Ready For The Olympics ? ... I think Not

[Kwackerz]

Corporal Punishment? : Yeh I can do that!!

[BikerGran]

It is all very surreal, must be for looters coppers and innocent locals. Not good and im sure that game didnt help in forming the looter's mindsets..

I've always said that violent computer games encourage the less intelligent to go out and be violent themselves - no-one has ever agreed with me before.

[flatlander]

How the fek are the military supposed to deal with a rioting/looting 12 year old? .

[Willopotomas]

It is all very surreal, must be for looters coppers and innocent locals. Not good and im sure that game didnt help in forming the looter's mindsets..

I've always said that violent computer games encourage the less intelligent to go out and be violent themselves - no-one has ever agreed with me before.

Same was said about pretty much any kind of fiction. Books first off.. Then film. Then television.. Now it's computer games and the internet. You can't lay the blame of the makers of games for this, as every other form of fictional entertainment can be brought under the same banner.

[HowardQ]

If the police back off from controlling what in many cases are gangs of young teenagers, as they have done on the first three nights, what message does that send out.
How long before shopkeepers and the like start to think about protecting themselves with guns?
We already have the insurance companies on the ball with their "sorry we don't cover for civil disturbance and riots", so if the police can't/won't protect people they will start to think about defending themselves, otherwise they stand to lose everything.
A very scary scenario.

On a different tack, I would certainly not advocate troops on the streets with the police at the moment, but I reckon there is now a strong case for sending them out with the other emergency services and making it very clear that if anybody attacks an ambulance or fire engine on a rescue mission, this will not be tolerated and they could be shot.
We cannot just let our cities burn, because the police don't have the ability to protect the firemen.

[Willopotomas]

Saw on the news earlier a line of 3 Jankel APC's driving down a street with feck loads of Peelers behind it. Should've seen the little c**ts run. They could co-ordinate and pen them in like the sheep they are. Then hose them down, give them all a broom and a big fat damage bill. Seemples. *squeek*

[HowardQ]

That's what gave me the idea Will.

[Kwackerz]

If the police back off from controlling what in many cases are gangs of young teenagers, as they have done on the first three nights, what message does that send out.
How long before shopkeepers and the like start to think about protecting themselves with guns? Our farmers in Norfolk have done that for years
We already have the insurance companies on the ball with their "sorry we don't cover for civil disturbance and riots", so if the police can't/won't protect people they will start to think about defending themselves, otherwise they stand to lose everything.
A very scary scenario.

On a different tack, I would certainly not advocate troops on the streets with the police at the moment, but I reckon there is now a strong case for sending them out with the other emergency services and making it very clear that if anybody attacks an ambulance or fire engine on a rescue mission, this will not be tolerated and they could be shot. Dont think theyd need arming. Pick helves are very effective as we've proved plenty of times before. like the idea of supporting the other services
We cannot just let our cities burn, because the police don't have the ability to protect the firemen.

[D-Rider]

One of the most sensible things I've heard on this was someone being interviewed with back to camera.
The gist of what he was saying was that if these are all mindless thugs then how have we as a society allowed ourselves to generate so many like this?

Compare with the scenes a few weeks ago as Norway faced their tragedy - all sections of the community, young and old together, saying firmly and peacefully "we will not stand for this"
The responsibility, maturity and sense of belonging to the wider community contrasts so strongly.
Not just Norway but another nation whose people I have experience of is Japan. I just cannot imagine this there - for the same reasons of responsibility, maturity and that sense of belonging to the wider community.

Where we've gone wrong is probably fairly complex but the "Me First", "Have it all now" culture is surely a significant part of it. I guess a lot of the parents of the youngsters are products of the decade of greed (1980s) where we were told "from the top" that there is no such thing as society - and maybe that's how they have brought up their kids - look out for whatever you can get and sod everyone else.

Yes, a lid needs to be put on the current situation .... a few nights of heavy rain would be nice as that would sort things out very simply .... but then we need to begin the long process of bringing up our future generations with values that put others first, respect their communities and that there is far more to life than grabbing as many material possessions as you can lay your hands on.

[HowardQ]

To be devil's advocate for a minute Andy, we have so many young people, particularly lads from the midlands and north, who started with a family culture that a bloke did not need "qualifications" they should do a real man's job, like a steel worker, miner, car worker, machine operator etc. and wouldn't be seen dead in a Pussy Office job.
This left them not trying much at school, as they planned to follow their dads and grand dads into "industry", but sadly we don't have, (need??) all these manual jobs any more, so what do these lads with no qualifications do.
They have the prospect of never going to Uni, (especially with new fees), never working, never owning a house or a car (bike). Many of the training schemes are now closing or being seriously cut back and just to finally piss them off, many councils are now closing most of their Youth Centres and getting rid of the "Outreach Workers" who did a great job of getting these kids off the streets and into youth centres where they tried to help them in numerous ways.
These issues are not the main causes of these riots but they are influencing some of the more sensible kids to join in when they would not normally have done so.
The Youth Service area is one with no government service levels to maintain, so it is one of the easiest places to cut, we may come to seriously regret it.
My daughter works in the office of one of the many "charity" bodies that now help kids get into training, find jobs, help them with drug problems, and also help run youth centres etc..
She also works hard in her spare time training to be a youth worker in Sheffield, and does at least three nights a week at a youth centre or on the street as an outreach worker.
Now she may end up losing both jobs.
Youth leaders at Rotherham who have have been in this service all their working lives are going down the road, how very sad.
How do we now help/find work for these young people?

[Aladinsaneuk]

as a father of a young child, I am appalled by what I have seen - and I would say this stems from shite parenting and a shite society that has been to bloody liberal

several people interviewed have said openly to parents - "where is your teenage child" as in - take soem responsibility

and then i heard the stupid silly bitches being interviewed on radio 4 earlier "well its a laugh innit" and similar things...

fucking bollock s- the world does not owe you a living and the sooner you take part in society, the sooner you will understand why old farts like me are all in favour of public shame for criminals, and the return of the chain gang so tossers have to give something back to society

personally, i hope all those involved in this crock of shite spend the next year wearing a bright orange boiler suit picking up litter from 0800 to 1800 monday to friday or any other useful job - paint the bloody bus shelters or what ever - but make them do something

and as for the cushy life style in prison because of your human right..... I am sorry, when you behaved like an arsehole, you lost the choice on your rights....

[flatlander]

I would say this stems from shite parenting and a shite society that has been to bloody liberal

We were discussing this the other night when someone genuinely asked name one contemporary "Liberal" idea that has proved to be of genuine benefit to society as a whole?

I couldn't think of one

[Samray]

I would say this stems from shite parenting and a shite society that has been to bloody liberal

We were discussing this the other night when someone genuinely asked name one contemporary "Liberal" idea that has proved to be of genuine benefit to society as a whole?

I couldn't think of one

I'd suggest you could probably substitute "Conservative" or "Labour" for "Liberal" and get the same result?

[flatlander]

I was referiing to the idealogy not the political party

[Samray]

With a small "L" then?