The Independent Police Complaints Commission was called in to investigate, but the problem is that no one believes that they are independent. And because the people of Tottenham don’t believe that they will get anything like a fair hearing, they took to the streets.
I suppose that the difference between a peaceful protest and a violent one can be small. A tiny incident, a perceived slight, or the arrival of thugs looking for an excuse to do battle with the police, can spark the violence.
As of yet it’s not clear what it was that turned the protest into riot, but this morning there are burnt out buildings, cars and buses in the streets of Tottenham.
And no one will believe anything that anyone says.
Over the past few years people have endured a series of stories marking out MPs and members of the so-called “Upper” House of parliament as cheats, and furthermore cheats who got off with it. Even those who were supposedly punished were allowed out of prison after serving a quarter of their sentences. No one was supposed to notice.
The press bribed the police either financially or by means of blackmail... and far worse the police, have spurned their duty in favour of money and free meals with the proprietor of at least one group of newspapers.
And, despite being warned off, members of government have enjoyed cosy friendly personal relationships with these crooks including employing them at public expense in the service of England and the UK.
But no one imagines for a second that any of the criminal blame, whether deserved or not, will fall at the feet of Michael Gove, English Education Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, English Culture Secretary or George Osborne, Finance Secretary. No one expects to see David Cameron arrested because he was discussing sensitive information on government bids with his friends, who happened to be named Murdoch.
People thought that Vince Cable got off lightly when he foolishly bragged to some giggly “young girls” that he was going to thwart Murdoch. To sack him, they surmised, would be to unravel the coalition and thereby David Cameron’s tenure as PM. Not a bit of it. It was because everyone in government circles knew how close Cameron was to the situation.
And recently Fergie was caught selling access to the duke of York. Was she punished? Prince Charles, renamed Price Charles, was swapping an invitation to the wedding for free plane rides to America, and it was revealed that William’s house (and Highgrove)has been done out in expensive tiling by some Spanish magnate in return for his place in the Abbey.
When people are pretty certain that they can’t trust anyone to give them justice, because people with that kind of power are only interested in themselves and money, why wouldn't they turn to rioting?
Quad erat demonstrandum.
Exactly and it applies to all of us. Choice is no longer available.
ReplyDeleteYes OR. None of us can trust any of them.
ReplyDeleteBut that is a very dangerous situation and once it exists people, even relatively supine Brits, start to look for something else.
But, do they care? No.
The politicians are on their holidays in the villas that cost more for a week than a pensioner gets in 2 years; and in the London police they have promoted people of dubious competence, people who are notorious for their lack of attention to detail. The Lords cost more this year than last; the Commons are back to having secrecy about expenses and the royals stick their posh fingers up at us as they have all along.
We always moan and groan but, as Cameron said..."I know the British people" (pompous arse)... and as he might have said... "they'll soon forget this if we arrange another royal wedding... oh look here's a jubilee coming up...that will do nicely".
Just imagine if it happens around this time next summer, when the eyes of the world will be on London as they kick off their very expensive Olympics... The best the world will ever have seen...
Ooooops!
PS... That garden is rather attractive though, OR, don't you think? Still, for £100,000 I suppose it would be a bit of a disappointment if it were anything but.
ReplyDeleteI suspect that only a handful of the rioters/protesters were actually aggrieved, the rest were simply opportunistic looters. The actual victim of the shooting (as opposed to the cop) wasn't that nice a person judging by what info there is about him to be had.
ReplyDeleteStill, I think you are no doubt right, there's a level of resentment building up in England that is as ugly as it is inevitable considering what the political classes get up too and foist on the population down here.
Yes, I've no doubt you are right QM, although I wouldn't like to hazard a guess at what percentages. Because (and here it is again) the authorities habitually lie about figures, we shall never know how many of the crowd were protesting about the killing, how many about conditions in general, and how many just thought that this was a cheap way to get the microwave they really wanted but couldn't afford.
ReplyDeleteAnd I've no doubt that the killed man wasn't nice, indeed a "family friend" told the telegraph he was up to no good...but you've not got the death penalty yet, and certainly not handed down by the Met. (One might say that it didn't take the police long to shoot someone dead again, after they promoted Cressida.)
My real point is that the people at the top are a pile of self serving crooks who lie through their perfect and privately maintained teeth at the drop of a hat; that no one trusts a millimetre and that we now assume to be on the take no matter what.
I have to say (somewhat smugly) that I predicted riots in the street within a year of the coalition starting their payback by the poor for the excesses of the rich. The students, I was beginning to think, were a one off, and the lower order Brits were just going to sit back and put up with it.
The simmering discontent with a country that does not seem to be fair... 'one law for us, and one for them' is a dangerous state of affairs.
It will be interesting if there is a marked difference in the states of affairs north and south of the border, given that some matters are dealt with by the same authorities and some by different.
Tris...I don't mean to trivialize the issue of street violence about which I cannot comment at all. But you used a phrase that caught my eye -- "relatively supine Brits." A very apt phrase, if somewhat understated. In fact, understated by a mile from a smug American perspective.
ReplyDeleteI'll leave the Scots out of this, since your readers surely tend toward Scottish republicanism. But is it surprising that the English people tolerate slimy politicians and high handed police? Good Lord, the English tolerate ROYALTY...and an hereditary nobility. Until the royals and the aristocracy are sent packing, and a proper modern republic is established in its place, I'll believe that the English will tolerate absolutely anything. And they'll mostly deserve what they get. I suppose that is a bit harsh. But I'll wager that if a referendum were held tomorrow, the English would vote overwhelmingly to retain the monarchy. Hopeless!! IMHO.
Danny, I think the street violence has a variety of causes, clearly including the original reason of the shooting of a member of the public.
ReplyDeleteBut there is an underlying discontentment caused, I suspect, by the hopelessness of the situation of an underclass of young people who haven't been properly educated, have little chance of a job and live in grinding poverty, with no prospect of betterment while a pile of crooks run the country, the police, the media, the church...everything...and get away with it.
I agree, the days of aristocracy and royalty are well and truly over. They are a pile of crooks too, there because of where and to whom they were born. nonsense.
But you're right, if there were a referendum tomorrow, the Queen would come out with over 50% of the votes. The situation, however, may change when the Queen does. I seriously doubt anything like 50% of the population would support the spoilt brat and his "wife".
Tris,
ReplyDeleteI guess politicians are the same everywhere. “I know the British people” is simply “I know the American people” here in the states. That really annoys me.
As for the garden at Highgrove. Could the Prince of Wales with his £100,000 garden only manage to bring home the SILVER medal from the Chelsea Flower Show? Who in the world won the GOLD medal then? And just how snooty is that Chelsea Flower organization? ;-)
It was probably the Queen. They tend to keep these things in the family.
ReplyDeleteIt's very snooty, Danny. I believe they have a "season" in London still. There are things that one simply mustn't miss:
Glyndebourne, Royal Ascot, The Proms, Wimbledon, Cowes, Henley Regatta, Badminton, Trooping the Colour and the Royal Windsor Horse Show, to name but a few things. The Chelsea Flower Show is a part of that. Of course you can get in if you're an oink, but I bet you're made to feel small.
Hundreds of young people went on the rampage in Paisley High Street last night and broke into dozens of shops only to find that they were empty with false fronts. The only shop to actually be robbed was the pound shop which had £72.00 pounds worth of stock looted. Nothing was taken from the soap and shampoo section.
ReplyDeleteAh £72 worth of stock.
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering what a pound shop would have that would be of use to young people...
...nope, I'm still wondering.
I have an allotment, very Snooty.
ReplyDeletePip, Pip!
On another topic, I see that Cameron is to recall the Wastemonster Parliament.
ReplyDeleteAnother set of looters loose in London, only they don't need the cover of a riot to help themselves to plasma TVs and other goodies.
An allotment of what Snooty? Port? Vintage Champagne? Camembert?
ReplyDeleteYes. It's wonderful the Wastemongers are back. Just what are a set of half witted useless tossers like that going to do about riots?
The Cobra meeting was interesting this morning. There was, I'm led to believe, a heated discussion about whether to have hobnobs or digestives.
David Cameron offered the thought that, since he'd been in Italy the coffee tasted really crap in England.
Some people had very strong opinions about the quality of the digestives and one said that he had assumed that, as they were cabinet ministers "chocolate" digestives would have been the order of the day.
Finally Mrs May disgraced herself by putting milk in her Earl Grey. Common bitch.
My allotment is about £950K per year
ReplyDeleteThat's about in line with the average expenses for a member of your house.
ReplyDelete