Brussels attacks: restrain and rethink

A society in which nearly everything is considered normal is self-evidently a society without norms, which are an important part of what makes us strong – and, yes, attractive to outsiders.

The debates about mass immigration – as distinct from normal immigration – should not be centred only upon whether, by allowing more people in, we can sustain public services. These are important issues, but our concerns should centre more on how well we think we can integrate people into our more effective core values – and how we measure that integration, without becoming petty or spiteful.

Finally, those of us living in the UK should sincerely hope that tragedies like those in Brussels will not become a major feature of this country's debate about EU membership. National security arguments can be made for either side in that discussion.

Events in Belgium today are about the loss of and cruel injury to human life, not political sovereignty.