Not really. In all likelihood it's a mix of factors, including the economic ones that are directly related to political policy. You don't have to be politically aware to have your life be influenced by the policy. It's just a lot more likely for things like this to happen in crappy economic times. It's way too simplistic to just say it's standard criminal activity, just like the L.A. riots weren't simply standard criminal activity.
Not always. Some riots are politically motivated. But this one seems more like the Tale of Scrotie McBoogerBalls where everyone is trying to read some deep political motivation into it when there isn't any. It's a bunch of hooligans smashing shit for fun.
Like I said, you don't need to be politically aware to be influenced by political or economic policy. Nobody is saying these people are political activists, but it's no coincidence that this is flaring up after 3-4 years of serious economic decline and some highly hypocritical political decisions on how to cope with it.
Is anybody really surprised, this country is very small yet we have had a revolving door immigration policy for years and now there are too many people and not enough jobs. Laws are also changing to desuade freeloaders and they don't like it that they might actually have to work a day in their sorry little lives. This could be the beginning of the end for England as it is. Let's hope we can build from whatever's left.
The Millwall firm were only guarding their football ground, which is fair enough. Loads of people have been arrested today but some groups are still gathering before lots of riot police come. On a funnier note, one of the looters arrested stole only a bottle of win. Lol. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8692793/Manchester-riots-Gangster-Dominic-Noonan-caught-on-film-during-Manchester-looting.html Hmm...
The police have been raiding homes over night and according to a Sky News chap on Twitter... I bet some people are starting to get worried now, this is why I have always supported CCTV, if you have nothing to hide then you have no reason to oppose it! Good to see the courts have been working over night again with some people already having been sentenced to prison terms.
You don't even have to do the crime to get a proper sentence it seems.. The intent was enough to land him 6 months, good!
The police are now here to look at our CCTV footage. We have 6 cameras that get different areas of the street but its a damn pain to look through it all and as we use digital recording a pain to get off the HDD of the thing too.
I've always held the BBC in very high regard, but what the hell was going through the mind of this idiot reporter? I have seen liberals on Fox News treated with more respect than this man was. This is unacceptable in my view and demonstrates a complete disconnect from the underlying issues. Can anyone else explain this?
What a stupid old man, really pissed me off with his "insurrection of the people" garbage. They're not even English people rioting. The bottom line is that this country has been a paradise for people who just want to come here and sit on their arses and do fuck all while our taxes pay them to do so. Now all the money's gone they aren't happy. It wouldn't be so bad if skilled people were coming here to work and had a bona fide job lined up but 99% of them just want everything given to them on a plate. I couldn't go abroad expecting a free ride so why do we allow it here. The best idea I've heard today is that anybody caught rioting who are claiming benefits should have their benefits withdrawn and fend for themselves. If they don't like the country they shouldn't be sponging off it. I hate what this country has become, I pay an arm and a leg in national insurance, income tax and corporation tax, not to forget VAT and look at the scum it's given to.
Well, we've had nothing resembling a riot up here in the North East and I doubt we ever will. Funny 'cos lots of people like to paint the people up here as thickos who love fighting and beer. Well maybe we do and some of us are a bit thick but we're not setting fire to homes, shops and murdering people for fuck all yet...
Things have calmed down in London too, I think now that the police have arrested a lot of people, threatened to use batton rounds and water cannon people have realised it isn't worth it. The groups of people on the streets just looking for an excuse to kick someones head in probably helps too. There is an area in Croydon called Addington, 700 odd men from the area guarded the shops the other night in the area and when one kid threw a bottle at the police they described what they did as 'a good hiding'. Saw one person got 22 weeks in prison for stealing a strimmer from Argos, the courts are not mucking about. EDIT: Also my condolences to the family of that old chap from Ealing who got attacked putting out a fire. Hopefully they catch the scumbag who attacked him and he rots in jail. EDIT EDIT: They have arrested a 22 year old man over it apparently, if they can prove it is him hang the fucker!
Here's a link to some humourous photoshopped pics of rioters. Enjoy. http://photoshoplooter.tumblr.com/