A key aim of people carrying out terrorist atrocities is to provoke the enemy into carrying out disproportionate and counter-productive reprisals, whidch will ideally be seen as atrocities in themselves. And the other side of that is the way that atrocities will always be represented by those responsible as justified reprisals.

That is so obvious it should hardly need stating - but time after time, in conflict after conflict, that is precisely what happens.

I thought Ken Livingstone was very effective and impressive in his public remarks about the bombings (More especially since he must have been pretty hung over from celebrating the Olympics decision the previous night!):

"This was not a terrorist attack against the mighty and the powerful; it is not aimed at presidents or prime ministers.

"It was aimed at ordinary working class Londoners, black and white, Muslim and Christians, Hindu and Jew, young and old, indiscriminate attempt at slaughter irrespective of any considerations, of age, of class, of religion, whatever, that isn't an ideology, it isn't even a perverted faith, it's just indiscriminate attempt at mass murder.

"And we know what the objective is, they seek to divide London. They seek to turn Londoners against each other and Londoners will not be divided by this cowardly attack."