London riots

[brighteyes]

its just scum who took an excuse to riot because they dislike the police... and want free stuff.

bunch of idiots, the lot of them

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Small bit of looting in Birmingham city centre this evening. Haven't heard of anybody mooning there though.

[Snufflebutt]

5co77ie in this thread is almost as bad as the tools on my facebook that have compared what's happening in London to the Arab Spring

[5co77ie]

f**k all to do with politics.

[Kowalski]

oh please.

[5co77ie]

You pay those rioting in London a massive compliment by implying that they have even thought about the Governments spending cuts. I think they just want to start a few fires and steal bikes tbh

[5co77ie]

Why are they not all heading to Westminister then instead of burning the local Greggs?

[5co77ie]

Toxic mix of madness

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/aug/08/london-riots-mps-toxic-mix

[Snufflebutt]

Why are they not all heading to Westminister then instead of burning the local Greggs?

[Kowalski]

political decisions have created disgruntled youths with nothing to lose and no money, I'm not saying they are politically minded- I'm saying austerity measures have created this mentality of no future, no fear, no cares. There's no police (cuts), no community projects (cuts). This country where the richest 10% are now 100 times better off than the poorest, where consumerism predicated on personal debt has been pushed for years as the solution to a faltering economy, and where, according to the OECD, social mobility is worse than any other developed country.

[5co77ie]

One veteran Labour MP, who sits on the home affairs select committee, warned that a "toxic mix" of poor policing of black and minority ethnic communities and social deprivation was a key factor in fuelling the violence.

David Winnick, the MP for Walsall North, said: "The responsibility of parliamentarians – and this has been led by my colleague the Tottenham MP David Lammy – is to condemn without hesitation the violence, the outright hooliganism and the copycat efforts being made."

But Winnick added: "The fact that hooligans have climbed on the bandwagon does not alter the fact that despite the progress which undoubtedly has been made between the police and communities where there is a relatively high percentage of black people, relations are not as good as they should be. There are accusations, we have heard it on the home affairs select committee, that black people are stopped and searched more often. That can hardly be done on the basis that they are terrorist suspects. If you add to that continuing deprivation, growing unemployment, a feeling of lack of opportunity, it makes a pretty toxic mix."

[lost]

quite surprised by those on the tv saying this is exactly the same as 1985.. effectively saying the huge amounts of money that have been spent over the last 25 years on youth workers, community projects, diversity officers has been a complete waste?

Pretty worrying IMO

[The Nal]

Blairs children then?

[beLIEveR]

As has been said, social imbalance is unquestionably adding fuel to this fire (poor choice of words I accept). But this has f**k all to do with politics. Burning down parliament or the Olympic stadium would be defendable if not something that I would condone personally, but burning down people's homes and family businesses is f**king disgusting.

Here's a political idea. End the war in Libya, and in exchange, send the people responsible for arson to serve out their sentences in Libyan prisons.

Edited August 8, 2011 by beLIEveR

[5co77ie]

quite surprised by those on the tv saying this is exactly the same as 1985.. effectively saying the huge amounts of money that have been spent over the last 25 years on youth workers, community projects, diversity officers has been a complete waste?

Pretty worrying IMO

[BlackHole2006]

What An Idiot

[5co77ie]

As has been said, social imbalance is unquestionably adding fuel to this fire (poor choice of words I accept). But this has f**k all to do with politics. Burning down parliament or the Olympic stadium would be defendable if not something that I would condone personally, but burning down people's homes and family businesses is f**king disgusting.

Here's a political idea. End the war in Libya, and in exchange, send the people responsible for arson to serve out their sentences in Libyan prisons.

Edited August 8, 2011 by 5co77ie

[beLIEveR]

So closing down libraries, cutting jobs youth community services, ending people's livelihoods in the public sector - that was okay was it because it didn't involve fires?

[Ed209]

So closing down libraries, cutting jobs youth community services, ending people's livelihoods in the public sector - that was okay was it because it didn't involve fires?

[lost]

Are there any of these still in post - bare in mind the average is 12 (not 20) most won't have the experience of coming into contact with many of theese

[5co77ie]

Just to get this clear, are you condoning these riots?

[5co77ie]

You mean the workers? yeah the cuts haven't really started yet. A friend of mine is a youth worker and I think they find out sept/oct time.

Edited August 8, 2011 by 5co77ie

[beLIEveR]

No - I'm saying it was all okay to destroy people's jobs and homes, and livelihoods and services - until it was visually represented by flames or looting at which point the same thing (effectively) happening to other people - suddenly becomes an outrage? And I'm suggesting that's a double standard. Both are the different sides of the same coin - surely we were all at school when they gave us a proper education about what causes riots - and it's not just boredom - I refer you to the Clegg interview I posted given by him before the austerity measures hit.

Edited August 8, 2011 by beLIEveR

[5co77ie]

If, instead of seeking revenge on the state (which in principle I'm on board with regardless of legality), they decide to do the same thing to other people, then frankly they f**king deserve to be homeless and jobless.

[beLIEveR]

by that rule so should the Government then.