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[kitz]

Surprised that no-one has said anything about the riots and mindless thugs destroying parts of our capitol.
Someone has to do it..  but please keep it civil... as no point arguing amongst ourselves.  Save any anger towards the rioters.

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Ive also just watched this facebook page in support of the London Met go viral... it was only started a couple of hours ago and I watched it increase at several hundred per second... and in just less than half an hour since I joined, theres been about another 120,000.

Ive never ever seen a page go so viral so quick.   Just shows what the majority of the decent people think.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Supporting-the-Met-Police-against-the-London-rioters/152937041453243

[scottiesmum]

It's dreadful isn't it Kitz  .....   seeing the images on the BBC and French TV tonight is horrifying.    The mayhem that these thugs are causing is deplorable and no right minded person could possibly support what is happening.     They are not fighting for a cause, they are simply out of control and should be dealt with accordingly.   My own feeling is that the authorities should take the strongest measures to quell these thugs, and to heck with the criticism they might get;  in fact  I think perhaps they would be well supported by the majority of the public.    People homes, businesses, livelihoods  all in ruins .....    copy cat eruptions all over the place !     I am so angry at what I am seeing and hearing. 

PS....   Ken Livingstone should hang his head in shame.   

[kitz]

I've been sat watching the news with a huge lump in my throat..  watching these thugs destroy the lives and business of so many.
I was almost reduced to tears listening to one guy describing how his family business of well over 100 * years has been torched and ruined.

I cant believe that so many old buildings that withstood world wars are now being reduced to shells.  Im shocked and horrified that this has now been going on for several days and each day only getting worse.

My gawd cant they call in the troops or something, because its much too big for the police to handle now and there just isnt enough of them to be able to protect all the various areas where more violence is sparking up 


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Updated

Just been on again.
Since 1857.   He's saying theres no support from law and order and its just being allowed to happen... and all they can do is sit and watch it being destroyed in front of their eyes.  Then the fire brigade finally coming, but driving away because they dont have the resources to be able to cope and put out the blaze.

[scottiesmum]

I too think the military should be in there now   ......  I'm listening to the radio and have just heard an eye witness report from a man in Croydon looking out of his window and seeing a woman in a car being stopped by a group of hooded/masked youths, forced out of the car, and then the car set alight.   



Edited  .... realised I had the wrong location  Croydon not Clapham .

[kitz]

Its appalling SM.. so many buildings on fire and being looted.   Theres reports of people trying to call the police but phones not being answered because there just arent sufficient numbers of police to be able to attend.

Why why why cant they call in the military..  NOW - well they should have been put on standby long before now.
We seem to be able to pack our troops off to foreign shores within hours, so why cant we protect our own country.

[UncleUB]

ANIMALS!!!

Get water cannons now and shoot looters.

Haven't the government learned anything after the student riots a few months ago. The police need to be given more powers instead of being held back by the human rights laws which protects the criminal more than the victim.

Most of these thugs have left(or are still at school),hardly able to read and write and now suddenly because the can't get a job(not that many of them want one anyway) have decided its Britain's fault.

They have spent most of their school years playing truant,their parents not knowing,or not wanting to know what they are up.

If these thugs are minors their parents need to be made more responsible for their children's actions.

Anyone arrested and convicted should have their benefits stopped and also they should lose their right to council housing,the same council that has put a roof over their heads and is now facing millions of pounds of criminal damage,money that could have been spent trying to improve these moron's lives.

[roseway]

The police are on a hiding to nothing in this situation. They will do their best to contain the riots with inadequate resources, and when it's all over they'll have to answer all the complaints about 'brutality' and 'overreaction'. Meanwhile the victims will be left with the task of putting their lives back together.

I'm with the others here. This isn't a time for a soft response. Get the troops in and use water cannon, and make sure that the punishment fits the crime.

[UncleUB]

I have just seen the home secretary (Theresa May)being interviewed by the BBC..I have never heard so much drivel come out of a government officials mouth.

Every question asked was just deflected...and when asked about the use of water cannon and the use of troops,she replied..Thats not how we do things on mainland Britain.......

The bottom line is no matter how stretched the police were,they stood by while decent innocent people had their homes,businesses destroyed by gangs of yobs.
Shops were looted and still police stood by keeping their distance.

There was no reason why troops could not have been put on the streets last night to help police.

Right across Britain there are millions of angry decent UK citizens who all feel the same...They have been let down by this government.

[camallison]

I'm with you unky - send in the troops, set up a Guantanamo-style holding pen (in the rain, in the open) and process them really slowly.  Keep them under lock and key until their case is heard - remand to prevent further re-offending is an acceptable reason.  If convicted, then hard labour rebuilding destroyed properties and rebuilding people's (victim's) lives and possessions.  Minimum term for such should be 10 years.

