Breaking news of an "explosion" at Manchester Arena

[Pearcey3]

We have seen the worst and best of mankind. The worst being the depraved,callous murderer who deliberately targetted children and destroyed their lives in the most barbaric way possible. Then the trolls like Katie Hopkins talking about a "final solution". Then the haters who bombed a mosque in Manchester

Then the good. The lowly paid paramedics who had to deal with the utter carnage in their usual highly professional way. The doctors who worked through the night,the taxi drivers giving free lifts,the homeless person craving the dying woman.

It is nearly 12 years since the London bombings. We have learnt nothing in that time. Iraq,Afghanistan,Libya and now Syria. Until we get out of the Middle East there will be more Manchesters. Instead of taking the easy option of joining America in bombing campaigns our politicians need to be stronger and say no. The world is no betterfor our interve tions and in many ways worse. We have to get out of that region and leave the Syrians to sort things out for themselves

[BlueWales]

All you can do is get on with your lives or the terrorists win. I lived in London for over 30 years when the IRA were
bombing away and I lost about half a dozen friends during that time. All wrong place wrong time.

I lost another friend on 7/7 but we have to keep going.

At the 2012 Olympics I was a Gamesmaker and every day when I travelled to the Olympic Park I looked around the packed carriages
wondering if anyone had a rucksack bomb but we carried on.

I went to all the Wales games at Euro 2016 and the security was tight and rightly so but we all have to have some
enjoyment in our lives otherwise we'd sit at home and go up the wall.

So keep calm and carry on everyone.

I know it's a dreadful cliche but at times like this it is all we can do.

[Maccy Blue]

All you can do is get on with your lives or the terrorists win. I lived in London for over 30 years when the IRA were
bombing away and I lost about half a dozen friends during that time. All wrong place wrong time.

I lost another friend on 7/7 but we have to keep going.

At the 2012 Olympics I was a Gamesmaker and every day when I travelled to the Olympic Park I looked around the packed carriages
wondering if anyone had a rucksack bomb but we carried on.

I went to all the Wales games at Euro 2016 and the security was tight and rightly so but we all have to have some
enjoyment in our lives otherwise we'd sit at home and go up the wall.

So keep calm and carry on everyone.

I know it's a dreadful cliche but at times like this it is all we can do.

Sorry for your losses - must be harrowing losing friends to mindless acts of terrorism. In whose name/religion, etc? Who the **** cares, really? My daughter wanted to go to this concert but luckily we didn't get tickets for her. Some of her friends from school went and thankfully are alive and well, badly scarred and shaken though. My boss knows a couple who went with their two daughters. The mother was knocked out by a bin that was blown into her. By pure fluke the kids and husband are ok. He is an independant security expert and never noticed any threat etc which makes it pretty obvious that this probably wouldn't have been prevented even if people had thier wits about them.

I am taking my son into Manchester on Saturday. Am I scared? Nope. Will I think twice? Nope. **** them - if we had to think about everything we did after attrocities like this then life would be pretty shite. Like you say - life goes on. Don't let these scum ruin your life.

[goslow]

We have seen the worst and best of mankind. The worst being the depraved,callous murderer who deliberately targetted children and destroyed their lives in the most barbaric way possible. Then the trolls like Katie Hopkins talking about a "final solution". Then the haters who bombed a mosque in Manchester

Then the good. The lowly paid paramedics who had to deal with the utter carnage in their usual highly professional way. The doctors who worked through the night,the taxi drivers giving free lifts,the homeless person craving the dying woman.

It is nearly 12 years since the London bombings. We have learnt nothing in that time. Iraq,Afghanistan,Libya and now Syria. Until we get out of the Middle East there will be more Manchesters. Instead of taking the easy option of joining America in bombing campaigns our politicians need to be stronger and say no. The world is no betterfor our interve tions and in many ways worse. We have to get out of that region and leave the Syrians to sort things out for themselves

Well done for using dead children to peddle your political agenda,you odious little prick

[Barry Shitpeas]

Well done for using dead children to peddle your political agenda,you odious little prick

Bit harsh mate! After such a terrible thing happens, it perfectly natural for people to try and make sense of it and look at the reasons why this has happened. That's hardly peddling an agenda.
It can never ever justify what has happened, but inevitably you have to ask "why"?

[Pearcey3]

Well done for using dead children to peddle your political agenda,you odious little prick

I won't lower myself to your level

[LordKenwyne]

Well done for using dead children to peddle your political agenda,you odious little prick

[Eric Cartman]

Well done for using dead children to peddle your political agenda,you odious little prick

Considering the number of times you have used something terrible to peddle your personal agenda I guess this post has to be marked down as faux outrage.

[Colonel Cærdiffi]

The media love showing this sort of thing and people love to tweet how they are "praying" for the victims.

