London Calling

[MikeH]

I would expect that there are good reasons for the differences, and that the reasons are different to that quoted.

Yes.

[Heraclitus]

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/ja...icted-rioters/

Read this and weep:

Now, just what will these consequences be you may ask? Well, for those over eighteen whatever custodial sentences they do receive, if any, they will no doubt serve just a fraction of their sentences as is common for most criminals in the UK. However, in what will clearly be a perversion of justice, those rioters under eighteen will be treated as if they too are the victims of the very crimes they have commited, as this is the ethos at the heart of the youth justice system. I know this from having worked alongside and in the Youth Offending Service. Within a few weeks many of these rioters that you are now watching loot, burn and terrorise on a twenty four news channel will be on an Intensive Surveillance and Supervision Programme, where they will spend the majority of their ’sentence’ being escorted to gyms, adventure centres, DJ courses and having their lunches bought and paid for and they will even be given the bus fares to attend their ‘punishment’. There will be a minimum of community work as part of their ISSP and in some parts of the country the Youth Offending Service will fail to implement this part of the ISSP. I know this will occur because I have seen it first hand. Another part of their ISSP will involve them sitting in on classroom based sessions where staff will ask them what feelings they were experiencing prior to setting their community alight and how best they could channel those feelings in the future. We may even get them to do some ‘poster work’, as I have heard it referred to, where they will draw and colour in examples of criminal behaviour just in case they were not aware that torching local businesses and throwing masonry at the police, fire brigade and passers by were indeed criminal acts. When this is the system charged with preventing youth crime is at any wonder we have such high rates of recidivism amongst the more serious of young criminals? Many of the rioters you see on the streets will have been through this sytem. They know there are no real consequences for their actions and thus they behave in the manner we are now viewing.

And while you’re feeling depressed consider these responses from our two of our broadcast media. Here’s one, as reported by a blogs commenter Michael Arch, from Sky News which I think puts neatly into context all that recent silly fuss about Murdoch’s plan to create a British Fox News. (Boy after this do we need one): (H/T for link 4d2b)

Funniest interview ever on Sky. Female Sky reporter interviewing a white guy who has had his shops burned. He said to her , the arsonists/looters were all black. She said to him , you can’t say that , there must have been white guys there as well. He thought about and then said , ok they were not all black , i was the only white guy there. Is that ok to say ?

This guy states this with a totally dead pan face without a hint of the pc faux pas.

She again corrects him and states nervously you just cant say they were all black , he responds , but they were i was there.

Unbelievable. The interview describes the state of our society in a nut shell.

And the second is an aside from the excellent Inspector Gadget blog which suggests – not unreasonably – that the BBC bears some responsibility for fanning the flames of these riots.

The IPCC have announced two things. First, Duggan’s firearm was a firearm and thus illegal and deadly. Second, he didn’t fire it, and the initial report by the IPCC that he fired at police was wrong. The BBC have headlined the second fact without the first. Particularly dangerous in the circumstances, especially from a public service broadcaster.

I think we can most of us agree that things need to change round here. A lot of things. And fast.

[Dinner]

World leaders condemn british brutality against peaceful demonstrators link :



You brits are apparently teh evil

Iran and Libya know they murder thousands so they want to pretend that Britain's weak, weak, weak response to violent criminals is some how the same as when the tin pots mow unarmed peaceful protestors down with tanks.

[MikeH]

You were the one calling for us to shoot unarmed rioters like a dictator would!

[BeBMan]

The Chinese did shoot at people too and look where they are now!

[Dinner]

You were the one calling for us to shoot unarmed rioters like a dictator would!

Violent criminals committing arson & looting /= unarmed peaceful protesters.

Shooting violent criminals in the act of committing their crimes = OK
Shooting unarmed peaceful protesters = Not OK

[OneFootInTheGrave]

The Chinese did shoot at people too and look where they are now!

[MikeH]

Violent criminals committing arson & looting /= unarmed peaceful protesters.

Shooting violent criminals in the act of committing their crimes = OK
Shooting unarmed peaceful protesters = Not OK

What about non-violent unarmed opportunist looters?

What about unarmed violent protesters?

[OneFootInTheGrave]

Simple. They need to stand in line, wait for a qualified social worker to go around, mark the criminals with an x, and the non-violent unarmed opportunist looters with an O. Snipers come in and shoot the guys marked with X.

[MikeH]

What about Jean Charles de Menezes?

[notyoueither]

What about non-violent unarmed opportunist looters?

What about unarmed violent protesters?

What about the people being burned out of house and business?

[notyoueither]

I will venture an opinion and say that the UK needs a harsher response to rioters than exists now.

[notyoueither]

... and criminal behaviour of any sort.

[MikeH]

I will venture an opinion and say that the UK needs a harsher response to rioters than exists now.

That's a totally reasonable opinion to have, and completely different to "shoot them in the streets" which is what I'm objecting to.

[Provost Harrison]

Simple. They need to stand in line, wait for a qualified social worker to go around, mark the criminals with an x, and the non-violent unarmed opportunist looters with an O. Snipers come in and shoot the guys marked with X.

Have you considered taking a position with the New Labour Policy Office?