I have to say something about what’s been happening on the streets of our cities – certainly about what’s been happening in London.
I am aghast. I am angry of Tunbridge Wells, I am a Daily Mail reader, I am leaning to the right of Attila the Hun. All of my PC sensibilities (the few that I had!) have been stripped back by my complete disbelief & disgust at the actions of a few “feral rats” (great phrase coined by livid shopkeeper in Ealing) who have taken it upon themselves, as they are bored, stupid, arrogant & genetically greedy, to use the death of a man to go smashing windows, causing terror & looting. It’s as simple as that.
As I said in an earlier post – how did this country breed such amoral, ignorant, selfish f*ckw*ts? Who are their parents? How do you get parenting so completely & utterly wrong? If you look at the images of the people already posted up on the internet as “persons of great interest” you see a despressing raft of images of the the great disaffected, the hooded “who gives a sh*t?” the “you can’t touch me,” the “that contravenes my human rights,” the “you don’t respect me,” the “ I breathe therefore I deserve (demand)” generation. Respect? I doubt any of them can even spell it. As for human rights – well you have to behave like a human to get those.
Cameron said that there would be serious consequences, that people would be arrested & feel the full force of the law. Oh really. A night in the cells? 6 weeks in jail? Ooh I can feel from here they are quaking in their boots. A criminal record? Pah, who cares? It’s not like it will affect their future employment. An ASBO – great! A badge of honour!
We need – as a society & certainly those in “authority” - to grow a pair. These are creatures (I will not dignify them by describing them as humans or people as they are neither) need to be shown we will NOT stand for this sort of behaviour. Ever. From anyone, no matter what the reason / excuse / whinge may be. Being PC and “talking” and trying to “understand them” and trying to “see where we can help” will get us nowhere. They will take the p*ss as they are curently taking mobile phones.
The punishment should fit the crime. There is currently an online petition calling for anyone convicted of rioting to lose all benefits, should they be claiming them. Well that’s a start. I am all for getting out the water cannon & the rubber bullets. Isn’t that harsh? I hear the liberals out there cry. NO – if you are not out rioting you will not be hit by either a water cannon or a bullet. Simple. Someone on the radio has just suggested soaking the f*ckers with vivid blue indelible dye - brilliant! When 1000 hooded w*nkers are rampaging wiith bricks & iron bars what are your options – seriously?
As for punishment for those actually arrested – would a prison term work? (3 meals a day, Sky TV & PlayStation 24/7?) I doubt it. Would visible community service work? Again, I doubt it. The humiliation element may work on some but for the rest who clearly have NO sense of community anyway, it would mean nothing. No, I’m advocating something far more medieval. The stocks. Right where the scene of their crimes was, where the local shopkeepers & residents whose lives have been torn apart by these mindless acts of violence can let these little a*seholes know exactly how they feel, exactly how their vile actions have impacted their – yes THEIR - community.
Why should they get to hide – enjoying anonymity - in the shadows? Policed naturally so soft, rotten fruit only is thrown, or indeed nothing more than feelings & words. They would have to listen, there would be no walking away, no “talk to the hand” no “I don’t have to listen to you”. Oh yes you do. I am not suggesting an eye for an eye, I don’t - ever - want to stoop to their utterly degraded level, but maybe a few nights of hearing what's what, they will begin to understand the real life impact of their mindless actions. And that there are consequences. Long reaching consequences.
And by the way, I am not some sort of middle class privileged privately educated type, I was born on a council estate in a deprived part of the North of England but I made certain choices and grabbed opportunities. I had only one parent from the age of 8, had free school lunches as we couldn't affford to pay, and I went to a comprehensive school - where by the way I chose to work hard & got to university. We didn't have a car, I didn't have the "must have" things of the day - designer jeans, a flash stereo or a video recorder - but did I go out smashing windows to get them? No. And neither did my neighbours, we were all brought up properly.
One of the many things I love about the arrival of autumn is the launch of Strictly Come Dancing. Yes I am an old fogey for loving it but the line up has finally been announced (in a very peculiar way) and I confess to feeling let down & disappointed. I think they may have lost me this year. I guess there there are a few 'proper' celebs - Lulu, Jason Donovan & Rory Bremner & at a push Anita Dobson & Holly Valance - but we have the token controversial politician in Edwina Currie (am I the only one who post her John Major revelations always feels slighty nauseous when I see her?), Audley Harrison & someone called Robbie Savage (???) as the sportspeople, an ITV presenter called Dan something (OK he's v good looking but ... sorry WHO is he?) the Welsh woman with no skills or sense of humour off the One Show (whose publicity shot is just bizarre, all squished boobs) and a couple of odd ones for comedy value no doubt - Russell Grant & Nancy Dell'Olio.
