I found it peculiar for the first few weeks I was here that I couldn't seem to find a rubbish bin anywhere within the London Underground tube system, once forcing me to carry a banana peel with me for about half an hour. It was later that a friend pointed out that this is a result of the July 7th 2005 bombings of tube stations; the authorities removed all garbage cans so they could not again be used to conceal devices.
"7/7," as it is short-formed, is a dark day for Britons. However, my friend informed me that it is not a constant discussion topic amongst authorities and politicians, who consider it bad form to dredge it up. I'm sure we can all see what a stark contrast this is to American politics. Heck, Guiliani's ill-fated run for the White House seemed to run on the "How often can I invoke 9/11 in a single sentence?" ticket. And though I can't site any specific examples, I am sure that even our own commandante Harper has used phrases like "The world has changed since . . ." and "In light of the tragic events of . . ." to further his agendas. Whatever else one may say of British politics, at least it seems that such knee-jerk righteous grandstanding is considered a bit gauche.
Just a little thought to chew on. I'll get back to talking about silly things next time.
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