I also share the anger of so many when looking at the blatant looting going on in High Streets across the nation, it seems the riots of 2011 are for far too many, more about personal gain than community despair.
And no doubt the whole role of Social Media in the planning of events will be questioned when we finally get round to trying to understand what went so badly wrong.
The right will just condemn the criminality, give unequivocal support for the police and belittle anyone trying to explain the events with any reference to wider social and economic factors including unemployment, poverty, historic tensions with the Police etc.
But for now let us face some uncomfortable truths.
Today people are calling for more police officers on the streets, but I can't help but think that if the government had not have cut youth services and youth worker posts on our estates in recent years then maybe some of those caught on camera last night might not have been such easy prey for the criminal fraternities on the same estates who have since recruited them to a their cause.
There is at this moment in time a desperate need to bring our streets back under control, and everything must be done to achieve that in the coming hours and days. We also need to ensure that those responsible for looting are seen to be brought to the courts and punished.
But we must also remember that riots don't just happen, the risk of public unrest is a built in factor in the decision making of politicians when they agree to cut services too far too soon. When I wrote of this unrest being wrongly seen an unpredictable "Black Swan" moment is was for the very reason that many of us could see it coming a mile off.
Unfortunately the Prime Minister, the Cabinet and it seems the Metropolitan Police where not so ready for action. Gone are the days when Dave wanted to hug a hoodie. Now he is in power it seems he just wants to ignore them and hope they will just go away
But If you think the kids are angry for what the nation is not doing for them, then what can we expect from the rest of us who are seeing our communities torn apart with little resistance from a police service which has been cut to the bone and can only contain unrest rather than deal with it properly.
Perhaps we need less troops in Libya and Afghanistan and more Police in the UK?
Perhaps we need less cuts and more jobs?
Perhaps MLK had a point when he said
"
But I can't also help myself thinking that the concerns of the majority of hard working, law abiding, tax paying citizens of our nation are also going unheard. If I want my tax take spent on youth diversion rather than flower tubs in Abington Street then who is listening to me? If I want less troops in Libya and more police on our streets at home then who will represent my view? My sister in law and others in her street had their cars stripped of catalytic converters last night leaving them with bills of £150+ to pay today with no guarantee that the scum responsible wont come back again to do the same. After all their crime was easy enough to carry out as the County Council had turned off all the street lights in her street! How angry is she today? and how can she vent her anger? And how angry am I at wondering how no one seemed to see all this coming!
As I said on the 26th June 2011 http://tonyclarkeindependent.blogspot.com/2011/06/how-many-black-swans-does-greek-urn.html
"I hope I am wrong, I hope that the powers that be will not be caught off their guard and do all they can to protect our peace but we are in for an uncomfortable few weeks and maybe months ahead, it seems it will be less of an Arab Spring and more of a very sticky British Summer."
Just read the list of areas where the trouble is taking place and you can match it with any map you care to use of social deprivation indicators.
ReplyDeleteOf course criminal elements with modern technology will use the situations to their advantage,anyone with half a brain could factor that in.
But the simple truth remains and that quote you used from Martin Luther King should be the banner headline on every national newspaper.
I wonder what Labour MP will have the courage to use it in the special debate on Thursday?
Much of what you and what Mr Dickie writes is true but you are off track with the Dr King quote. That was written because at the time, the black youth of the USA did not have equal civil rights in the law. They do here.
ReplyDeleteI also can't see that young black men in the US in the 60s being shot just because they are black the same as a known drug dealer with a gun being shot in 2011 London.
The best quote I have seen is along the lines of '...The youth in Gaza riot for their human rights, the youth of London riot for a 42" HDTV...'
CWM
ReplyDeleteThat's really not the point-the issue of civil rights was important then, but so was the underlying problems of poverty,poor education,youth unemployment and the abuse of power.
The saddest aspect of all this is that these young people attack the lives and homes of people just like themselves!If there was any anarchist or insurrectionist motive behind their actions then they would be storming Buckingham Palace-or at the very least Harrods!
