Leave it out, Tony

The riots left a bitter taste in my mouth the last few weeks.  Anything that involves people moaning about lack of opportunity, and condoning outright criminality just pisses me off.  I suppose it’s based on the fact that even though I have to work extended hours, in a stressful environment for my money, I’m still expected to pay outrageous levels of taxation to fund the ungrateful.  This week I thought I’d finally come to terms with it.  The apologists, both left and right have come out in their droves (where were they when it was all happening?), bending the facts to promote their own political agenda.  Not because they give two shits about you.  However I was expecting that, so I was braced for impact.  

I had all but turned the corner, except, this morning I put on BBC News to find that Tony Blair was putting in his two pennerth.  All of a sudden my shit was well and truly gripped again.  One day I’m gonna fart and a diamond will come out (tell me it’s disgusting then, ladies).  The crux of my annoyance was his assertion that he hadn’t been able to do anything about the “Me, Me, Me” culture whilst he was in office.  Now for my money, anyone who can’t get something done in 10 years was never going to get it done in the first place.

Anyway, it got me back on to the subject, and set my mind racing against all the ridiculous explanations.  I don’t know if you saw it, but one of the standout pieces for me was the interview with the 4 hoodies opposite Canary Wharf.  

I don’t know why it got my goat so much, but I think it might have been down to the fact that the assertions made by the hoodies were so tamely challenged, and were almost presented as an apology piece.  So now I’m pissed off all over again, I’ve revisited it, and written a few thoughts.  See what you think.

Even read along with the You Tube clip.

Intro: The 4 hoodies are introduced, and described as part of a criminal gang.  There are 4 of them (a gang) and they are about to speak about their commission of criminal offences (criminals then?).  So far so good.  No problems there.  At this point, I was relatively optimistic.  Possibly a cerebral meditation on the ills of society.  I’m excited.

Time: 0120 I’m disappointed.  Green mask tit tells the interviewer that he saw an opportunity and went for it.  He got himself a tracksuit and what he describes as “electronic stuff”.  All my hopes of some spark of intellectual thought are scuppered.  I want to comment more on this, but everything I want to say is summed up in the phrase “electronic stuff”.

Clearly this is not about social injustice, nor racism, educational or economic opportunity, no, it’s about.........stuff.

Time: 0124 OK, now we move onto Red mask tit.  I can see his eyes poking out between hood and mask, like some 18th century highwayman.  I can tell he has something to say.  Maybe he has an actual reason.  An actual bona fide reason? 

He says he’s providing for his family.  OK I’m listening, tell me about it.  Then he brings it back to the same thing.  “I got stuff for my son”  what is it about this stuff?  Why is stuff so important, and where can I get some stuff for myself?  Is it only available during times of disorder?  If so why, and again where?  I must get myself some of this magical stuff.  As I watch I’m convinced now the riots were justified.  I mean, I’m angry I don’t have any stuff.  I can’t have any, because I don’t even know what it is.

Then the killer, bless his little heart, he’s only gone and robbed some stuff for his son. His tiny little son has no stuff?!  I bet it’s those bastard capitalists are to blame.  Them and their damned money.  If only they learned to provide more stuff for us, everything would be better.

Except it turns out to be bollocks.  He didn’t want any of the magical stuff.  He really wanted some clothes and trainers for himself, oh and some powder and Johnson’s products for his son.  I can see by his cute little laugh that he was never serious.  He doesn’t care about stuff.  He only cares about well - material goods.   

I’m glad he put some time aside for some “me time” whilst he was robbing, as a single parent thief, he probably finds it difficult to get out and really do some stealing, whilst the sole carer of his son.  What’s that you say......at 16 years old he’s unlikely to be truly caring for his child, or even have custody?  No, I won’t have it.  Any man who goes out stealing for himself, and remembers he’s a daddy, is alright by me.  After all, if he had abandoned the Johnson’s set, He could have had another PS3.  So don’t go labeling him as selfish, fascist.

The funniest thing in this bit is that he starts to laugh when the interviewer goes for it.  He can’t believe his luck. His eyes nearly pop out of his tiny little head.  He keeps with it, until he forgets.

Time:  0145  so time to explore what the benefits were - So what did you get? Dark mask tit this time: got some HDs, couple of grands worth. Yes I see it now.  This is clearly his comment on society.  Possibly even auto destructive art? or just theft.  Now I think about it, yeah it’s just theft.

Time:  0150 -Not really a point made here, but I include it as I found it amusing.  The interviewer shows his feelings about the guys intelligence level (or possibly shows his own) He asks: “How much is 2 grand to you?”  Well it’s 2 thousand pounds, last time I counted.

Time: 0159 an opportunity to make a point  about the consumerist nature of society goes wanting- the interviewer asks what it means to him.  Is it survival?  Is it another year at university?  Is it food and clothing for his deprived children?  His answer?  It’s “nice for not paying for nothing, innit?” - he clearly has a future in retail.  

At this point, I’m also getting a bit annoyed with the sucking the air in over the teeth thing. Always the sure fire sign of a complete cunt. 

Time: 0225 red mask tit back on the case: he talks about getting a van to help him “provide for his baby” (how big is this child?) He steals enough to necessitate refilling the van.  This really pisses me off, as he goes on to complain about the removal of EMA.  Now in my mind, EMA is to help increase accessibility to education.  In my opinion, if you can get access to a van, in the middle of a riot, and drive around London - why can’t you make it into school?

Time: 0320 we stumble across the real reason for the lads joining the riot: “you’re only one in a thousand people” i.e. you probably ain’t gonna get caught.  For me, clearly demonstrating that the real reason for them joining in was simply because they could.  i.e. the lack of opportunity they usually lament, is the lack of opportunity to steal.  Bastard coppers keeping the little people down.

