FOLLOWING the shocking news of the loss of much-loved couple Eileen Swannack and John Welch in Tunisia, life in our communities has been changed forever.

The devastation wreaked by such a heinous and unjustifiable act will stay with us for a lifetime. My sincerest sympathies are offered not only to their immediate families and close friends but also to the large network of community that has been touched and affected by these dearly loved and missed souls.

The cold reality of just how dangerous the world has become and the serious threat to our collective well-being has crashed into the lives of many. It is at times such as these that the need for strong communities bound by the common good are ever more relevant. I have no doubt that the community in which Eileen and John and their grieving families have been such a significant part, will do all they can to alleviate the profound sadness.

When the time is right for reflection perhaps knowing how loved they truly are, will, in some way, help the healing.

On further reflection we all might consider the wider implications of ever more occurring random acts of hate, for surely hate is the bedrock that motivates such acts. Whatever the justification anyone may believe they have, the killing of the innocent has no place in any doctrine, be it religious or political.

I doubt whether my ramblings could possibly influence the opinions of either side of this ever-widening war (for war is surely what we are involved in), but I will ramble regardless, for such acts cannot be ignored.

The difference between this and what might be termed “conventional” warfare is possibly best defined in terms of strategy, weaponry and target. “ Conventional” warfare has concentrated on opposing clearly defined combatants, with specific strategic and logistical aspirations accompanied by economic, resource or territorial ambition.

This war has more of an ideological leaning and although it has elements of course regarding access to oil, the undercurrents, particularly from the Daesh perspective, would appear to be grounded firmly in their own interpretation of religion, whereas the West has not historically regarded the religion or human rights of any particular regime as a barrier to trade as long as they can access whatever resource they seek.

The West has also proved it prepared to wage war if access to these resources is denied or threatened.

It is likely that it is the West’s seeming lack of any true moral compass with regard to all things economic that makes the recruiting sergeant's job for the opposition all the more easy.

The Chilcott inquiry, if it ever sees the sunlight will, I'm sure, go someway to unpicking the treacherous, tangled web that led to the illegal invasion of Iraq. Will it be a transparent, open and comprehensive report that leads to the justified prosecution of those found guilty of immorality and wrongdoing? I wouldn't bet on it. Chilcott might, however, give us enough clues between the lines to gain a better understanding of what went on, but absolute truth might have to wait a decade or three.

What has this got to do with the grief that now sits in our community closer to home? Unfortunately, everything. It is not a matter for conjecture that the emergence of this virulent form of extreme resistance and hatred of all things Western or that which opposes the doctrine of this fundamentalist ideology has many of its roots leading from failed Western foreign policy and, if that is not acknowledged, we may never learn from our past mistakes. Pain, suffering and grief will become a way of life for innocents on all sides.

Will this be the last incident of its kind to blot humanity’s landscape? I doubt it. Will we as a community stand strong with the families of the departed and honour their lives? Without doubt. May they rest in peace.