London Burning!

[toonfandangl]

Watched the BBC world news TV at David Cameron's venting his disgust at whats happening to the UK and his solution

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPw0QbH2g68&feature=related

[pam spackman]

 The Riots here are because of the 'Mother Grundies' here
Can't hit and chastise the kids at home or at school....they reply with 'I'll go to the Social'
Too many IMMIGRANTS..........etc.....therefore no jobs......Britain is too soft by far....when Criminals
do get caught,they get away with murder!!!The Police aren't allowed to do their job properly!!!
And as for the Criminals,they think they are so big carrying guns and the people complain when they get shot...

  that's what happens when you want to play big boys games!!!!! Then they get all facilities in Prison...that we the Taxpayer pay for! People have lost their homes and businesses....Oone furniture shop that had survived "2 WORLD Wars was torched and burnt to the ground!! We are all battling 'financially' here......the man on the street........We have been far too soft here and now you sow what you reap!!!!! The scum rioterers are that', SCUM!!!!

[SandyB]

Well put  Robert ... I have my pitch on it ,,, its called MORAL DECLINE ...  it stems from the failed policies  of the years of misguided governments  down to the people  accepting it and settling into the mire ... The once proud nation that stuck together  through a war ..  after the war  still proud  but poorer from the war .. the result being  lots of proud folk going out  seeking work elsewhere  and  helping build other countries  ie  RSA  as an example ...  the story of the fish rotting from the head down applies .. the failed policies  of the labour camp  that came afterward  sent GB  into the tailspin that its  in ... its amazing how policy  can corrupt the soul of a nation ....  its all so sad ... we see it here in a different context but so similar  and  the end result so similar ... MORAL DECLINE ...  soooo  sad ....

[SandyB]

Here is one  that I had on file for  a long time .. maybe some of the analogies  apply ??


A young woman was about to finish her first year of college.  Like so many others her age, she considered herself to be very liberal, and among other liberal ideals, was very much in favour of higher taxes to support more government programs, in other words redistribution of wealth.

She was deeply ashamed that her father was a rather staunch conservative, a feeling she openly expressed.  Based on the lectures that she had participated in, and the occasional chat with a professor, she felt that her father had for years harboured an evil, selfish desire to keep what he thought should be his.

One day she was challenging her father on his opposition to higher taxes on the rich and the need for more government programs.

The self-professed objectivity proclaimed by her professors had to be the truth and she indicated so to her father.  He responded by asking how she was doing in school.

Taken aback, she answered rather haughtily that she had a 4.0 GPA, and let him know that it was tough to maintain, insisting that she was taking a very difficult course load and was constantly studying, which left her no time to go out and party like other people she knew.  She didn't even have time for a boyfriend, and didn't really have many college friends because she spent all her time studying.
Her father listened and then asked, "How is your friend Audrey doing?"
She replied, "Audrey is barely getting by.  All she takes are easy classes, she never studies and she barely has a 2.0 GPA.  She is so popular on campus; college for her is a blast.  She's always invited to all the parties and lots of times she doesn't even show up for classes because she's too hung over."

Her wise father asked his daughter, "Why don't you go to the Dean's office and ask him to deduct 1.0 off your GPA and give it to your friend who only has a 2.0.  That way you will both have a 3.0 GPA and certainly that would be a fair and equal distribution of GPA."
The daughter, visibly shocked by her father's suggestion, angrily fired back, "That's a crazy idea, how would that be fair!  I've worked really hard for my grades!  I've invested a lot of time, and a lot of hard work!  Audrey has done next to nothing toward her degree.  She played while I worked my tail off!"

The father slowly smiled, winked and said gently, "Welcome to the conservative side of the fence."

If anyone has a better explanation of the difference between conservative and liberal or progressive or neocon I'm all ears.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you ever wondered what side of the fence you sit on, this is a great test!

If a conservative doesn't like guns, he doesn't buy one.
If a liberal doesn't like guns, he wants all guns outlawed.

If a conservative is a vegetarian, he doesn't eat meat.
If a liberal is a vegetarian, he wants all meat products banned for everyone.

If a conservative is homosexual, he quietly leads his life.
If a liberal is homosexual, he demands legislated respect.

