been following the school hostage crisis in Russia on BBC. Looks like a horrific outcome. A school…..makes my blood boil.

The Beeb went live to a meeting of the European Foreign Ministers for comment. The difference in attitude between Javier Solano – the EU foreign policy guru and our favorite former Spanish socialist and Jack Straw, the UK foreign minister could not have been more telling.

Solano said that he “hoped” the crisis turned out “fine” and that it just goes to show that we must all codemn this acts in the strongest way possible.

Straw, on the other hand, reminded listeners of how terrorism is a global battle that pulls us all into it as participants (not as witnesses with opinions as Solano implied), that there is a fundamental difference between terrorists and the rest of us, and that we must fight hard and together to win this campaign.

What a gulf there is between the UK and the rest of Western Europe. Can we tow the British Isles closer to us?……..