Image:Author's Own
It's been almost a week since the London terror attack and here's an announcement from the Department of the Bleeding Obvious, London E4.
Sadiq Khan understands London. Donald Trump does not.
I know, it's almost too simplistic. But at a time when London has come under attack from terrorists and then the Mayor of London has come under attack from someone who's not much better than a terrorist, some things need saying. Sadiq Khan said exactly the right thing - he acknowledged how we were all feeling and told us calmly what would be happening next, including the bit that Trump picked up on - "no need to be alarmed" at the increased presence of armed police on our streets. The subsequent barrage of abuse from Mr Covfefe over social media was absolutely Trump at his worst. Although I'm in deep denial most of the time, the fact is that Trump is a world leader now and it's just not an appropriate way to behave.
But the root of it, for me, is that Trump just has no understanding of our city at all. London is everything that he is not. And I'll explain why.
London is resilient - hours after the attacks, the city was moving again. People returned to work on Monday morning, trains ran and life once again resumed in a place that had seen horrible heartache. It's a city that has had to do this so many times - after the plague, the Great Fire, the Blitz, the slums, the IRA bombings...it bounces back and carries on. For the thinnest skinned man in the world, this must seem like an inconceivable notion. Needless to say, Trump has no resilience.
London is all-embracing. It's a city of 270 nationalities and 300 languages. It's one of the most multi-cultural cities in the world. Anyone can come here and try to make a life for themselves. It's the place where someone struggling with their sexuality or identity can come and find their tribe. It's tolerant in the extreme. Again, unlike the Tangerine Tweeting Machine.
London is ever-changing. It evolves. It gentrifies and then decays and then gentrifies again. New bits appear all the time - Olympic Parks springing out of wastelands, green spaces appearing in old gas cannisters. Unlike Trump, t's not stuck in the 80s, an era of vulgar capitalism and big ties.It's a 21st century city, with 21st century ideas.
So it's no wonder that Trump doesn't understand our London spirit in the slightest. He was born into money and can't conceive of a world where a bus driver's son could rise to a position where he speaks with authority. But don't start on our mayor, Donald. He speaks for us. And you definitely do not.