I write this after just having returned from the recall of Parliament to discuss the appalling ‘disorder’ which we saw on the streets of London and other English cities.
The debate which took place was well attended and the contributions made by MPs of all parties were extremely powerful. A number of facts came across which are worth bearing in mind. To begin with, the sheer scale of the criminality was far greater than many of us realised. Right across England, towns and cities were affected on a scale which is quite unprecedented. Not only were London, Birmingham, Manchester and other big cities affected, but also smaller towns and cities like Leicester, Wolverhampton and Gloucester. In total, it has been estimated that 48,000 shops and businesses were attacked and/or looted.
During the four days and nights of the disorder there were numerous examples of mindless and vicious thuggary. These included a landlord in Tottenham who was held at knife point while his pub was ransacked; the Age Concern ambulance in Leicester which was wrecked; and the young woman in Croydon who had to jump for her life when her home was going up in flames.
If the geographical extent of the disorder was shocking, so was the scale of particular disturbances. In Manchester for example, over 1,000 individuals were on the streets attacking the Police and breaking into shops. The local Chief Constable commented that at one point there were so many stones and bricks in the air the evening sun was hidden from view.
No one in the House of Commons debate attempted in any way to justify or excuse such violence. As David Lammy, the MP for Tottenham accurately said, ‘these riots cannot be explained away simply by poverty or cuts to public services’. Everyone was in common agreement that the causes of so many people behaving in such an appalling way are complex and deep rooted. They will have to be addressed by politicians and decision makers in a systematic way. My guess is that these disturbances and their aftermath will dominate the political agenda for many years to come.
Wayne David
Labour MP for Caerphilly
Oh no, not another one using the word "criminality"! Where on earth did this word come from? It has never been used before. Criminal behaviour, criminal activity but NOT criminality please.
Very worrying how criminal behaviour can ignite and spread with such speed. I followed the news both with interest and with trepidation, as I have a cousin who lives in Croydon. She told me the trouble was very close to where she lives but, thankfully, she has not been harmed.
The reasons are complex and stem partly from politicians becoming increasingly isolated and out of touch with what many of them irritatingly call 'ordinary people.'
The existence of social internet sites and mobile phones make it very easy for criminals to spark off trouble and encourage others to emulate their hooligan behaviour. Judging by the PMs comments to parliament he does not really have any idea of how to put the genie back in the bottle.
It seems odd to me that no one has mentioned the I word, Immigration. For some reason the Last Labour Government was responsible forthe highest rate of mass immigration in the history of Britain, afact which has changed the nature of our society for ever.We see figures that some 85 to 90% of new jobs have gone to immigrants, mainly becuse they are better qualified than the indigenous unempoyed, they are willing to work and will accept lower wages, work lomger hours and do abetter job than the indigenous workforce. THis is all very well in a time of economic growth, indded it can act as a driving force in the economy. Bur since the economy is in recession, it increaes competion for jobs and a vital factor houses, leading to tension betwen communities. If we are talking about criminality, who is responsible for the criminal state of our education and housing policies with sink schools on sink estates turning out, according to international standards, some of the worst educated school leavers in Europe. The guilty party in this instance is the Labour Party for its criminal policies during the years from 1997, which made the rich richer, the poor poorer and allowed a vast movements of poor migrants into the country. No wonder the dispossed of London and the major English cities are rioting.
Oh no! Somebody mentioned the 'I' word, politicians don't like that, it goes against the cosy consensus of the political parties that takes no account of the views of 'ordinary people.'
For the same reason we have been denied a referendum on the EU, this is for the simple reason that the 'ordinary people' would vote the 'wrong' way. Incidentally the two issues are linked, this country has no control over immigration from EU members. This is costing people born in Britain their jobs, I spoke to a company director, only last week, who is losing contracts to companies that only employ migrant labour.
As Wayne David says there are complex reasons for the unrest, I detect a lack of appetite by the Con Dem government to address any of these root causes. This worries me as there will be criminals and political extremists out there who will take advantage of a population who feel that they have no future and no real influence over those who govern.
Thanks Richard, I suppose its politically incorrect to mention the number of rented houses in Caerphilly occupied by up to ten Poles, whose way of life is making their neighbour`s lives a misery. They`re not only taking our jobs their taking our houses, thank you Labour Party and Tony Blair for letting the blacklegs in.
Would these be tent poles? Bean poles? Telegraph poles? Or are you referring to Polish people who during World War II risked their lives to save many Jewish people?