Dallas Can Surely Relate to the Current Churchillian Spirit in London

Londoners won a major battle in the war on terror last week with an unconventional weapon: cosmopolitan grace.If Khalid Masood's goal in ploughing into a crowd of people on Westminster Bridge and stabbing a policeman outside parliament was to transform London into a cowering cauldron of mistrust, then, as they say here, he must have been having a laugh.The push-back began, in typically understated English fashion, with tastefully plucky quotes on Tube station white boards, originally intended for transit announcements. "Our Condolences ... Our City ... Our diversity ... Our strength" read one. The London Underground is, of course, the vascular system that keeps the heart of England's capital beating, evoking everything from World War II bomb shelters to The Jam singles. The rejection of Masood's poison had to begin in the Tube's capillaries.London's most powerful defense since its walled days, dry sarcasm, was soon brought to bear. One widely circulated white-board quote, politely reminding terrorists that "this is London" and Londoners will "drink tea and jolly well carry on" was read out in the House of Commons. It later turned out to be a digital meme, but, this time, the fake news was spot on.  Continue reading...