Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Freedom depends on our brave cops
In the Houses of Parliament we are traditionally separated by a distance of two swords. But when terror came to Westminster, rival parties stood together in solidarity against hatred and intolerance.
I have been at Westminster for 47 years. While parties may not agree on all issues, the fact we can make our argument is down to the bravery of people like PC Keith Palmer. I have sadly seen acts of terrorism too many times.
In 1979 I was near the carriage gates of Parliament when a bomb exploded under the car of Tory MP Airey Neave, killing him.
In 1993 I was in Warrington when explosive devices killed two children.
In 1998 I saw first-hand the devastation of the Omagh bombing which claimed 29 lives – the biggest single atrocity in the history of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
And in 2005, as Deputy Prime Minister, I convened the first emergency meetings after 7/7.
So when I heard the shots ring out on Wednesday, the memories came flooding back.
On 7/7, Tony Blair was at the G8 conference in Scotland so I was chairing the Cabinet at No 10. I was informed of an explosion on the Underground. We were told it could be an electrical box blow out.
Then we were told of an explosion on a bus.
I immediately finished the Cabinet, and set up COBRA. Named after where it meets – Cabinet Briefing Room A – it is an impressive combination of civil servants, police, security experts, emergency services and ministers. Just the people you need in a crisis.
In the past I have not been supportive of having more armed police on our streets.
But those three shots saved more lives and spared further heartbreak to other families. When you meet the relatives of the bereaved from terrorist attacks you witness a remarkable dignity.
Ordinary people transformed by extraordinary circumstances.
These people never expected to confront death in this tragic and abrupt manner.
But, like a shot of adrenalin, the human spirit emboldens these people to steel themselves to get through the initial tragedy.
Their loss always lives with them. However, for our policemen and women, death is a daily threat. A statistically higher possibility.
From when I was an MP to Deputy PM and now as a peer, the police have always been there for me. But those who protect Parliament are not just there to check passes and screen vehicles. They are guardians of democracy. Defenders of debate. Gatekeepers to freedom.
PC Palmer’s legacy should be that we are not silenced. That we are not cowed by those who seek to disrupt democracy. That we all met in the Commons and the Lords just hours after this cowardly act proves that those who seek to destroy our values of tolerance and fairness will never win.
While there are many questions to be answered, this truth we know.
This country will remain strong and resolute against those who choose to use the argument of force and not the force of argument.
As well as paying tribute to the police, the ambulance service and the doctors and nurses who treated the casualties, it’s right we mark the extraordinary act of Tory minister Tobias Ellwood.
This is a man who lost his brother in the 2002 Bali bombings, another barbaric act of hatred.
In spite of living with that trauma, Tobias tried to save PC Palmer.
It typified the best of the House and the comradeship we feel to those who watch over us.
We will learn more of the terrorist who brought death to Westminster.
He has claimed lives and left people with catastrophic injuries. But he has not defeated democracy. He has not ended debate. And he will not silence Parliament or divide our great country.