Time: 0350 another attempt at justification.  It was all payback.  He was raging against the corporate machine.  The very machine that had refused to recognise his value to society and give him a job, even when he had tried to get a really nice pair of trainers to go to the interview in.  What’s the world coming to when a 16 year old father of one, with a poor grasp of the English language and a propensity for criminal behaviour can’t get a job in..........Comet?

Time: 0340 I’ll skip over the bit where they show no remorse for their actions.  It’s clearly not relevant.  Is it?

Time:  0343 red mask tit says he won’t feel bad because he’ll be watching his plasma.  He says it’s like Christmas come early.  Who said a lack of religion was an issue?  Thats that put to bed.

Time: 0357 The cameraman belies his right wing tendencies by surreptitiously filming the lads’ natty threads.  Demonstrating that perhaps they do have a bit of money after all.  Bloody Nazi.

Time: 0408 Much hilarity when red mask tit says he tried to dress as smart as he could for a job interview. “I even begged my mum for a new pair of trainers.”  Magic.  By far the best bit.  except for:-

Time: 0420 He says “(I) talk the politest I can” - I wonder why he didnt get the job.

Time: 0441 “work hard but they not giving us no jobs like.” firstly it’s: “they will not give us a job.”  and secondly, perhaps because you have absolutely no redeeming qualities at all. 

Time: 0449 “we can do what you can do.”  Well you can't, because you can’t get a fucking job can you? and you can’t make a sentence without sounding like a cunt? Oh, and your a fucking thief too.

Time:  0504 “government arent helping noone out but the rich people” - 152 billion of taxpayers money on welfare? I’ll come back to this.  (and it's; isn’t helping anyone)

Time: 0549 and another attempt at justification.  The interviewer asks what should The Government do? Answer: The Government should put back on EMA.  Now does anyone believe, at this point that this guy is going to go to uni, even if he was chauffeur driven everyday to Oxford university, and taught by the reanimated corpse of Sir Isaac Newton himself?  No.  So what the fuck is that about?

He also says:  “help all the single mothers that are struggling”  OK, what’s your baby mother doing whilst you’re out thieving at 16?  Perhaps don’t have a child if you’re not in a financial position to have one?  like the fucking rest of us? And shouldn’t the baby daddy share some responsibility for that?  And exactly how is burning your local economy to the ground going to help her?

Time:  0620 the interviewer: without a hint of irony, says that they got what they wanted today: a voice.  They know it will make it easier to catch them.  
They truly are martyrs for the cause.  

Now the main point I took away is; there is a lack of opportunity for young people in our country, the UK.  It’s the only argument that makes sense.  So before I call it a day, I wanted to have a look at this.  And state why I think that’s just bollocks.

So what they were saying is that lack of opportunity leads to marginilisation.  This eventually leads to resentment and violence.


Now I can see that.  Believe it or not I can understand that regularly seeing people on TV literally covered in gold and diamonds can lead a man to think, how can I get some of that?  And then finding that you cannot achieve any meaningful wealth through any degree of hard work can lead to resentment, and it’s obvious how being in a state of continual resentment can lead to lashing out.  


So the real question is at the very beginning; is there a lack of opportunity?

Well lets chew that over for a second here.  

Net migration is around 240,000 people to the UK, according to the ONS.   So clearly someone thinks there is opportunity in this country, and enough to travel thousands of miles to take it.

The welfare budget is 169.3 billion for this year, rising to 185 billion over the next few years.  Therefore, The Government (the taxpayer i.e. you and me) is providing, what I would describe as, a great big fuckload of help. 

Especially when you consider that our GDP is at $2.17 trillion, according to The World Bank.  That’s a hefty percentage.

And lets look at that in an even bigger context.  According to the International Monetary Fund, this is bigger than the entire GDP of the following countries:-

Romania, Algeria, Peru, New Zealand, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Kuwait, Qatar, Hungary, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Morocco, Slovakia, Angola, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Ecuador, Croatia, Syria, Oman, Belarus, Luxembourg, Azerbaijan, Dominican Republic, Sri Lanka, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Tunisia, Guatemala, Uruguay, Lebanon, Uzbekistan, Serbia, Lithuania, Burma, Costa Rica, Kenya, Ethiopia, Yemen, Panama, Jordan, Latvia, Cyprus, Tanzania, Cote D’ivoire, Cameroon, El Salvador, Bahrain, Trinidad and Tobago, Estonia, Bolivia, Ghana, Paraguay, Uganda, Afghanistan, Bosnia Herzegovina,  Zambia, Honduras, Nepal, Equatorial Guinea, Iceland, Senegal, Dr Congo, Gabon, Botswana, Brunei, Republic of Congo, Albania, Namibia, Cambodia, Georgia, Mozambique, Macedonia, Mauritius, Mali, Armenia, Papua New Guinea, Burkina Faso, Madagascar, Malta, Chad, The Bahamas, Haiti, Benin, Nicaragua, Laos, Mongolia, Kosovo, Rwanda, Niger, Tajikistan, Zimbabwe, Moldova, Malawi, Kyrgyzstan, Guinea, Barbados, Montenegro, Mauritania, Suriname, Swaziland, Fiji, Togo, Eritrea, Guyana, CAR, Sierra Leone, Lesotho, Cape Verde, Burundi, Maldives, Belize, Bhutan, Djibouti, Antigua and Barbuda, The Gambia, Saint Lucia, Liberia, Seychelles, Guinea Bissau, Vanuatu, Soloman Islands, Grenada, East Timor, Saint Vincent and The Grenadines, St Kitts and Nevis, Comoras, Samoa, