How we talk about terror

Blaming yesterday’s London incident on Terrorism is like blaming school shootings on video games.

This was ostensibly a one man band, without any controlled offensive weapons or other advantage, trying to make himself heard.

To me, it’s just another symptom of the divide within our country — not between religions or ethnicity, but between London and the other communities who feel left behind.

These are vulnerable people. They have been persuaded to vote for a Government whose cuts hurt them the most. They have been persuaded that, instead the “other” to blame is migrants, or refugees or the EU.

The police and security services will never able to protect against an alienated individual expressing their frustration. Their time is spent on genuine organised Terror threats and communities.

We have to be careful that we don’t create a culture where everyone gets their “fifteen minutes” of terror. Because it only makes the opportunity more attractive.

One solution is to take the “so-called” Islamic State tactic.

This is “aspirational” terror.

Perhaps more frighteningly, it cannot be stopped. But its causes are closer to home than the “Terrorism” label would suggest.

We need to bring this country back together. It may take decades, but once this Brexit nonsense has passed, we will need to think about healthcare, education, transport — the same old themes. But in a way that includes the rest of the country instead of leaving them behind.

I don’t believe the Tories genuinely care about this. The sooner the true alternative presents itself, the better.