. Will find a way to carry on.