Is it safe to take the Tube in London?

Studying in London without taking the subway is indeed very inconvenient, but safety is also very important, so it’s really hard to choose. Isn’t this another accident? Let me explain to you, is it still safe to take the subway in London?

According to Yahoo UK News, September 15, 2017, 8:20 am BST , an explosion occurred on the District Line of the London Underground, injuring 29 people, mostly with burns. The police have confirmed that the morning rush hour bombing was a terrorist attack, making 2017 the year with the most terrorist attacks in the UK since 1992.

In fact, counter-terrorism has become an important part of the British national strategy. When Queen Elizabeth II delivered a speech in the British Parliament on June 21, 2017, she spent almost one-third of her speech focusing on her tough attitude towards national security.

For many years, the UK has been swinging between counter-terrorism and ensuring civil liberties. This time, we have publicly proposed to establish a commission for countering extremism and at the same time curb the spread of extremist ideas online. Counter-terrorism has finally entered the stage of institutional guarantees.

The British cultural tradition of strong inclusiveness protects the independence of individuals and the diversity of society, but it is not good at identifying and making decisions in a short period of time, and cannot make decisions on the fly, thus prolonging the trial and error process.

The UK has not yet set up a subway security inspection system, leaving a huge safety hazard.

During the 2005 Group of Eight (G8) Summit held in Scotland, I was still working in the UK and traveled between Glasgow and Edinburgh. I witnessed the UK’s highest-level security measures: the British Army and riot police. In full readiness, armored vehicles and explosion-proof vehicles cruised the streets, and police helicopters hovered overhead, creating a "war cloud" for a while.

Even so, on July 7, 2005, the second day of the summit, the worst subway terrorist attack in London's history occurred, causing heavy casualties.

Twelve years have passed, and there has been no substantial upgrade in British security measures. In addition to the huge "reactionary force" of society and culture, the financial situation of the British government has become the last straw to overwhelm security.

Since Mrs. Thatcher came to power in the early 1980s, the liberal economic model has become the mainstream of British society. In addition to comprehensive privatization, elimination of excess production capacity, and adjustment of economic structure, the United Kingdom has entered the " The "small government, big society" period is to reduce taxes and deregulate as the main functions, reduce the degree of government intervention in the economy, and at the same time strengthen the service function to society.

In the following twenty or thirty years, the UK experienced periodic regime changes - the Major government, the Blair government and the Brown government - always adhering to the previous economic policies. The British economy has experienced a rare period of sustained growth after World War II, with GDP growth generally between 2% and 4%.

When I was studying in the UK from 2003 to 2004, it was the period of prosperity of the British economy. The prudent economic and fiscal policies implemented by Prime Minister Blair and Chancellor of the Exchequer Brown enabled the UK to maintain a "high growth rate". , low inflation and low unemployment”.

At that time, the British government encouraged overseas students to stay and work locally after graduating with a master's degree. It was after graduating from the British MBA program that I enjoyed the relevant preferential visa policies and obtained employment opportunities and work permits in the UK.

It is a pity that no development can escape the influence of the cyclical law. After the development and prosperity of the British economy in the past thirty years, it inevitably ushered in stagnation and depression, and the turning point was the well-known global financial crisis in 2008. crisis.

During the economic boom period, there is no doubt about the positive role of "small government". However, when dealing with a new round of economic crisis, the "small government"'s own financial crisis is often the first to break out.

The Cameron government, which took over the "mess", had no choice but to return to "Keynesian" state intervention.

Although the British government is not on the verge of "national bankruptcy" like the governments of Greece, Spain, and Italy, it does suffer from lack of money and has no choice but to tighten external policies and launch a "Brexit" strategy. , to free ourselves from the heavy "European debt" responsibility, and at the same time plan to expel immigrants from EU member states who enjoy citizenship status in the UK, leaving job opportunities, pension benefits, etc. to their own people.

Overseas students in the UK have also been implicated and are inexplicably treated as immigrants. In 2012, the PSW (Post Study Work) visa was closed, and the length of stay of international students in the UK was strictly monitored. Students who stayed in the UK for more than half a year began to pay medical insurance premiums.

On the other hand, the Cameron government has begun to "kill" the people internally, with college students bearing the brunt. Free higher education that has been implemented for many years has come to an abrupt end in England, Wales and other places. Tuition fees have been paid every year since the beginning. 3,000 pounds, which has now increased to 9,000 pounds per year.

At the same time, the British government’s public service funding expenditures have been significantly reduced, and the police department has begun to be unable to afford daily expenses and has laid off employees. The number of police officers has been reduced, and the salary of police officers has been reduced, which has also affected the security situation. a substantial threat.

From this point of view, no one cares about the security issues of British subways, and there are indeed economic reasons for it.

It is said that among the public transportation in London, the most convenient one is the subway.

In 1863, the first subway line in the world was opened in London. In the early days, the excavation surface of the subway was circular, and the trains passed through it like a cylindrical tube, so it was called Tube, although the official name is Underground, people still refer to the subway in and around London as Tube.

There are many London Underground lines. There are currently 11 lines in operation, which are distinguished by 11 different colors on the map. Among them, the Piccadilly Line, which is most closely related to the Chinese, is dark blue and connects Terminals 1, 2, 3, and 5 of Heathrow International Airport in the United Kingdom.

Using the London Oyster Metro Card is convenient and affordable. It only costs 3.10 pounds (26 yuan) from Heathrow Airport to Kings Cross return station, which is much cheaper than taking a taxi. The whole journey takes about 50 minutes.

This time the London subway terrorist attack really made Chinese students depressed. I used to go to school in London and take the subway to save time and worry. But now when something happened, my family was worried again.

It’s really inconvenient not to take the subway in London. Safety is also very important. It’s really hard to make a choice.

Generally speaking, it is better to go to and from school in London and walk with familiar people. I am afraid you have to take the subway. When the wind is tight, it is better to switch to other means of transportation.