Very little panic on the streets of London.

We had expected it for ages, I remember seriously getting the fear that it was imminent about three months after Madrid. Last night and today the atmosphere I’m hearing from friends is one of “we will prevail” and such. I’m actually itching to get up into the centre of town. I’ve been watching from the sidelines and yet I’m so close by. If I had a bike I would go ride round Westminster, Oxford Street and Holborn today. I could borrow Louise’s I guess, but it’s too small. I just want to see what it’s like on the streets.

I’m intrepid to say the least about what the establishment response will be. Charles Clarke has already been drawn on the ID cards debate and the threat of civil liberties reductions has already been raised. I doubt very much that people here will allow themselves to be blindsided in the way Americans were after 9/11. It’s a very different aftermath though, much smaller, much calmer and coming to a population already desensitised by 9/11, Madrid, the closing of Heathrow last year, IRA bombings, the blitz and not least numerous threats from our politicians that terrorist action was imminent.

I’m just recapping here really as all this has been discussed at great length on Hype. What really furrows my brow is the portrayal of extremists as cartoon bad guys and very limited desire to try and understand what’s going on here.