All Of Society Should Feel Disturbed

There's been an awful lot of rubbish spouted about the disturbances in English cities over the last week.  It appears that, if you want to make your voice heard, you simply add the word 'riot' to the views you have been espousing in order to reinforce your point and make it contemporary.

For what it's worth, my view has not changed, nor do I even consider these disturbances riots.  Traditionally, riots are seen to be making a point about society, the last refuge of the voiceless, a political protest with additional violence perpetrated by the dispossessed.  What happened last week does not come under this definition.  Most of those who took part and subsequently gave interviews seemed hell bent on the acquisition of "free stuff".  Not exactly a driving force to compare with Paris 68 or Brixton 81.

We do, however, live in an unequal society.  A young man carries off water from outside a supermarket and is sentenced to 6 months in prison.  Jim Devine, former M.P., steals thousands in fraudulent expenses claims and serves four months in prison.  Unequal.  David Cameron and Boris Johnson, in their student days, smash up restaurants yet escape without charge.  A family whose son throws a brick at a window are threatened with eviction from their council house.  Unequal.

During the recent Leeds v Middlesbrough match, a lot of Boro supporters were attempting to make their own way to the ground (it is cheaper that way, as anyone who has been to matches in Yorkshire with official supporters club coaches will tell you).  Middlesbrough supporters attempting to walk to the ground were stopped by West Yorkshire Police and told to board coaches - and pay £2.50 for the privilege.  When one complained that this was unfair, that some youngsters did not have sufficient funds on them to pay, he was arrested, served with a Section 27 and given 15 minutes to leave Leeds.  We live in a society where power is not democratically allocated, and can be unfairly wielded.

When disturbances started, the most senior Government representative available was Lynne Featherstone, the Equalities Minister.  Whose bright idea was it that all the senior members of the Government should be away at the same time?  Where was the political accountability?  Why was democratic power not considered in this case?  Police were apparently worried about the consequences if they acted.  It seems that football supporters can be pushed around, but those actually causing offence need to be handled in different ways.  Such confusion could have been avoided if at lease one Cabinet Minister could have foregone their holiday.  Boris Johnson sensitively told the Today programme that he first heard about the disturbances from Calgiari airport.  I bet that was comforting for all those people who have lost their jobs and can't afford a holiday this year.

And now we have the over-reaction.  Make the perpetrators homeless, take away their benefits, throw them out of their jobs.  As if that is the solution.  The traditional calls came to hang and flog people, to blame poor parenting, to pass judgements on schools, churches, the media, computer games, films, Uncle Tom Cobeligh and all.  Everyone and anything, it seems, except ourselves.  We complain about a lack of respect and responsibility, only to then blame other people for this state of affairs.

Let's take a long look at ourselves.  Let's all set an example.  Let's do simple things to make life more equal.  Let's be a little less selfish and a little more giving.  Let's be less greedy, more considerate and less acquisitional.  You never know, it may just work.