I am very sorry that seven innocent people were murdered last night on and near London Bridge and my heart goes out to all the families who lost someone. The men that were responsible are utter scum. Within 8 minutes from the first 999 call all three were shot dead by our great police force. Their reaction time to this incident was amazing. We are so lucky to have such superb bobbies.
Good riddance to those three murderous failures who presumably believed they would qualify for paradise by what they did. By now they will have discovered they got that wrong. God will not forgive them. I hope they rot in Hell!
Personally, at 0920hrs this morning, I was interviewed by Andrew Castle on LBC Radio about what we should do now. Andrew, who I know quite well, asked how we can protect ourselves better and what we should do now. The honest answer is that there is not much we can do more to insulate ourselves from such madness. Is it possible to get rid of kitchen knives, vehicles, aircraft, or indeed kamikaze religious fanatics who doubtless believe in their perverted brains that what they plan is right? As the last two attacks in London have involved bridges do we close them down too? Can we stop crowds developing and thereby providing a target in our cities? Of course, we cannot. The terrorists would have achieved what they wanted if we do so.
Would better Intelligence have identified weirdos who are so alienated from a society that they feel they must murder innocent people to prove themselves? It is probably too soon to say - especially as arrests are currently being made. It may be that these revolting people have simply emerged from obscurity never having given any public clues to their fanatical plan. Intelligence forecasting for such an event is nigh on impossible.
But one thing is sure our way of life will continue. To do anything else would be to hand these perverts some form of victory. Quite rightly the General Election must take place this Thursday.
However, although the Conservative Party has suspended national campaigning today, local action was authorised and, for my part, I helped deliver leaflets in Croydon Central with Tony Power and Councillor Peter Dean. Before we began Gavin Barwell led all present in a fitting one minute act of silence to honour those murdered last night. After we had finished our deliveries in Central Croydon, Tony, Peter and I went on to distribute personally addressed letters to Beckenham constituents in the Ravenswood Crescent. Ravenswood Avenue and Braemar Gardens area of West Wickham.