It is important that no chances are taken with people's lives. I have not tried to find out exactly what the intelligence was that led the police to evacuate the City Centre last night. I do, however, support their decision to do what they did.
It meant that I missed the Steve Ajao Blues Jam session in Centenary Square - a slight inconvenience that does not matter. At least I have managed to have a session with Digby Fairweather this week. With a bit of luck we will reunite for the same number (Funny Valentine) on Tuesday week.
Three years ago was the last attempt (by the Real IRA) to bomb Birmingham. My wife passed through the area next to the bomb during the day.
We need to take any threat seriously. That does not mean, however, that it needs to undermine life in any other way.
It meant that I missed the Steve Ajao Blues Jam session in Centenary Square - a slight inconvenience that does not matter. At least I have managed to have a session with Digby Fairweather this week. With a bit of luck we will reunite for the same number (Funny Valentine) on Tuesday week.
Three years ago was the last attempt (by the Real IRA) to bomb Birmingham. My wife passed through the area next to the bomb during the day.
We need to take any threat seriously. That does not mean, however, that it needs to undermine life in any other way.
Comments
There is, however, an important message to terrorists in the evacuation. That message is that we are not just going to sit there and take it.
One of the points about 9/11 is that noone should expect air passengers to be passive in future highjackings. Previously people were passive, because they expected to survive that way.
Similarly the London bombings will make people far more vigilant about unidentified packages.
I accept that there may be additional risks caused by news of this sort, but I would suspect that the upswing was at least as much due to the bombings in London on Thursday and you could trace a similar swing after 9/11. The police, rightly, have to worry about the 20,000 people whom they believe to be in imminent danger.
I've been a little worried at how much time the police have had to spend justifying their decision. For a variety of reasons, this wouldn't have been an easy choice to make, but the risk of attack was clearly felt to be exceptionally high. This is an occasion where we have to place our trust in the police and the intelligence services and rely on their judgement.