In the news

The cycle of violence continues, fucked...

Shocked to wake to this. Awful news.

Fucking murderous idealogues. Deluded angry people with a violently over inflated sense of self importance. You are bullies and racists. Kindly cock off, you loathsome criminals. And while you are at it, try and have an original thought about a) the existence of a deity, with no testable evidence and b) the likliehood of one doctrine amongst many being the only correct sham in a world of shams.

Also, your timing makes me think that you are pro Theresa May. No fucking shame, have you?

From the Manchester Evening News :(

What can we, the people of Greater Manchester, do to help those who have suffered so much?

Well, we can do what we do so well. That is we can rally together, just like we did when terrorists wreaked havoc in our city more than 20 years ago.

Last night people offered shelter for those left stranded in the city centre. Others went to give blood.

And even in the small hours of the night, social media was awash with people offering help, thoughts and prayers.

And today, tomorrow, the next day and beyond, we can show the terrorists who want to destroy our way of life that they can never win.

We will carry on, we will make Greater Manchester an even greater place. We will care about each other and support our neighbours. The terrorists will fail. We will prevail.

Hopkins tweeting that a "final solution" is needed. Can't she try to be human for just one day?

Grim. Numbers keep going up. Just grim.

She's openly advocating genocide?

a) She advocates genocide
b) She is ignorant of what those words imply
c) She knows what those words mean and chose to use them for self publicity reasons.

I'm going with c.

It was heartening to hear of people driving in to offer lifts to the stranded and buying meals for the emergency services. I don't recall (which doesn't mean it didn't happen, I was young) that level of community spirit among strangers in NI.

Awful news to wake up to.

I'm sat in work now in Manchester, no one had done any work yet today, everyone just seems to be shocked.

Horrible news :(

And to think this is "normal" in some parts of the world...

You're making political points out of this - seriously?!

Was reading someone earlier saying that the Manchester cabbies turned their meters off after the '96 IRA bombing, too.

Commented last night and deleted as didn't seem appropriate before knowing cause (or even now really) that this could be a decisive moment for some Strong and Stable handling which could swing her campaign.

The worst thing is seeing footage of kids running down the steps outside where there are parents waiting for them, thinking that some of those parents aren't going to see their children run through those doors.

Absolutely brutal and heartbreaking.

Katie Hopkins make me sick.
Using horrific events to advance herself, and her pathetic false ideas.

Insane delusions of grandeur

she can't die soon enough.

Horrible news to wake up to.

Her poisonous thoughts have made her need brain surgery before. She must be a finite number of vile tweets away from a relapse.

We can only hope.

Town is a bit weird, quite quiet apart from the helicopters.

Someone I know sent a message to say that "these things are so common now that it just feels like any other day and won't have much affect on my daily routine."

This is how I responded:

"One of the greatest joys of being a parent is seeing one's kids
becoming independent. Imagine the joy of watching your teenaged
daughter getting ready with her friends for their first big night out;
putting on makeup in an inexpert way, dressing and swapping clothes
giggling and getting excited. You may have bought the tickets as a
birthday present. Drive them into town. They are chattering away in
the back ignoring you. You feel like a taxi driver but also proud.
Proud that she is growing up. Proud of what she is becoming; what she
will be. Drop them off worrying if one is carrying a bottle of vodka
for a warm up drink. Drive home and wait for the call to pick them up
but the call never comes.

No. What happened last night is not something that one can get used
to."

:( Exactly this, it is desperately sad and tragic.

I am feeling rather empty today.

jesus. I just saw this now. FML.

Of all the things to target, a fucking kids concert. Lots being posted about how shit the security was, probably because 'it's just parents and kids' so there will be no trouble.

Disgusting disgusting people that can do this to others.

Facebook grief tourism is off the scale today....