Understanding the other guy.

It is nearly a week since Andreas Behring Brevik committed the senseless murder of at least 77 fellow countrymen in his native Norway. I have spent much of that time trying to understand his motives and their impact on a country which continues to be the embodiment of perfect living to many of its European neighbours.

Twenty years ago, I moved to Barnsley in South Yorkshire and was very much the stranger in a local town for local people to coin the much loved edict of Royston Vasey. Just before my first night out with my good friend who was a local, he gave me three pieces of advice: First of all, I was not to mention the coal miner's strike which was still fresh in the memory of many. Next, I would do well to avoid the subject of cricket and, in particular, their local son, Geoffrey Boycott, since the mere subject aroused divisions centred around love and hate. Finally, I was advised to avoid the whole area of politics since this was something of a done deal in Barnsley. When I pressed him on the latter, he kindly put his point into some kind of context. He suggested that if there was a General Election tomorrow in Barnsley and there was a man wearing a blue rosette, a man wearing a yellow rosette and a donkey wearing a red rosette, they'd vote for the chuffing donkey. This was clear enough so I managed to avoid all three subjects that night and for the next three years.

However, my deeper point here is one of tolerance and openness to change. Barnsley was parochial in the extreme. It was surrounded by Rotherhan, Doncaster, Sheffield, Leeds, Bradford, Dewsbury, Huddersfield, Halifax and Wakefield to name but a few. Each of the latter boasted large immigrant Asian populations while Barnsley alone resisted their arrival. I have often speculated on the future of Barnsley and wonder whether this picture of intransigence has since abated and given way to mild tolerance of cultures different to their own. I certainly hope so and hope that Barnsley is the winner by it.

However, back to Anders Brevik. I have read his 2083 document and I'm afraid that it is written by an unbalanced man with a rose tinted view of the past and the future. He may be resistant to change in Norway but the world is changing for ever. It may or may not be for the better but you simply can't fight change when its progress is so inexorable. The internet, cheap air flights and social networking have all conspired to reduce the geograhical constraints of the world around us. It is sad in the extreme that Anders chose to pursue his convictions in this manner and my heart goes out to the families of all those youngsters. We all of us need to accept change and it is hugely regrettable that Anders did not realise this. Perhaps his decision to isolate himself contributed to his delusions and maybe this is the lesson which we all need to draw from this dreadful event.

Regulation

As Rupert Murdoch was being brought to account by some politicians whose peers he has traditionally manipulated, I couldn't decide whether I was struck more by the hypocrisy or the irony. Perhaps they could both be questioned by a policeman to round off the farce. Oh yes, I almost forgot - the children of the African drought continue to die of starvation.