September 2005

"LONDONERS will not be divided by this cowardly attack…Whatever you do, however many you kill, you will fail," London Mayor Ken Livingstone told the terrorists on 7 July. The following day the Queen said: "Those who perpetrate these brutal acts against innocent people should know that they will not change our way of life." But is it realistic to expect "business as usual" under the shadow of a terrorist threat? Can psychology explain why some react to terrorist outrages with defiance while others admit their fear, swapping the Tube for a bicycle?