Good morning,
Yesterday was a mixed bag then. The atmosphere inside The Lane was a marketing man’s dream. Smiling families, Mexican waves, fans cheering players and singing songs, and Spurs a’ winning. That’s what I like.
Sometime after the atmosphere outside The Lane resembled a bad night night in Belfast. So what happened? What happened to the vehicles that were torched, shops that were looted, the windows that were smashed, the houses destroyed is pretty well documented. I’ve included a short gallery from images I picked up from Twitter.
But what happened to precipitate this? There are actually three paths that took us to this civil disorder.The most obvious, at first glance appears to be some upside down gangster revenge for a policeman shooting dead one Mark Duggan. Duggan – street name ‘Starrish Mark’ – was supposedly a gangsta member of Tottenham Man Dem Gang, a street mob believed to be involved with the infamous Jamaica Yardies.
Apparently Starrish Mark was under observation by the fuzz as it was believed he was all set to take revenge for the killing of his cousin Kevin Easton a rapper – street name ‘Smegz’ – who was fatally stabbed outside a Mile End nightclub back in March.
Anyway, legend has it that Starrish Mark was in a taxi when he spotted an armed officer and it alleged took a pot shot at him from the back of the cab. The officer’s life was saved by his radio which took the bullet. The officer then returned fire and Duggan and was shot dead.
A march of people from Broadwater Farm to a local police station then took place last night in protest over Starrish Mark’s death. The march resulted in numerous acts of arson, criminal damage and looting.
The social back drop to this simply reveals how politicians using the phrase ‘Broken Britain’ is a joke. Not a very funny one. It was them that broke it.
You don’t need any GCSE’s in Neurology to work out that society needs looking after or it goes wrong. Haringey’s youth clubs were shut after the Youth Services budget was slashed by 75% after a cut of £41m to the council’s overall budget.
Now I’m not going to try and kid you that because there’s nowhere for teenagers to play ping pong Curry’s got robbed. But it’s all part of the bigger picture whereby people who are vulnerable are effectively abandoned by society.
Environments where these gang cultures are allowed to blossom need to be attacked. You break the cycle with education and tackling the abysmal places these disaffected people were sent to live.
I have no political affiliations. I think that they’re all bent. But the if you want to point a finger, point it at the last Labour government. In power for years and all they did was become as fat and corrupt as their so called old enemies the Tories. What was their legacy for the going nowhere people of Broadwater Farm? Policies so inept that the weak and the futureless are the first to get bitten as the inevitable cuts are implemented.
That said, whatever insane agenda of revenge the mob had, their social and economic plight doesn’t excuse trying to disguise a looting and vandalism trip as a protest. It’s highly unlikely there will be many arrests, but let’s hope there are. This lot aren’t freedom fighters they’re criminals.
When people are burning cars on their own streets the problem is bigger than looking for a youth in a hoody carrying matches.
Click on the image below to launch the gallery…
Wow. I’m on my smartphone today, so I it’s a bit difficult to respond to everything on here that deserves a response. Thanks, Astro, for being the voice of reason.
Funny how everyone spouting racist bullshit on here is using ‘anonymous’ tags, while those who disagree are using their ‘real’ online monikers. Is it a coincidence that the racists are too cowardly to stand up for what they believe? Or could it be that racism is itself an act of cowardice, fueled by the fear of the ‘unknown’ – foreign cultures that you are all too bloody stupid to understand, and too ignorant to try to learn about?
It’s been a sad fact throughout human history, that a certain large portion of societies find it easier to blame someone else than to accept responsibility for the problems they have.
That’s OK on it’s own. Society can deal with a few idiots. The problem arises when power-hungry, cynical and soulless demagogues latch onto this is the name of their own deluded self-importance.
If you think your personal problems, and the problems of your home country are the fault of people who prefer slightly differen seasoning on their supper, you need to think again.
The USA has been by far the most diverse ‘multi-cultural’ industrial country for the past 200 years. Sure, things aren’t great here now, but that’s the politicians and greedy bankers, not under-privellaged minorities. Throughout American history, idiots like the KKK have shat lies like the ones I’ve read too many of today, claiming that the Irish/Italian/Jewish/Black/Hispanic/Easter European immigrants (take your pick, depending on the era) would destroy the country.
Despite this, America grew from an impoverished colony to the world’s only Superpower. Not in spite of the diversity and immigration. Actually, if you look at the economics, it’s more because of it. The KKK are as wrong now as they have ever been. And all you closet Breivik sympathizers are no less so today…
If diversity is bad for society, how do you explain America’s global dominance and leadership in economy, scientific reasearch, culture and individual freedom? They are the most culturally diverse country in history.
The fact that a hard-working Bangladeshi is doing the job your dad used to do has nothing to do with unfair hiring practices. He’s just doing a better job.
To those who made comments earlier about the local population in Tottenham. Have a look on SkyNews at who are rioting in Enfield tonight. Seems to be mainly white faces. Also reports of anarchists coming into the area. People of all colours and races rioting. People of all colours are victims.
I’d just like to say a big thank you to Astromesmo for his intelligent and balanced arguments against the shameless bigots who have crept out of the woodwork to post. I fear you’ve been wasting your time fella, but I thank you anyway.
Hear hear,and his time was not wasted,i’d buy him a real Hornby train set any day
Toot! Toot! Gawd bless yer. :blush:
60 years ago, you’d have said that there was no chance that Europe could be settled and at peace and that Japan would be one of the most peaceful nations on earth… And yet here we are. My wife is Japanese and I don’t feel like I’m part of a social experiment, I married the girl I fell in love with, she just happens to be Japanese.
We got married in Tokyo and my Dad (who is 84) came out for the wedding. His brother was captured in Burma and spent most of the war building railways in Japanese labour camps, it destroyed his mind and his health and he was never the same person after it. I must say that it caused me more than the odd nights sleep at how he would feel being there – But he loved the place and got on so well with my wife’s family.
He made a short speech before we left in which he said that people of the world were continuously let down by governments and the people sent to represent them. They are lied to for the gain of those in charge and the media play the role of conductor in the orchestra of hate. If people were left entirely to their own devices, there would never be any wars, as all they want to do is make sure their children are educated and there is food on the table.
Life really is that simple. If he can forgive and forget, we should all be able to, and history points to the fact that we’ve all overcome worse. The only difference now is that the hatred is also fuelled by greed – The legacy of Thatcher and the 80’s.
If the black-shirts marched again through Cable Street, only to oust the Bangladeshi’s or the Bengali’s… Would the people of the East End show the courage and determination to join in unity with their ‘neighbourhood brothers’ like they did in the 1930’s? I would hope so. Let’s hope we never have to find out.
Thanks guys. Bring on the season and getting back to arguing about Harry!!!
perfect way to end this Astromesmo
anyone else who hates the…(fill in appropriately)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3434521.stm
you wallybrains
I enjoy, lead to I discovered exactly what I used to be having a look for. You have ended my 4 day lengthy hunt! God Bless you man. Have a nice day. Bye