Big Statement

I've been a critic of "silences" held as tributes previously simply because I felt it was getting out of hand. Silences as tributes or ceremonies of remembrance seemed to be a way of a moral majority attempting to emotionally blackmail people into emulating a politically correct method of behaviour. I mean, Ken Bigley was a man working in Iraq trying to make money and had presumably accepted the risk of kidnapping and murder, and had presumably done a risk assessment and consequently assessed that he and his colleagues did not need to live in a secure compound as recommended by the Security Services. As devastating as his death was to his family I was not convinced of the need for a minutes silence in remembrance of someone who was essentially a mercenary and not someone who had died whilst in active service. Why hold one for Ken Bigley, but not for Sergeant Steve Roberts - killed because he relinquished his body armour under orders?

However, my mind might have been changed yesterday about some of these silences. The one that seemed to cover the UK yesterday at noon, one which I gladly honoured, was an incredibly powerful moment to behold, as well as an incredibly powerful statement seen and shared around the world. We are not a Latin race, and therefore don't seem to take to the streets in the same way as our Spanish compatriots did after the awful Madrid bombing last year. In it's own way that was also undoubtedly emotional and powerful. So powerful, in fact, it got the government changed. However, the reaction was that of (understandable) hysteria. The difference to us Brits is remarkable.

Yesterday, Britain stopped for 2 minutes. Cars stopped, buses stopped, aircraft take-offs were delayed, trains stopped on the line, workers left their workplaces and stood on the streets, not only of London, but over the whole country. Unity was the overwhelming message. Poignant scenes from Trafalgar Square where Muslim, Jew, Sikh, Hindu and Christian stood side by side in silent condemnation. This was not only condemnation of the bombers, but of their beliefs, their radicalism, their twisting of the Qu'ran, their warped spin on the words of their God and their methods. It was a condemnation of the belief that life can be taken in order to impose a way of life on a free nation.

But equally stunning was watching the BBC news 24 coverage. The images of those stood in calm silence from around the UK was even more moving when viewed in retrospect, the power of the silent statement shown in full glory. But in a brilliant touch, they added the sights of Paris on Bastille day in silence, graciously acknowledging both our dead, and their condemnation of terrorism. Anglo-French childish spats laid to rest for a few moments, backed up by generous words from Jacques Chirac, a man more reknowned for his open contempt and dislike for all things British (barring our tourism money of course). Berlin sat silent as well, underground trains stopped in stations with doors open, their human contents stood motionless. The people in Madrid and Barcelona also quietened in tribute. BBC News 24 seemed to have an endless supply of shots from around the world of people sharing Britain's grief, but more so united in a single act of silent defiance. All generated by us, our people, our culture, our diversity, our determination to carry on as normal.

I have knocked this country many a time on the blog for its faults and flaws, but yesterday was the first time in a very long time that I actually stood and felt proud of being British. Yesterday I re-discovered something about this country and its people that I had forgotten existed. For the first time I saw the spirit of the blitz in full glory. And it felt good.

Later, Grocerjack