Riots in London

Well you killed my theory De Orc. I figured it was either soccer hooligans or disgruntled Vancouver Canuck fans.
Damn Canadians.

Seriously though. Hate to see this happening and so close to your home. Stay safe Steve. Two miles from your home is easy walking distance for a group of morons.

 

The one thing that struck me about the coverage of this situation was that the media uniformly said almost word for word that there was no reason for these riots. I found that kind of funny that everyone insisted that there was just no reason for these riots. I have yet to see a riot that didn't have something as its cause. I don't know if the officials are just parroting the party line but they could actually be unaware of the causes of the rioting. They should be saying that they are unaware of any causes but we are investigating. They shouldn't just be dismissing the rioters as all looting thugs because someone will come along and take advantage of the chaos and give it a cause. The fact that these riots are mainly in poor areas or spreading from poor areas says that whatever the cause is there are people that feel disaffected by society and are acting out.

 

I don't remember hearing the 'no reason' stuff until later. In the beginning, I thought I heard it was of police shooting someone to death and other police actions/citizen tensions. Once something begins, there is often opportunistic looting and violence that tags along for the ride. For no other reason than herd mentality as well as just general criminal behavior. And I think it is likely that economic times have played a part also.

 

1st one was after the police shooting and the second started in Hackney after a stop and search, the others simply flaired up what did happen that the police on the streets were unprepaird for the situation and had not been given instructions to go in and stop them (this was from the 1st night) this gave those who followed a misguided idea that they could get away with it
The Met police has been having a few problems at the moment with cuts to its budget, the top cop resigning and a number of other upper echelon also going so it was sort of rudderless I do not blame the cop on the street for what happend but i do aportion blame further up the chain as well as at the political paymasters.
Many of those who have appeared in court have been asked why they took part and one of the stock answers is they did not think they would get caught.
Now Moen you mention that they seemed to be mainly in poor areas not quite true, the Enfield one is quite affulent as was the Croydon and Ealing Woolwich is a up and comming area with new developments all around Totenham and Hackney are without a doubt quite poor areas and parts of Lewisham/Peckham again not too good Here in London you have affulent neighbourhoods and less well of side by side

 

That is pretty much the explanation I had been seeing. I think Moen is pretty much right that these things have a reason to start (the incidents with the police in this case apparently) but, after they start, it can just be mob/herd mentality and general criminal activity that keeps it going especially if the police are ineffective at the start.

 

I think it was as Steve said, the authorities were pretty rudderless and an otherwise local incident was allowed to grow faster and larger that it would have if the authorities had been able to proactively address the initial violence. The budget cuts and the Murdoch bribery scandal probably made for a pretty ripe environment for these rioters to do what they did without fear of the consequences. The noisiest complaint in this country is that the government is too big respect for civil servants is openly denigrated by newly elected state governments. Well here is a situation where having a government that is too small had some pretty direct consequences for the middle class of the UK.

 

I blame the Clash.

 

...or the Sex Pistols... Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious still causin' trouble lol

 

i say dig up Sid and waterboard him to see if he knows anything about this matter.

 

Riots are the only thing left after tyranny has been imposed under the cloak of corporate "business". Enjoy the future of civil war all over again. Sad but true.

 

Is that what happened in Greece?

 

People are predators by nature. They want what other people have or what they can get off other people. Not all, but enough. This is why we have law and religion. problem is that people are needed to be the law and to run the religion and like I said people are predators.

 

Amen to that. What comes around does seem to go around. I personally hope all corporate CEO's get terminal cancer and die painfully. Give them some time to reflect on the crimes and people's lives they've ruined along the way. Then of course, straight to the hottest part of Hell with them. Forever.

 

yes tomcorona and such is the world that the three people you quoted all were murdered for being just.

 

I have to wonder if any of them ever wished terminal cancer, a long painful death and an eternity in hell on anyone.

 

I'd never wish terminal cancer on a human being. I was referring to the predators.

 

Oh, I see, yes, in that case, I can see you are a regular Mahatma Gandhi. lol

 

We must be the change we wish to see.