The UK riots - My view

By Simon Wright (Personal column)

SO, ‘BROKEN Britain’ lies in ruins after last week’s horrific scenes of rioting and looting across the country.  Note to toy manufacturers, no batteries have been included in these burnt out shops, homes and businesses.  Some shops look like the burnt out shell that was The Loft nightclub after the 2009 fire in Channel 4’s Hollyoaks, whilst others remain open for business as if last week was a storm in a teacup.

     It wasn’t though.  Approximately 3,000 arrests have been made by police, with at least 60 per cent of these having been charged for the crimes.  The damage is likely to end up reaching £1billion pounds and it is a dreadful promotion for the capital city, with the 2012 Olympics now less than a year away.  Chelsea Ives, one of the rioters, was an Olympic ambassador.  That’s an embarrassing image sight for the organisers and I’m pleased the IOC (International Olympic Committee) has backed us.  I’m shocked to realise that we have so many idiots in our country.  London was the worst hit, but there were also severe disturbances in Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and Bristol, with minor damage reported in Nottingham, Gloucester, Oxford, Wolverhampton, Milton Keynes and West Bromwich.  So, why did we end up all fearing for the establishments we live and love last week in the worst riots seen in this country for many a generation.  Many reasons have been given, which I will go into detail later on in this blog.

     First of all, as I tuned into Sky throughout Monday night last week, I was appalled to see what was happening.  It shook me to a core and I felt sick to the stomach.  Anger was building up inside me; as the pictures saw London look like a disaster movie, with many industries looking as battered and bruised as you would if you’d taken on Mike Tyson in his prime.  I was leaving the country in 48 hours time and when I heard of trouble reaching my own hometown, I started to wonder what I would come back to.  Luckily, it has calmed down since then, but the damage has been done and left so many heartbreaking stories.

    Ashrof Rassle is brave to say he still loves this country and wants to stay.  The Malaysian student is recovering in hospital after he was attacked and robbed on the streets by thugs.  The video was recorded and uploaded to YouTube and is an absolutely disgraceful act.  I feel massively for Trevor Reeves, who could only watch in horror as his local furniture store burnt down in Croydon.  It had survived two World Wars and lived through four generations of family, what a tragic way for the business to end.  Then there’s Richard Bowes, who was attempting to remonstrate yobs that set fires to bins near his home in Ealing, only to be beaten to death in an act of cynical behaviour.  Finally, there are the three young lads in Birmingham, who were protecting their livelihoods (businesses and mosques) and ultimately paid the price, with their lives.  I’m so proud to see the community of Birmingham come together at a time of such overwhelming tragedy.    

     The government has taken a load of stick for their handling of the carnage to have descended on the UK and some of it is fully merited.  More organisation has to be used around holidays, with rotas the only way forward.  I’m sorry, but you cannot have the five main figureheads of the country (Home Secretary, Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Mayor of London and Chancellor) on holiday at exactly the same time.  The one politician I did feel sorry for was Boris Johnson.  He was heckled in the streets, but he was trying to help and also got involved in the cleanup in Clapham.  It got worse when Boris was bullied in an interview last Tuesday night (August 9) by ITN anchor and Daily Mirror columnist Mark Austin.  Johnson did really well to get his points across, despite Austin’s ignorant attempts to butt into his answers.  The way he handled the interview was very professional and dignified.  As for Austin, it was a foul piece of journalism and a bad example of how to do it.  For me, a respected news anchor dropped the ball here.

     As the week has progressed, I have been deeply unimpressed by the way David Cameron has handled this national crisis.  If I knew he was going to be this bad, maybe he should have stayed in Tuscany after all, sipping his precious cappuccino!  Despite the destruction, he still wants to cut 16,000 jobs on the police front.  What on earth is he doing!  Has he had his eyes shut throughout?  If anything, we need more police on the frontline as the anarchy broke out.  I’m afraid Mr. Cameron has been just as clueless of late as Arsene Wenger!  One message to Dave; I’m sure they do decent deals on priceless coffees at Starbucks if you really are that desperate for a caffeine boost!

     Last Thursday, he did say this in an emergency Commons debate; “And to the lawless minority, the criminals who have taken what they can get.  I say this, we will track you down, we will find you, we will charge you, we will punish you.  You will pay for what you have done.”  At least he has stuck to that, with magistrates working 24 hours a day to send a lot of the criminals into prison cells for their actions.  However, boot camps might have to be the way forward, because it might teach all of them a lesson in how to behave.  Any confidence I had in the coalition government has disintegrated.  Nick Clegg looks like a spare part, George Osbourne would rather be somewhere else rather than the House of Commons half the time and Theresa May is under huge pressure now, probably fighting a losing battle for her job.