Colin

[UncleUB]

Typical BBC reporting

[scottiesmum]

I actually sent a complaint by  email to the BBC, following one of their broadcasts on these riots, on Sunday night.  They have a beef with the current coalition because their licence fee has been frozen,  and are generally of the left wing persuasion anyway.    The programme in question was interrupted by the Tottenham troubles and the presenter went into meltdown almost.  It was quite embarrassing listening to him ranting and raving, appearing to pick 'witnesses' from the air to broadcast their opinions, not the factual news.  In the end I had to turn it off before  I blew gasket.

[chrissie]

I must say firstly that I can't agree with calling the scum and filth at the bottom of this violence "animals", imo animals have more sense and have, more times than not a sense of order unless there's a reason not to be.

Stayed up last night to watch in horror the scenes of lawlessness Britain, I think a lot of people were expecting something of this sort to happen for a long time, it's been coming what with the way young people are brought up today and given free rein to have what they want. They've no respect for authority and especially the police and they've certainly shown that over the last three days.

The awful shooting incident that happened which some say started all this was just an excuse IMO...the rioters are thugs and criminals nothing more and didn't have any other agenda than to create violence and chaos for their own ends. Horrendous scenes and you have to feel so sorry for the innocent people involved who have lost their homes and their possessions and the devastation to businesses is appalling. The cost of all this I'm sure will be felt by us all for a long time yet.

I'm fed up with listening to people say "it's disenfranchised youth, they have nowhere to go, no jobs, no direction in life". What! I've read and heard stories from the depression years in this country where people literally didn't have food or shoes and there were no benefits then! Those people didn't riot and burn everything in sight...they saw it through and came out the other side.

The only "good" this morning is that there are decent people out there helping those affected and giving their time to help in the clear up. This shouldn't have to be should it...this isn't our country, our island as we knew it. Question is, is this the start of what's to come or is this the beginning of something that will actually bring a stop to what has darkened our country for a long time which has resulted in this?

Chrissie

[sevenlayermuddle]

I'm fed up with listening to people say "it's disenfranchised youth, they have nowhere to go, no jobs, no direction in life". What! I've read and heard stories from the depression years in this country where people literally didn't have food or shoes and there were no benefits then! Those people didn't riot and burn everything in sight...they saw it through and came out the other side.

I'm not sure whether I'm agreeing or disagreeing with you, Chrissie.

I personally think that 'Rioting' is the wrong word.  That word implies some kind of protest, whereas last night is simply a breakdown of law & order, with elements of society siezing the opportunity for looting and free shopping.

Locking up individual trouble-makers will bring us (me, at least) some satisfaction.  Shooting them with water canon, or even plastic bullets is not entirely unapealing.

But at the end of the day, no amount of 'punishment' will solve the underlying problem, that something is badly broken in the structure of our society, particularly as regards many young people who, for whatever reasons, do not percieve themseleves to be a part of it.    That is the problem that the politicans need to address, and I don't think there can be any quick fix.

Just my view.

[chrissie]

Hi SLM, I only mentioned riots because it's the thread title.  I think it is riotous behaviour with more attached though, anarchy as well, disrespect for the law of the country and wanton destruction all come to mind too.

In everything I always advocate prevention before cure but with what is happening in this country, the prevention atm is too late unfortunately and IMO preventing it from now on is going to take some harsh measures which again IMO people will not stand for.  They won't want to discipline their children, not let them have 24hr access to tv, computers, electronic games et al.  The parents whose children are perpertrating these crimes rarely give a toss because let's face it if they had brought their children up correctly in the first place, this wouldn't be happening now.  The prevention I always speak about needed to have started some years go, strict control over children in schools, parents giving consent for their child to be told right from wrong in no uncertain terms, instead of being allowed free rein to do as they please "because of their human rights".

It's my opinion that now the time has come for cure, no one will like the outcome and this country is far to soft to implement anything other than a slap on the wrist.  I watched the tv interview with Teresa May who stated, "This country does not undertake law and order with water cannons or bringing in the army...".  With that ethos in any government, what chance do we stand?

[UncleUB]

But at the end of the day, no amount of 'punishment' will solve the underlying problem, that something is badly broken in the structure of our society, particularly as regards many young people who, for whatever reasons, do not percieve themseleves to be a part of it.    That is the problem that the politicans need to address, and I don't think there can be any quick fix.

When they banned caning in schools was when this started,pupils have now no respect for teachers and if they even touch them they threaten to sue them.
A lot of parents are no better,often going into schools and assaulting teachers.
Many kids are brought up using social networking speak and can't read or write properly,often playing truant.Parents have the 'out of sight out of mind' attitude and if there is any trouble their first response is,it can't be my so and so he/she is at so and so's etc.
The way to hit these people is take away their welfare benefits,as most of the yobs last night don't work/will never work,following in their parents and even grandparents footsteps.
You are right Colin,there is no quick fix,but a start has to be made somewhere.