"Business as Usual"?

 "We have just got to react calmly and continue with our business as much as possible as normal."

That was Tony Blair in response to the recent attacks in London.

But from what I have been reading it seems that it is anything but "business as usual" in London, and it is far from "business as usual" or calm here in Australia.

In the last week we have been inundated with ideas and plans on how our Governments and authorities intend to respond, including increased number of CCTV cameras in our capital cities, random bag searches on public transport, a National ID card,  questioning students who borrow "terrorism books" from libraries, and we'll probably even hold a national security convention.

That doesn't send a message that it is "business as usual" does it?

It really says that we should suspect everyone, (and everyone should suspect us) as being a potential terrorist, until they can prove otherwise.

Now I understand that people are nervous, and that we expect our politicians and leaders to implement measures that protect our well being and safety.  But it appears to me that in the space of a week our politicians have latched onto this nervousness and fear and are talking about a stack of measures almost just for the sake of doing something... anything. 

But many of these so-called "security measures" have the potential to do nothing more than further eroding the levels of trust we have in one another.  And they are particularly dangerous here in Melbourne, where we have such a diverse mix of cultures and ethnicity's.

We'll end up looking at each other with sideways glances and increased suspicion, hardly a healthy way of living together, and hardly business as usual.
 

Comments

[Damo]

I totally agree. Up until recently the only people most Melbournites have had to feer were those pillars of society who get around in there Collingwood jumpers. And even then it was only an issue of keeping a slightly closer eye on your VCR. What is the world comming too...