London bombings

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I am OK; thanks to those who asked after me and expressed their concern.

I work close to one of the Tubes hit, but I was lucky - I don't tend to leave home very early as it doesn't take me too long to get to work, and by the time I reached my local Tube station they had shut the system down (it was just after the first or perhaps second bombing), although at that point they didn't say why. So I went home, thinking I'd try again later, and then I heard the news.

I am sorry I didn't post earlier. To be honest it wasn't my first priority yesterday. I have been checking that friends are OK (so far, touch wood, all the ones I've contacted are) and just getting on with life, trying to do my work from home, not very successfully as I had half an ear on the news.

If you don't work for the emergency services, who I think have excelled themselves and could not have done a better job, then I believe the best thing we can do is try to carry on as usual and not let ourselves be intimidated. That would be giving the terrorists what they want.

My heart goes out to those who have been directly affected so tragically, and to those who have had loved ones killed or injured. As for the perpetrators, I can't even begin to understand how they could bring themselves to do such terrible things, how they could possibly think it is justifiable in the name of God, or whatever it is they choose to use as an excuse for what is simply senseless murder.

But I still don't believe ID cards will help and indeed may be divisive, and I heard a similar view expressed on TV yesterday. As I have said before, I believe the money would be far better spent on more and better trained, better equipped police, security and emergency services - and, even more importantly, on education and the fostering of mutual understanding, to bring communities together, not drive them apart, to focus on their common humanity, not their differences.

And today, I shall be getting on the Tube and going to work as normal.

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