Per ardua ad astra

In the 1970s, the IRA launched an attack on the city of London. Bombs were detonated all over the city, with innocent civilians as targets. During this onslaught, large numbers of police officers travelled on the London Underground system to reassure and defend the passengers.

In 2008, Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, announced that 30 teams of officers would patrol the tube once again. Is this not a step back? Britons have always gone about their business, whatever was going on elsewhere. After the bombings in the '70s, people got back on the tube as soon as they could. After the bombings on 7th July 2005, people resumed normality as soon as possible. Of course the police will have other positive roles, such as enforcing the drinking ban, but to form 30 specialist squads seems to me to be characteristic of a time of great fear and high terror alert. This is no such time.

Even if there was a critical alert level, Britons would continue. We have experience of muddling through. Consider this example:

After the attacks on America on September 11th 2001, America shut down. It's previously lax air security was tightened, and even babies weren't allowed milk on planes (I never understood the change of this rule to, "if you taste it, you can take it." Surely a suicide bomber is not going to mind drinking something that will kill him?).

After the attacks on London, the entire city transit system was shut down. Until 4 pm the same day, when it was re-opened. This hardiness in the face of adversity has featured throughout history, and was demonstrated most memorably during the Second World War (the Blitz Spirit). However, more recently, we have had assistance in our readiness for terrorism. This has come from the Americans, although not through their response to 9/11, or the 'War on Terror'. No, the reason that America helped us to prepare is that they, the Land of the Free, people against oppression, who went to war with Iraq to stop Saddam Hussein from murdering innocent civilians, helped to fund the IRA, who murdered innocent civilians. The Land of the Free? What do you think?