Week we were reminded that terrorism is still all around
JUST when the clocks are about to go forward and our thoughts turn to summer, holidays, beaches and swimming pools, aeroplane anxiety once again grabs us by the throat. Because of renewed fears that terrorists are plotting to put a computer-linked bomb on an airliner, passengers on all direct flights to the UK from six Middle East countries are banned from carrying laptops, tablets or DVD players as cabin baggage.
Obviously (especially after events at Westminster on Wednesday) this ban is for our safety. Therefore no one should moan about the inconvenience of stowing their electronic devices in the hold. Who is going to object to this new rule when terrorists are working on bombs which can be detonated in mid-air? Not me.
But I honestly am beginning to wonder if this ongoing holiday anxiety is worth it. I know business people and foreign nationals have little choice as to where they fly but for the rest of us, places such as Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Tunisia, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are rapidly becoming off limits. Who would want to go on holiday to Tunisia after the recent harrowing inquest into the massacre of Brits on a hotel beach?
The world changed irrevocably after 9/11 and more than 15 years later it’s still changing for the worse. America has also banned laptop cabin baggage to the US on direct flights from Morocco and the UAE. Worried UK travellers are now asking why these countries have been left out of the British ban. Suspicions are, in the case of the UAE, that restrictions would be difficult since Dubai is popular with British tourists.
I know that the appalling incident in Nice last summer, not to mention more recently in Berlin, Paris, and this week London, mean that none of us can feel literally safe anywhere even if we choose not to fly. But I would appreciate some clarification. At the moment we’re told not to be alarmed, just vigilant. Alas, vigilance isn’t always enough.
Sorry not to show a bit more Dunkirk spirit and stiff upper lip. But right now I don’t want my family to leave home at all. Enough is enough. THE campaign to get people off their mobile phones when driving appears to be having an effect. In an unscientific survey this week, I spent two hours driving in London traffic on roads ranging from dual carriageways to quiet side-streets. I kept my eyes peeled for anyone behind the wheel talking on their phone or stabbing away at the screen – and I didn’t see a single offender. A few weeks ago I would probably have clocked up a couple of dozen sightings at the very least. So a huge well done to everyone involved in the big push to change attitudes.
You’ve clearly made a difference. You’ve saved lives.