Not another bloody report into 7/7

I don’t tend to talk about 7/7 much any more, apart from with my KCU friends (fellow passengers from the train). Interest is dying, from all but those directly involved, and I cannot say I am surprised. I would probably be the same if I hadn’t stepped onto that fateful train over a year ago.

I can imagine if I mentioned to anyone I know that the government is due to publish its ‘Lessons Learnt’ report this week their response would be largely along the lines of the title of this post, ‘Not another bloody report’. And I agree, wholeheartedly!

‘Haven’t there already been loads published?’ they might ask.

‘Yes’ I would reply ‘but this one is different?’

‘How?’

“Well, it’s about lessons learnt’

‘But weren’t the others?’

‘Well the first one, published by the London Assembly was, kind of, but it had a very narrow remit. It only focused on communications both on the day and afterwards’

‘Ah, so this one’s about everything? Everything related to the bombings?’

‘Well not really, I don’t think it’s going to talk about security failings or the lead up to the bombings’

‘So has anyone looked at that?’

‘Yes, the Prime Minister appointed a group to look into it; The Intelligence and Security Committee. They published a report back in May’

‘So it wasn’t an independent group then?’

‘Not at all’

‘So what was the point of that? They weren’t really going to tell us anything they didn’t want to were they’

‘Exactly’ I would say. (What was the point? I have no idea. To shut us up maybe?)

‘Haven’t there been others?’

‘Yes, there was the Government ‘narrative’’

‘Another one by the Government?”

‘Yup’

‘So what did that one tell us?’

‘What happened on the day and a bit about the lead up’

‘Didn’t we know that already?’

‘Pretty much, yup’

‘So how do you know there’s going to be another one published this week? Do you know when? I know Tessa Jowell’s your great mate now, did she tell you?’

‘Well, no actually, I found out from the press. She told the Telegraph on Sunday that it’s coming out this week. I think it’s going to be Friday, but that’s just come from journalists’

‘How are people supposed to make head or tail of all these different reports? Isn’t it confusing?”

‘It’s totally befuddling. They all contradict each other, it’s a mess’

‘Wouldn’t it be better to have an independent party compile one single document that covers everything?’

‘Eureka! It’s not exactly rocket science is it?!’

‘So is this one going to tell us anything new?’

‘I doubt it’

‘So what’s the point then?’

‘Beats me’