Criminality and frustration-answered by pious platitudes and 16,000 Police officers in London.
What happens when there are fewer Police and more frustrated workless youngsters?
It's easy to just say that are just a bunch of thieving chav scum as the description is very accurate, but what made them thieving chav scum?
ReplyDeleteAnd what are we doing to ensure that the next generation coming up behind them don't take a similar path?
The sight of the EDL taking to the streets of London last night as vigilantes sent a real chill down my spine.
This story has a long way to go yet
Lack of discipline in school and homes (thanks to Tories under Thatcher!) and lack of respect for themselves, others and their property. There is a famous saying which goes “Give me the child until he is seven and I’ll give you the man”. It is too late to save or change this generation, but we can influence and alter attitudes of those that follow by eradicating the liberal left influence over or children's education and give teachers and parents back the right to discipline children when they have done wrong. I suppose Mr Dickie is now going to get me to stand on the naughty step!
ReplyDeleteAlso, can anyone tell me why groups of Muslim or Sihk vigilantes can gather to defend their 'areas' but when the white British do it they are either described as EDL or right-wing? Can we not defend our property and areas as well?
Patriot, the Muslims and Sikhs defending thier property against mindless thugs.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand the EDL want to defend the whole of Blighty from what they see as Foriegn invasion, even though most of the Muslims and Sikhs they want to re patriate are themselves British Citizens.
And since when was bringing kids up to have no morals and have a me me, "capitilism is king" attitude a product of left wing teaching!
These are Thatcher's children and grand children not any product of a soft left society.
And even as we speak with have a PM who yesterday wanted to hug hoodie but now wants to throttle the same youth. We have a prisons minister who has to clear the overcrowding jails by letting people off charges and a Home sec who wants to lock up more!
I'm not defending the Tories, they are as much to blame as Labour. Poor decisions over the past 40 years at least has led to complete breakdown of society.
ReplyDeleteYou mis understood my EDL comment.
Any gathering of White British people standing up for their area are seen by the media as right-wing or xenophobic, while Muslims and Sikhs are portrayed as pillars of local society.
The trouble is not predominately about race, but the longer it goes in the more it probably will be. MP's blaming the trouble on racial tension to cover up a whole multitude of real reasons for this saves looking for answers.
Patriots 'famous' quote was about the Jesuits-and their methods of child control is of course an ideal model!
ReplyDeleteOnce again we have the BNP pretending that 'race is not the issue' and then of course make their usual racist point!Why I wonder do they make the point that it was'White British people' instead of what in most places it was clearly British people from every community ?
Of course they like to protect their brothers in arms-the EDL!
As far as sitting you on the naughty step- had I ever had the misfortune to confront'patriot' in any class of mine-I'd have thrown the step at him!
And the press pretend that left wing teachers are soft on discipline!
ReplyDeleteAs far as sitting you on the naughty step- had I ever had the misfortune to confront'patriot' in any class of mine-I'd have thrown the step at him!
ReplyDeleteThat does not surprise me, nearly all marxists I have encountered appear to have anger management issues?
I have no anger management problems-I just don't like bigots.
ReplyDeleteIf this blog is nothing else it is consistent - Northants Patriot writing about things he clearly does not understand and trying, poorly, to put a 'we're not all racist' face on racist comments .... and then John Dickie getting all wound up by Northants Patriot but saying he is not wound up.
ReplyDeleteI'd disagree with John Dickie on the issue young black americans in the 60s sharing issues such as unemployment with modern day young black men in Tottenham.
While there may some mild similarities, those young men on the TV this week mugging others, burning cars and looting shops were actually already wearing Nike trainers, designers hoodies and plenty of bling.
Northants Patriot - you just dont get it I'm afraid.
Sikhs and Muslims campaign on a street corner(as you put it)to defend their communities.
The EDL gather to shout abuse and blame ethnic minorities for any and every problem.
Plus when we listen to what they say, Sikhs and Muslims generally speak with passion and care for their community. The EDL generally put up a skin head who struggles to string two words together.
Thats the difference.