I can't be the only one that thinks this is highly inappropriate, it's essentially saying "yes, religion is the problem here, lets fix it with more religion"

I'm honestly disgusted by what others seem to think is the nicest gesture in the world.

[Charlie]

The media love showing this sort of thing and people love to tweet how they are "praying" for the victims.

I can't be the only one that thinks this is highly inappropriate, it's essentially saying "yes, religion is the problem here, lets fix it with more religion"

I'm honestly disgusted by what others seem to think is the nicest gesture in the world.

Completely agree with you.
You may as well hold up signs saying my imaginary man in the sky and book of fairy tales is better than yours.
Blind religious belief is almost always the cause of these incidents.
Makes for a nice, tidy hashtag though, which of course is the important thing...

[thehumblegringo]

Completely agree with you.
You may as well hold up signs saying my imaginary man in the sky and book of fairy tales is better than yours.
Blind religious belief is almost always the cause of these incidents.
Makes for a nice, tidy hashtag though, which of course is the important thing...

I don't think this is the thread to debate it but if people derive comfort whether you believe it or not is entirely up to them.

People are people and if they didn't war over religion they would war over something else wherther it would be money, land or even a football team!

[Charlie]

I don't think this is the thread to debate it but if people derive comfort whether you believe it or not is entirely up to them.

People are people and if they didn't war over religion they would war over something else wherther it would be money, land or even a football team!

Yep, fair enough.

Probably not the best thread to debate it.

[Feedback]

annihilate who though Tiss?

ISIS

[Barry Shitpeas]

ISIS

This was just some bloke from Manchester. The 2005 London bombers were from Yorkshire. The Westminster bridge attacker was from Kent. Lee Rigbys killers were from London.
This problem cannot be solved with military action.

[Mad as a fish]

ISIS

Im sure if you give em ISIS's address they would be only to happy to annihilate em for you. give it a little thought mate ffs.

[Zenith]

It does beg the question that if these guys are known about previously, but haven't necessarily done anything yet - should the government have a watch on them 24/7 I.e. Tracker in the smartphone, hack into emails etc.

These circumstances simply cannot go on, it's sick

[Taunton Blue Genie]

It does beg the question that if these guys are known about previously, but haven't necessarily done anything yet - should the government have a watch on them 24/7 I.e. Tracker in the smartphone, hack into emails etc.

These circumstances simply cannot go on, it's sick

Resources are finite, of course.

[surge]

It does beg the question that if these guys are known about previously, but haven't necessarily done anything yet - should the government have a watch on them 24/7 I.e. Tracker in the smartphone, hack into emails etc.

These circumstances simply cannot go on, it's sick

To what end? Undercover police infiltrating groups of people? We have seen examples in recent history where those being spied on are just (mostly) peaceful alternative voices. There is a very difficult equation based on not over-reaching with control and force and not doing enough to keep people safe and typically the immediate aftermath of a horrific event won't produce the best answer.

For today all I will think about is that for a what must have seemed like an age there were children and parents not knowing if their loved one was hurt or safe. That is such a scary thought.

[The Bloop]

There was footage on the news earlier of a minutes silence held at a garden party at Buckingham Palace.

Half of the guests were stood there, phones in hand, filming Liz and Phil-the-Greek, paying their respects.
Wtf is wrong with people?

[Zenith]

To what end? Undercover police infiltrating groups of people? We have seen examples in recent history where those being spied on are just (mostly) peaceful alternative voices. There is a very difficult equation based on not over-reaching with control and force and not doing enough to keep people safe and typically the immediate aftermath of a horrific event won't produce the best answer.

For today all I will think about is that for a what must have seemed like an age there were children and parents not knowing if their loved one was hurt or safe. That is such a scary thought.

Debate is for another day, this has been a hard day for me emotionally and I'm not connected to anyone who is suffering. Just moved by the sheer atrocity that took place, and hoping there's light at the end of the tunnel.

[Feedback]

This was just some bloke from Manchester. The 2005 London bombers were from Yorkshire. The Westminster bridge attacker was from Kent. Lee Rigbys killers were from London.
This problem cannot be solved with military action.

ISIS give the extremists something to latch on to

[TH63]

That is enough twitter for today, if not for a long period of time.

A lot of people are finding this funny.

Mainly Trump freaks.

Like many things I guess, social media can be used to do a lot of good, but having seen some tweets I despair at how pigshit stupid some people are.

[Pearcey3]

Like many things I guess, social media can be used to do a lot of good, but having seen some tweets I despair at how pigshit stupid some people are.

Not so much pigshit stupid but just plain nasty. There are some sick people around

[TH63]

Not so much pigshit stupid but just plain nasty. There are some sick people around

One guy suggested that we drop a bomb on the people responsible.

[surge]

One guy suggested that we drop a bomb on the people responsible.

As we know from a football minute's silence, the one negative from a period of silence in reflection is that it allows the "empty drums" to make the most noise.