Just come back from my mum and dad's. I was hobnobbing around Bury quite a lot and I saw lots of "One love Manchester" with hearts posters everywhere, stuck on walls and tied to railings. The local Beeb news was full of the Ariana Grande concert at Old Trafford. I thought the reaction of local people was wonderful and that the concert was a smashing and really appropriate idea (though I won't be buying any of the artists' CDs!). I saw Theresa May responding to the horrid recent events with unimaginative trottings-out of the outrage and aggressive fighting talk she thought people wanted to hear. I saw the people of Bury and Manchester responding with a tough, positive spirit, with love and with inclusivity, not a scrap of the outrage that was surely in their souls on display. I think I know which approach will do more good. Outrage is rather easily confected.
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