     Now onto those who caused so much damage, fear and grief to the innocent.  It is inexcusable what they have done and an utter disgrace.  This was thuggery of the highest order.  Some don’t look sorry at all – I’ve heard stories of them smirking in court and laughing away without a care in the world.  You are a disgrace to society and I only wish we had bigger wheelie bins to tip you into!  I say to the courts, lock them up and throw away the key.  Boo hoo that you can’t afford the latest Nike Pegasus trainers, a Dell laptop or a 4-pack of Carlsberg Special Brew – it’s a tough life and we have all had to make sacrifices in the recession.  If you don’t like it, we don’t need you in the country, bugger off onto another planet!

    Despite some of the compensation packages that have been set-up by the government for affected businesses, it will end up being us that pays for most of the damage, not the loonies who did the damage.  Most taxpayers wouldn’t mind seeing these clowns having benefits and hand-outs being taken away from them.  It might help them learn, though that’s unlikely. 

    The parents need to take some responsibility too for the actions of their children.  For some of the criminals, running back to Daddy is probably the best option.  Oh wait, your Daddy probably encouraged you or is getting smashed out of his head at the local watering establishment!  The parents must take more control of their kid’s actions.  I’m pleased to have seen many parents hand their kids into the police.  Well done to you, no matter how hard it must have been, you’ve done the right thing.  To those parents who are protecting their violent youngsters, hang your head in shame, because you are not much better!

    Historian David Starkey will also probably need to find a new occupation.  His comments on last week’s edition of Newsnight have no place on television and he’d better hope that TalkSport offer him a place on their radio programming for sporting history.  After all, they seem to accept those disgraced professionals who make barbaric comments on TV.  Richard Keys and Andy Gray spring to mind!

     After what has happened last week, I have to ask myself, do I want to be a part of this country anymore?  I have to question it.  Our country might recover – but it will take lots of work to repair the burnt-out buildings and shattered glass windows.  I’m afraid, unless these police cuts are reviewed, the EMA (Education Maintenance Allowance) is restored and parents take more responsibility, this could easily happen again anytime soon.

     Lastly of course, my symphonies go out to those who have lost loved ones and been significantly affected by these devastating riots.

London riots escalate

ONLOOK: Riot police watch a fancy dress shop on fire in Clapham

FEAR, astonishment and disgust are amongst the emotions for many British citizens after the dramatic pictures and videos last night.  For the third successive night, the police were fighting a losing battle against hundreds of violent gangs, simply intent on causing as much destruction and damage as possible.  Hundreds of arrests have been made as London begins to count the cost of the damage.  Homes and businesses have been looted and set ablaze as British society faces upto its biggest problem for many decades.  Prime Minister David Cameron has had no choice but to cut short his summer holiday in Italy and make pleas for calm.  Tonight, 15,000 policemen will be out on the streets of London, but the trouble has now also descended outside the capital.  There were major disturbances in Birmingham last night, along with minor skirmishes in Liverpool, Nottingham and Bristol.

     The trouble began at the weekend in Tottenham, after the shooting of Mark Duggan by police last Thursday.  It spread to Ealing and Brixton on Sunday, with cars being smashed up, shops looted and set on fire, with police seemingly standing back and allowing the mob to take whatever possessions they felt like.  Yesterday, the initial trouble began in Hackney, as hundreds of youths attacked riot police and looted stores in broad daylight.  As the Hackney situation was brought under control, fires began in Peckham, with a Greggs store and a local electrical shop set ablaze; the gangs having no regard for the safety of innocent bystanders.  As YouTube footage came in of a man having his bag pack ransacked, dripping blood on the pavement floor, more London boroughs were targeted.  Gangs flooded the high street at Lewisham, once again, torching cars and looting stores at almost freewill. 

     At Clapham Junction, remarkable footage came in from a Sky News reporter close to the scene of a Ladbrokes store being robbed, with windows smashed, cash points targeted and a plasma TV being hauled off the wall.  Amazingly, it seemed like these idiots were being cheered on by people who found it funny!  The spread of violence has come through organised rumours on social networking sites Twitter and Facebook, as well as the BlackBerry private messenger service.  Research in Motion, the Canadian company that owns BlackBerry has promised it will help police to catch those responsible.  In Croydon, a large local furniture store was set on fire and destroyed in one of the most dramatic images of the evening.  The owner is devastated, as it was a business that had gone through four generations of his family.  168 years of graft all burnt out in less than half an hour.

