What an incredible ripple effect the siege at Martin Place is having across all of the metropolitan area.
Our thoughts and prayers are first and foremost with those wretched, unlucky people inside the Lindt café.
I will say very little about what is happening inside there because I simply don’t know. Just watching the TV coverage does not give you much in the way of details, although the reporters are doing the best they can under the circumstances.
I just hope, and I am sure everyone in Sydney is with me on this, that it all ends well for those poor, innocent people whose only crime this morning was to go inside a café for a cup of coffee or to buy some chocolates right in the heart of the Sydney CBD.
My inconvenience is by comparison pathetic: I was scheduled to meet up with the federal member for Macarthur Russell Matheson, but his office called to postpone.
I admit that when they said ‘’because of what’s happening at Martin Place’’ I had no idea what they meant because I had my nose stuck in my website all morning and had not even had time to read the morning paper let alone switch on a radio or a TV by 11am.
It seems that as a precautionary measure Sydney based politicians were asked to close down their offices, just in case what was happening in Martin Place was a diversionary tactic by a possible terrorist organization.
Personally, I also called my brother because he drives buses in the city of Sydney, but he told me he was fine, but now I wonder how my wife will be affected driving home from work tonight.
If that is indeed the intention, to inject fear and loathing in our lives, it is true these people have succeeded, at least for today.
Premier Mike Baird, who handled himself very well at a press conference a few minutes ago, declared that Sydney won’t be changed by this, but sadly I think he may be wrong, at least in the short term.
If the intention of those responsible is to ruin our Christmas, God helps us.
I also fear for our decent, law abiding Australian Muslim brothers and sisters, if this turns out to be what our worst fears suggest it may be.
At this stage all we can do is pray that the resolution comes soon and is a peaceful one.
I am sorry about the above; I was going to write a Merry Christmas to everybody piece, but after what has happened I found it impossible to ignore this terrible incident.
