We know what 21st-century Britain looks like when things are going well. Something like the London Olympics. And when the sun is out, the vast majority are pretty proud of it. But what happens when skies darken? And they will.
Ebola will cause friction. Until things calm down and the risks are fully understood, pity the dark-skinned figure looking sweaty in a doctor’s waiting room or on the underground. And then there is the threat from those besotted with the cult that is Islamic State. They won’t forever fail in their efforts to spill blood in British cities. As the IRA once boasted, MI5 have to be lucky every time; terrorists only once.
And so it is worth asking, how will we cope when modern Britain faces its stress test? Will we recognise that there is little use scapegoating; no immunising ourselves from the convulsions of a globalised society? Or will we turn on each other, making a bad situation worse?
One factor will undoubtedly be leadership. After the London bombings of 2005, Ken Livingstone, then mayor, stepped up to to plate with an emotional, inspiring speech, making it clear that the bombers were the enemies of everyone. Theresa May might make a decent fist of that. So might Boris Johnson. He can’t do detailed policy, but he can do oratory. When the stress test comes, the key will be finding the right words.
There will be responsibility for the media, too. In the case of Ebola, there have already been suggestions from writers who should know better that we might virtually pull up the drawbridge on West Africa. As if it is possible to quarantine an entire continent. Not a good start.
Then there is the Sun on Islamic State. Last week, the paper splashed with a picture of a woman in a hijab created from a union flag. Let’s all unite to defeat Isis, it said. The initiative triggered complaints from critics who said the Sun had no right to place inordinate onus on ordinary British Muslims. I respect and understand that view. But for all its obvious faults, I thought the Sun was trying its best, within the limits of its genre and with knowledge of its market. It was clumsy, but then the Sun was never big on nuance. Still, better to have it trying to do good than not.
Hugh Muir