     Prime Minister Cameron has faced a barrage of criticism for his lack of response to the dire situation.  CNN figurehead Piers Morgan wasn’t impressed on Twitter; “Now Cameron’s finally woken up, he should recall Parliament NOW.  This is a national emergency and the British public need protecting.”  This morning, the PM held a meeting with the police and under-fire Home Secretary Theresa May, before revealing in a statement that parliament will be recalled on Thursday for one day.  London Mayor Boris Johnson and Labour leader Ed Miliband are also returning home early from their summer breaks. 

     May went on BBC breakfast this morning to refute claims that heavy-hitting police tactics should be the order of the day, rejecting calls for the army and water cannons to be used, which would be a first in this country.  Yesterday, she pledged that those responsible will face strict action;

“I want to be clear – those responsible for the violence and looting will be made to face the consequences of their actions.”

     The outrage on social networking sites was clear from many shocked onlookers watching on their television screens.  Journalism student at the University of Northampton Chris Ola told me via Twitter the implications will be felt for many; “I can understand the outrage over the police killing the man…but this is ridiculous…it’s going to hurt the taxpayer.”  Another student at the University of Northampton, Stef Ventura fears the worst; “I fear for our country, we might be rewinding to the 1980s.”

     The blame game has already started, with some of the blame being laid at the Metropolitan police, who were over-stretched massively last night.  They made pleas for parents to know where their children were and get them inside as the mayhem continued.  From the skyline, London looked more like a disaster movie, not a bustling capital city that should be looking forward to host next year’s Olympic Games.  Former Labour mayor Ken Livingstone blamed the coalition’s dramatic spending cuts, telling the Daily Mirror; “The economic stagnation and cuts have inevitably created social division.”  Ex-deputy Prime Minister John Prescott expressed his viewpoint by setting-up a Twitter hash tag #where’sthegovernment.

BURNING: The Sony warehouse in Enfield burns to the ground

     However, it isn’t now London where this is happening now.  Birmingham saw trouble too.  Over 50 businesses were targeted by yobs in the Bullring shopping centre.  Melissa Hicks gave me a quick update of the situation on Facebook; “Birmingham City Centre is being smashed up and the big Primark shop has been burnt down.”  In Liverpool and Bristol, it was a similar, if quieter story.  This morning, the large Sony CD warehouse store on the corner of the M25 in Enfield was still burning to the ground, after it was set on fire in the early hours.  The FA have cancelled tomorrow’s night international friendly at Wembley between England and Holland and Carling Cup matches at Crystal Palace, Charlton, West Ham and Bristol City have been postponed on police advice.  The Premier League is also in contact with the police on a regular basis, with significant doubts over the fixtures taking place on the opening weekend involving Tottenham, QPR and Liverpool.  However, despite the Birmingham trouble, the third Cricket test at Edgbaston between England and India is set to go ahead on time tomorrow morning.

     As the cleanup began this morning, the whole country has to reflect on the trouble and the damage it has done to our society, with fingers crossed that tonight doesn’t bring the same amount of carnage and chaos in the country that last night did.

Tottenham riot exposes police failings

THE Metropolitan police faces severe criticism for failing for control a shocking night of violence in North London, which has seen many homes and businesses destroyed by violent gangs.  Around 300 people battled police in Tottenham, which saw looters break windows and steal from businesses in the area.  A bus was also set on fire, as were two police cars, flats and shops, including a large Carpet Right department store.  Today, the carnage on the streets of Tottenham shows the full implications of last night’s rioting, which Downing Street has called “totally unacceptable.”

     Scotland Yard; still trying to defuse the severe criticism it has taken for the phone hacking scandal confirmed that 26 policeman were hurt in the trouble and 42 people have been arrested for a variety of offences.  However, many local residents will feel that the police have not covered themselves in any glory once again. 

BURNT: The remains of a police car before it was attacked last night

      The trouble began in the area on Thursday night, when a father of four, Mark Duggan was shot dead by police near Tottenham Hale tube station.  It was believed that Duggan had possession of a gun at the time.  Tension was rising in the community and yesterday, a peaceful demonstration outside Tottenham police station took place involving family and friends of Duggan.  Approximately 150 people marched in the protest.  However, as darkness fell, the disorder began, with two police cars parked not far away from the station on Forster Road set alight by angry protestors that seemed only interested in causing chaos.  The carnage spread onto the corner of Brook Street and Tottenham High Road, where the Carpet Right shop was smashed into, looted, and then set on fire.  So too was a double-decker bus.  An Aldi supermarket was also torched and burnt to the ground by the angry mob.   

