A Londoner’s Response: “The day they wrap my daughters in burkas…”
National Review’s John Derbyshire believes “Britain will yield”, because they will decide not enough is at stake to keep up the fight.
I still think not. See for example, the words of a David Frum reader from London:
It is simply ridiculous to state the one of the most important things to do is to grieve. Give me a break. People are free to grieve privately if they wish, but spare me the candle lit marches. I don’t care why these people do things like this, they are going to lose. My kids were in school this morning on time, I was on the subway during rush hour, and everyone in my office was here on time, even though we’re a stone’s throw away from bombs. The Brits may whine about health and benefits but they take bombs well.
On September 11 I told my sons that the day they wrap my daughters in burkas every single male member of our family had better be dead. I stand by that today. They can grieve later.
(Derb’s article seen via Let It Bleed.)
July 11th, 2005 at 6:33 am
I believe that Derb is an expatriot Brit, which may give him some insight into the British and how they will react. Unfortunately, David Frum’s Londoner is a pro-American Canadian who has found that he speaks for no one but himself (and hopefully his sons).
July 11th, 2005 at 12:54 pm
Funny, when I read the Frum quote, I assumed the author was female.
Most of the Derb-style pessimists consider the British response to the IRA to be a bleak precedent, but I think this is very different – what these baddies really hate is the Western way of life, with all of its messy freedoms.
I think Britons see that there is no compromise they can offer to these guys that will make them safe.
Of course, the British just re-elected the man who took them into Afghanistan & Iraq, the next election is years away, and the offical opposition is not in favour of pulling out of Iraq either, so a tragic Spanish-style wobbling is very unlikely indeed.
That being said, the future is unknowable, and maybe the difference between the optimists and the pessimists is smaller in their thoughts than in their statements. I suspect we all hope for the best but fear the worst, and what we say out loud might not always be what we think most likely.