Brave talk for me safe elsewhere. Like many who write on these things, I have good pals and family in London so, like on 9/11 and New York, I worry for them. With the G8, Live 8 and the Olympic decision, London today was likely a likely target. Sadly but thankfully, with the greater experience of years of IRA bombings, the emergency services of London have responded effectively with one report of double deckers immediately rerouting to the site to ferry some of the wounded to hospitals.

But - even at this early point when total casualties are unannounced - I cannot get past how ineffective this strike and strikes like them are if the aim of the is to rattle any trust people in a democratic society would have in freedom and our way of life. If you think back to Madrid's bombings and the allegation that the vote that followed was swayed by the terrorists to elect a leftist government, think of what that confident new government has done in response - gay marriage. The fundamentalist terrorists have hardly won there. Attacks like this are so pointless in so many ways.