     Today in Tottenham Hale Retail Park, Sky News has caught sensational footage of at least five, possibly more people looting the JD Sports shop in broad daylight, taking trainers and bags of clothing at their disposal, with remarkably, no police.  Eyewitnesses are reported to have seen laptops and televisions taken from a nearby PC World shop too.  Despite all these blunders by the Metropolitan police, Home Office secretary Theresa May continues to back the under-fire force;

    “I condemn utterly the violence in Tottenham last night.  Such disregard for public safety and property will not be tolerated and the Metropolitan Police have my full support in restoring order.”

Adrian Hanstock, a commissioner for the police said; “The death of Mark Duggan was absolutely regrettable.  A peaceful demonstration was hijacked by a small number of a criminal element that used the event for their own gain.  We kept a dignified presence at the vigil.  Our preparation was in place and the contingence we had needed to be proportionate to the levels of concern we had in the community.”

FIRE: Shops were targeted, including an Aldi supermarket

     An enquiry into last night’s trouble has already begun and it will be interesting to see what evidence is found.  Although the actions of the rioters last night can’t be condemned and the violence is utterly disgraceful – to wreck people’s homes and businesses in totally unacceptable, the failings to control the possibility of trouble, especially in such a hostile community over the past 48 hours staggers even myself.  Fingers crossed this is the last of the trouble in Tottenham, though I fear more might come.  

Royals caught up in tuition fees violence

SHOCKED: Charles and Camilla were caught up in the riots

PRINCE Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall were lucky to escape injury, when their car was attacked by student protestors on Thursday evening.  Paint was thrown and windows were smashed by the demonstrators, as they arrived at London’s West End to watch the Royal Variety show at the London Palladium.  Clarence House soon confirmed that both were unhurt, but clearly shaken up by what had just happened.  Ten police officers were injured and around 30 protestors needed hospital treatment, on the bloodiest day of violence in the capital since the controversial Poll Tax was passed through by Margaret Thatcher’s administration in 1990.

All the trouble came on the day when the crucial vote was held on tuition fees.  After a five hour debate in the House of Commons, parliament approved the increase from 2012, which can allow higher institutions to charge student’s upto £9,000 a year to continue their studies.  Despite a late rebellion from some Liberal Democrats, the coalition majority passed by just 21 votes (323 to 302), far closer than what many anticipated.  Simon Hughes, the Deputy Leader for the Lib Dems elected to abstain from voting, whilst former leaders of the party, Charles Kennedy and Menzies Campbell were amongst those against the increase.  Crucially, the under-fire deputy leader of the coalition, Nick Clegg and Business Secretary Vince Cable, voted for the proposal to go through.

RIGHTFUL: Demonstrators turn their anger on Nick Clegg

Outside, ‘Shame on you’ was the chant used by the peaceful protestors.  Clegg’s broken promises that he made at the General Election have angered many, but there could be no excuse for the violence throughout Thursday.  Some complained about the excessive police tactics, charging at some with horses.  Once again, although they can’t take the whole blame, the Metropolitan Police lost complete control of the situation, which will fill no-one with much confidence, should Britain come under attack again from international terrorist organisations.  Nevertheless, the head of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Paul Stephenson defended his force for their actions; “The police have done as well as they could today, and we were appalled with the significant number of people who behaved very badly today.” 

INFERNO: Protesters set off a fire in Parliament Square

Most of the blame though must run with those who turned up in London, determined to cause trouble.  Whether they were students really doesn’t matter, because it still is simply unacceptable.  By the end of the evening, some were trying to smash into The Treasury and windows were smashed at The Supreme Court.  Others disembarked from parliament square, attacking Christmas shoppers in Oxford Street and smashing windows at the TopShop building on the same road.  Many just seemed intent on causing destruction; far more than those who stormed Conservative party headquarters in the first set of riots on November 10.  The Home Secretary, Theresa May was quick to condone the actions of the rioters; “What we have seen today has nothing to do with peaceful protests.”    

The attack on the Royal car must put into serious question; the amount of Royal Security present at the time.  The Duchess of Cornwall brushed off the incident afterwards; “We are both okay, and there’s a first time for everything!”  Major investigations have already been announced into the disturbing trouble.

ITN’s political editor Tom Bradby summed up the general consensus of Thursday’s events on News at Ten; “There were shocking pictures of officers being set upon and it was clear that although many came to make their point fairly, the hardcore minority became intent on causing trouble.”

The coalition government have done something many don’t like; and Nick Clegg has proven for many students, that he is a dirty, shameful liar.  However, when the Winston Churchill statue was defaced by protestors, you know just what a dark day it was for our country.  The violence was destructive, unacceptable and those responsible should be brought to justice.

However, on London’s worst day since the 7/7 attacks in 2005, some will wonder whether this is just the start of a frequent event to dominate the headlines.