But Manchester has shown this: whatever the hatred in the mind of this pathetic and warped perpetrator – whose name should be forgotten – it cannot begin to match the love and solidarity of Manchester. Those Mancunians who offered their homes to strangers. The taxi drivers who offered free rides home. These were instinctive responses, because it is ingrained in the soul of the people of Manchester to look out for each other.
It is a cliche to talk about the friendliness of the north...But whereas, in other cities, people can be in too much of a rush to bother with niceties, where icy politeness is a substitute for warmth, Manchester stands out. Strangers ask how you are, and mean it. People who have never met can strike up conversations on public transport and on the street: in London, that is seen, quite frankly, as a bit odd. That would have happened in that concert yesterday. That’s just what Mancs do.
Yesterday, Manchester was one of the greatest cities on earth, and it remains so today. The warmth, the solidarity, the unique Manc humour, all of that will thrive as much as it ever did. This was the city that helped bequeath modern industrial civilisation; it is a hurricane of creativity and talent...
A wretched soul has succeeded in inflicting immense suffering on that city...When the names of the dead emerge, and the loved ones share with us who they were and what they were like, let’s all remember just one. Let’s celebrate the warmth and talent of Manchester...Manchester will always overcome.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may/23/manchester-suffering-spirit-atrocity-arena-attack
It is a cliche to talk about the friendliness of the north...But whereas, in other cities, people can be in too much of a rush to bother with niceties, where icy politeness is a substitute for warmth, Manchester stands out. Strangers ask how you are, and mean it. People who have never met can strike up conversations on public transport and on the street: in London, that is seen, quite frankly, as a bit odd. That would have happened in that concert yesterday. That’s just what Mancs do.
Yesterday, Manchester was one of the greatest cities on earth, and it remains so today. The warmth, the solidarity, the unique Manc humour, all of that will thrive as much as it ever did. This was the city that helped bequeath modern industrial civilisation; it is a hurricane of creativity and talent...
A wretched soul has succeeded in inflicting immense suffering on that city...When the names of the dead emerge, and the loved ones share with us who they were and what they were like, let’s all remember just one. Let’s celebrate the warmth and talent of Manchester...Manchester will always overcome.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may/23/manchester-suffering-spirit-atrocity-arena-attack
