‘Keep calm and carry on’ a worthwhile mantra

British resolve has served that country well in past and will continue to do so

From the Victorian stoicism of the stiff upper lip — being resolute and unemotional in difficult times — to the Second World War when the English weathered the worst nights of the Blitz with “keep calm and carry on,” the resolve of the British is as famous as it is awe inspiring.

Admonished by Winston Churchill to “never, never, never, never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense,” the British ability to overcome adversity is unmatched.

Now, in the second-worst attack on England in the age of Islamist terror, 22 people were murdered and dozens wounded at the Manchester Arena by a suicide bomber who chose a packed pop concert where many of the audience were girls enjoying their first live show experience.

The brutality, cowardice and evil of slaughtering children and teens in the name of a twisted ideology are beyond the ability of civilized people to understand.

But it fuels the death cult of the so-called Islamic State, which ensnared 22-year-old Salman Abedi, the terrorist born in England of Libyan immigrant parents.

After the bombing, Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham spoke of shock, anger and hurt and noted that “we are grieving but we are strong. Today it will be business as usual, as far as possible, in our great city.”

London Mayor Sadiq Khan urged calm and vigilance, saying “the best thing we can do is show that it is business as usual. In the face of such horrifying and tragic events, Londoners have never given in to those who seek to destroy our way of life and divide our communities. Our great cities and our great nation stand more united than ever before. And more determined to tackle the perverse and twisted ideology behind those who have carried out these atrocities.”

References to “business as usual” spawned an outpouring of anger, as critics went on tilt, like broadcaster and Daily Mail columnist Katie Hopkins, who called this the “standard response to terror, a narrative so drilled into the minds of the terrified that they cling onto it for fear of drowning in the horror.

‘We stand united. We are not broken. We are strong.’ Repeated like a mantra, the new Lord’s Prayer of a terrorized generation. Saying it over and over, faster and faster as the sharks circle and it becomes clear that hope is fading fast. That this could be the end. If not this time, then the next one.”

The gist of the criticism is that immigration policy and the roles of radicalized Islam and political correctness are being overlooked. But the critics are lashing out at the wrong targets.

It is not capitulation to terrorism or surrender to go about our lives and to find security in “business as usual.” It is the way that free and civilized societies show they will not be cowed.

Our response needn’t be all or nothing; it is possible to take many approaches.

As we grieve and mourn a heartbreaking tragedy, we can still use a range of possibilities to address radical Islamists.

We can seek to build a better and safer world through intelligence gathering, security and — yes — diligent immigration policy.

While we canvas opportunities for constructive engagement, stronger communities and more robust anti-radicalization tools, it does not prevent the extermination of ISIS leaders while they sleep in Iraq and Syria.

We can also purposefully root out the ideology of religious extremism wherever it rears its head, from offshore to homegrown, from social media to the mosque.

The unflappable and indomitable British spirit has always meant pressing on and holding one’s head high — not letting the enemy think they’ve thrown us off our game, and with the knowledge that we will triumph.

As the British have done so often when looking at the face of evil, resolutely keeping calm and carrying on are worth doing.