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PeonForHer -> RE: roiting in croydon and penge (8/9/2011 2:31:43 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: NuevaVida
It's what I know. I was there, then I left, and I had friends whose family were beaten to death while trying to protect their shop. I am not in the UK and not directly affected. But I'm smart enough to know that not everybody loots out of anger or political contempt. Since political anarchy seems to be the main discussion here, it seemed appropriate to bring up that there are equally weighted different reasons for chaos, as well.
This whole thread began because someone who actually lives there was scared and sad and concerned about what's happening. Then it blew into some sort of justification for anarchy.
FR
I have to say, again, re the motivations of the rioters and their justifications or otherwise - who cares? Why is it even relevant? They may not have been "anarchists", except of the most nihilistic flavour, or even politically motivated in most people's understanding of the word 'political'. But the results of their actions certainly will be political. We are now at a crossroads and must go one way or another - left or right - or, a tall order, both. Left will involve sorting out chronic social and economic problems and, no doubt, pumping money into it. Right will involve more control. The first risks buggering up the government's plans for economic austerity. The second is risky in all kinds of ways. Curfews, police carrying weapons - if only those with rubber-bullet rounds . . . all such things are alien here. The biggest risk of all is that potential rioters - malcontents of all kinds - will figure that kind of a government reaction as a sign that its on its back foot - an incitement, an exciting challenge.
But one thing is for sure: ministerial finger-wagging about 'inexcusable behaviour' is going to do precisely zilch. Likewise whatever we say in approval, or in condemnation, of the rioters.
What we have with these riots is a problem that the government and its agents doesn't understand and doesn't know how to deal with. This is the real issue. The first and and most urgent matter is that one of the much-relied-upon tools of control, that of 'divide and conquer', is greatly weakened because of modern technology. A few hundred people who can access messages on Facebook, Twitter - owning Blackberries - that's it. In an hour, they can be there, smashing up a high street. Then others will hear the noise and join in . . . .
The present government has opted for an ultra-neo-liberal line in economics, but without the ultra-authoritarian line that Thatcher took in her own neo-liberal economic policy. Instead, it has opted for a dose of old Tory, Disraeli-style paternalism to go with its economic harshness. I mean, really. Did it actually think that its 'bow your head and listen to your Headmaster' style of government was going to work in this day and age, against a culture that pumps the delights of owning so much awesomely-delightful stuff on the one hand, and a policy of economic austerity on the other? Why? Given the collusion between government, police and media in corruption most recently - why would people continue to believe in that? They see crooks at the top, where there should be intimidating, but wise and honourable, headteachers. Why shouldn't they be crooks, too?
The political establishment we have here, now, is possibly the stupidest, lazy-minded and most inept that we've had since WWII - and that's *really* saying something. It's time they grew the fuck up and learned how to behave.
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