If a conservative is down-and-out, he thinks about how to better his situation.
A liberal wonders who is going to take care of him.

If a conservative doesn't like a talk show host, he switches channels.
Liberals demand that those they don't like be shut down.

If a conservative is a non-believer, he doesn't go to church.
A liberal non-believer wants any mention of God and religion silenced.  (Unless it's a foreign religion, of course!)

If a conservative decides he needs health care, he goes about shopping for it, or may choose a job that provides it.
A liberal demands that the rest of us pay for his.

If a conservative reads this, he'll forward it so his friends can have a good laugh.
A liberal will delete it because he's "offended."

Well, I forwarded it to you.

[SandyB]

Next  question  ..  the   previous response  has a very simplistic story line but  there is a  truth in it .. now where  is the  "middle  line "  one cannot please everybody ,, a  good leader is one  who looks at the bigger picture ..  who is not afraid to make unpopular decisions ..  who sticks to his / her guns ...  has a moral core ...  blah blah ... you all  deep down know it but some choose to avoid it ..
Mmmm   maybe  Stennie  is right .. the big rock heading for earth is long overdue ...  I keep  on getting that vision  in dreamland ...

[Robert Bruce]

It seems that the crocodile tears for the deprived hoodie gangs are a thorn in a certain politician's side. Back in 2006/7 when DC was so naive and compassionate, he actually wanted to really understand the underlying reasons that led UK to a nation of hoodie wearing reprobates.

Please read The Independent's article from April 2010 by clicking on the link below. Also note that within the article are three words which in my opinion provide a key to perhaps aiding the snuffing out of the self-perpetuating hoodie syndrome and just maybe a lot of crime in the UK. See if you can spot them. MA will award karma points if you do!

Click here: http://tinyurl.com/y726bnt

[Michael Alexander]

How about

"losing their tenancy"

?

[Robert Bruce]

Nope.

Nil point!

[SandyB]

education and  employment

[toonfandangl]

On a less serious note this is satire from the ABC....

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-08-11/clarke-and-dawe-discuss-the-uk-unrest/2835696

[Robert Bruce]

The three words I picked up on in the article are: "Crime goes unpublished."

Most of the news we watch, listen to and read is about crime. It could be argued that media coverage plays an inadvertent role in increasing gang related crime by 'glorifying' it in those young impressive minds who live in areas where they are susceptible. Look at the flash mob 'scene' in Phillidelphia USA. Social network fuels this regular criminal activity.

Making the news headlines could be one of a suite of factors that contribute to repeating the mob violence.

Daily and hourly repetition about criminal acts is now the norm. Where once we were appalled by a report in our newspaper about a murder, these days the murder stories just get a passing glance and alarm us in the way the splurb on the back of an empty breakfast cereal box would.

This is alarming. Have we become so dulled to the loss of human life? Has life in our time become so cheap and irrelevent?

The three words I quote above formed the basis of a community's plan to clean up their community and cut crime. 

The less the criminals read, saw and heard about their activities, the less inclined they became to commit further crime by acting on the adrenelin rush and buzz of fear fed back b their community. The thrill and buzz the gangs got was lessened by not permitting local media to report on their activities. They became irrelevent. And the community elders did get the media's co-operation.

We are a society that has fast become immune to human tragedy. I think too much coverage by media has lessened the impact that is required for true moral indignation to kick in properly.

TV news stations compete with each other to see who can provide the longest, most dramatic and at the time, speculative rationale. 

TV news media milk the story dry and we grow weary of it. They pound us into submission or should that be submissive acceptance that something dreadful has occured but what the hell do you think I can do about it? And we switch channel. 

Can you say that you are glued to a news report that is being aired on TV by more than one channel and on radio multiple times a day?

Bad news should be reported. We need to know when it happens and the effect violence brings to a community, a family and an individual. 

The trick now is how to regalvinise us and the police to react positively to stamp out the hoodie and serious criminal culture our indifference has spawned.

By virtue of the fact that Cameron is bringing in a cop from USA to advise our police on how he succeeded in stamping out criminal activity, is perhaps confirmation of the Prime Minister's lack of faith in his police chief to deal with the problem effectively. Also it may indicate that he wants resolute andl tough policing to happen. Something he might think is not being provided at the tolerance levels he desires.