Peace

One thing that kind of surprised me in the aftermath of the 7th July 2005 bombing atrocities was the relative lack of coverage given by the media to the irony that the "bus" bomb in Tavistock Square exploded less than about 30 metres from a statue of Mahatma Ghandi. Ghandi, who probably had more to complain against Westerners about than many of the 1st- and 2nd-generation Westerners that actually murdered all the poor souls on 7/7, espoused the principles of non-violent direct action.

I went down to Tavistock Square recently to pay my respects at the memorial plaque outside the British Medical Association building where so many good people helped the first officers and paramedics on scene to look after the living, injured and dying in the charnel-house that the murderers created, and I then wandered over to the statue to ponder upon what Mr Ghandi would likely have made of that day.

I doubt he'd have been impressed. But then he too was murdered by extremists. It seems we really are doomed to repeat history.