An important one: let’s all meet up to show our contempt for terrorism and the terrorists. The more we can spread this, the better: if we can move beyond blogland to the Real World and get a Madrid-sized thing going, that would be cool.

Some people are claiming that yesterday’s events refute the Power of Nightmares thesis – which is that Al Qaeda is an ideology, not an organised network, and that the neocon ideology and the Al Qaeda ideology feed off each other. These people are absolutely wrong: the attacks are strong evidence that The Power of Nightmares was correct.

The bombs were far too rubbish to be the work of a global terror network with any kind of supply chain: the terrorists didn’t even have any Semtex [*], hardly killed anyone (<100 people is rubbish if you’re aiming to maximise casualties), and didn’t cause any property damage. And the amount of collaboration and organisation required was negligible: "blow trains up around 9AM tomorrow. See ya".

It’s just about possible that there is a real, organised Al Qaeda cell in London planning a truly devastating atrocity, with money and supplies sent in by Bin Laden and his lieutenants. Unlikely, on the basis of the last four years’ events, but not completely impossible. If there is such a cell, it certainly wasn’t responsible for yesterday’s attacks.

[*] The bus bomb definitely didn’t contain Semtex – there was no crater in the road. The two subsurface train bombs are highly unlikely to have done. The Piccadilly line train may or may not have done.

"I hope and I believe that the attacks on London yesterday will be remembered not for how much they changed Londoners and the world but for how much they didn’t." – Jim Gleeson

"We’ll have a few beers, make as many sick jokes about it in pubs up and down the land as we can, and get on with our lives as normal. Other than causing the grief of too many innocent people, these cunts will have achieved precisely fuck all. We shall not be moved." – Nosemonkey (here are some sick jokes, of varying quality)

"An open letter to the terrorist cunts who tried to kill me today: Fuck you. You missed me. Better luck next time." – Non-trivial Andrew

"What the fuck do you think you’re doing? This is London. We’ve dealt with your sort before. You don’t try and pull this on us" – London News Review.

"If a bloke came at you with a knife, you’d fight him, not the guy down the road that he just asked for directions." – Munky.

"A friend of mine visits a strip pub, once a week, down by Grays Inn Road. Despite the bombs, he went along this afternoon, and was the only guy with four girls. But, he told me, he felt he had to do it – ‘otherwise the terrorists would have won’." – Sean Thomas

"I amuse[d] myself by inventing emergency train actions for all other possible colour codes" – Green Fairy

"Who’d have thought the French would take the Olympics so seriously? And if there’s one good thing about all this, at least 7-7 is a date the Americans can get the right way round." – Dave Weeden

"We should take a moment to pay tribute to the Tube… the Tube is a fundamental part of the fabric and personality of London itself." – Atrios

And you should read Ken’s full speech. I’m proud to have him representing my city.

Oh yeah, and to all you idiots suggesting we’ll cravenly give into terrorism, we won against the fucking IRA. They’ve stopped bombing, and Northern Ireland is still British. That’s a result. No, we didn’t murder every Catholic in Ireland: that doesn’t stop us from having won. Cretins.

While I’m enumerating idiots, SIAW are the most appalling bunch of sanctimonious pricks ever to exist. This isn’t news, and is only tangentially related to the bombing. Fuck them. Although R&B singer Omarion is marginally worse: "Omarion… would like his fans to pray that he has a safe trip and a safe return home". Damn, I hate ‘modern R&B’ and the witless posing arseholes who perform it. Oh, and fuck Fox News, even more than usual.

Digressing from the bombings, but staying on right-wing horrendousness, I hope everyone who supports this egregious and sick piece of legislation gets put to death by mistake. And then fucked by necrophiliacs.

Thanks to everyone who was too scared to go into work today, for making my commute easier. You bunch of jessies. Thanks to everyone who worked all night making my commute possible. Good work.

Thanks also to Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Brian Paddick, for saying "Islamic and terrorist are two words that do not go together". As well as being true, this should rile precisely that subset of the population who should be riled.

While waiting indefinitely for train that may arrive and will almost certainly be too full to get on if so, saw a low-flying plane. Even though we’re on the Heathrow flightpath here, I’m sure everyone on the platform had the same thought as me.

Just search and replace on the city and date.

"We argued, as did the security services in this country, that the attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq would increase the threat of terrorist attack in Britain. Tragically Londoners have now paid the price of the Government ignoring such warnings." – GG. Cocklord.

Fausto Bertinotti’s comment on the same page, on the other hand, is a model of a civilised, left-wing anti-war response.

The ambulance service (reported here) reckons 23 dead at King’s Cross, nine at Edgware Road, seven at Aldgate, two at Russell Square – although the latter figure sounds too low given the appearance of the bus. 1000ish injuries. My guess based on the info so far and the general reporting of Such Things is that the death toll will double, but not go substantially above 100. Greatest sympathy to the dead, their families and friends.

Political reactions: Tim Ireland: "If Charles Clarke dares to speak the words ‘ID Cards’ today, I will be enraged". Tim Worstall: "If Charlie the Safety Elephant dares to use this as a justification for his bloody ID cards I’ll swim back to London and hang him from a lamp post myself."

Tim W’s post also contains a useful roundup (especially when you check the trackbacks – ha! take that, Chris!) of blogworld reaction to today’s bombs. Perfect and Nosemonkey also have good livebloggage. The Wikipedia article is worthwhile, as is the Guardian Newsblog.

Sounds like there’ve not been any blasts beyond the Tube ones and the Russell Square bus. A suicide bomber hasn’t been shot at Canary Wharf – this was just as bollocks as the rumours about buses exploding at South Ken and Leicester Square (thanks to whichever wankers started those – terribly big and clever of you). It all (am touching a great deal of wood) seems to be over bar the rescues and clearups.

Death toll so far is more than 10, fewer than 100 – police at KX say "double digit", Aldgate still quoted at 2, bus only 1 (which has to be too low, having seen the photos), and no numbers for Edgware Road but since two trains collided they’re unlikely to be low. And some Al Qaeda sympathisers have claimed responsibility.

And Ken rocks:

"London has been the target of a cowardly terrorist attack. Londoners have responded calmly and courageously.

"I commend the professionalism, courage of the Metropolitan Police, Transport for London staff, the Ambulance, Fire and other emergency services.

"Innocent people going from all of London’s communities have been targeted by this indiscriminate attack. I urge Londoners from all of this city’s diverse communities and faiths to support one another and stand together against terrorism."

This man is a truly appalling cunt (although the term "dune coons" does deserve a modicum of respect for novelty value). This man is worse, given that he’s a professional magazine columnist rather than merely a dickhead on a website.

Canary Wharf suicide bomber rumour appears indeed to be bullshit. And hope this guy survived despite the utter futility of his Paranoid Plans.

"Thanks mate. Please G-d we’ll get through this and it might open our gov’s eyes. Now I truely understand how you guys felt on 9/11. G-d bless the UK and G-d bless the US. You are true friends in my eyes. Maybe some British people will now understand how Israel feels too and why they need a wall. I’ve been saying for years that this would happen." – an LGFer.

Hope this isn’t representative. This is *nothing* we haven’t experienced before and *no reason* to change our attitudes or behaviours. If you think like this man, you’re a) an idiot b) part of the problem.