There is something surreal about life in London at the moment. On the one
hand, the two car bombs that were discovered outside a central London nightclub
at the end of last week, together with the attack on Glasgow airport on Saturday,
have created a palpable sense of insecurity. Had they been successful, the
bombs could have caused far greater devastation than the attacks on the London
underground nearly two years ago. On the other hand, little actually happened.
The London bombs were defused, and while the Glasgow attack looked dramatic
no one was injured apart from one of the bombers themselves. In reality, aside
from a greater police presence on the streets, little has changed for Londoners.
So far eight people have been arrested. The majority originate from the Middle
East, and two are thought to be Indian nationals. At least five of the eight
have been working in British hospitals, including one as a neurosugeon. Another
doctor was arrested in Australia in connection with the bombings. The background
of the alleged bombers and their helpers confirms what many already knew.
Islamic terrorists are not the impoverished, uneducated fanatics of popular
caricature, but mostly integrated, middle class, Westernised professionals.
The use of carbombs, the favoured tactic of Iraqi insurgents, and the Middle
Eastern connections of many the perpetrators have , has led to speculation
about Al Qaeda links. Whatever the truth about this, the bombings show once
again that contemporary terrorism is driven not by political convictions but
by an anti-political nihilism. Many commentators continue to indulge the terrorists,
suggesting that they are driven by a hatred of British foreign policy. Just
two minutes' drive from the central London nightclub were the Houses of Parliament
and Britain's Foreign Office. Yet the bombers chose not to make a political
statement (albeit a perverted one) but instead parked their deadly load outside
a building full of party goers. The bombers seem compelled less by political
fury than by a hatred for the world around them and a deep indifference to
the consequences of their actions.
This arbitrary nihilism makes today's terrorism seem more terrifying than,
say, the IRA's bombing campaign of the 70s and 80s. Yet there is also something
strangely positive to take from the bombings. The failed carbombs show how
easy it would be to cause mayhem and disruption in an open, urban society.
Yet they also show that how infrequently such terror occurs. Society is based
on trust. The aim of the bombers is to undermine such trust by sowing fear.
We should not let them.
The real danger of the attempted bombings comes from over reacting to them.
While politicians talk of imposing new security measures, including greater
curtailment of civil liberties, Londoners continue to use pubic transport,
throng to central London and hang out in nightclubs. In Glasgow holidaymakers
continue to fly into and out of the airport. It's the best response to terrorism
- don't let it transform the character of an open, democratic society. If
only politicians would take heed.