As the dust settles following last week’s terrible events in France and yesterday’s uplifting worldwide displays of public solidarity Western governments must now address the problem of keeping their citizens safe.

All will be aware of the difficulties of fighting an enemy from within and the British Government’s experience of combating IRA terror in the 1970s and 1980s is no doubt still painfully vivid. However, many lessons must have been learned during those awful times and the experience gained must surely prove useful now.

The most obvious lesson is that for any terrorist to succeed, he must have a support network, or cell, with “safe houses” and the backing of accomplices within the society that he wishes to attack. This is undoubtedly the case in Britain today.

Our Government must stop pussyfooting around and ignore the clamours of politically correct liberals with their distorted views of civil liberties. There must be no safe houses and no safe communities either. If it means an increase in the number of armed police on the streets, so be it; law abiding citizens have nothing to fear.

A strong message has to be sent to those found guilty of preaching violence and sedition and to those found guilty of harbouring and supporting terrorists. If the perpetrators are UK citizens they will be imprisoned and if not they will be deported. That is neither right wing nor reactionary, it is common sense.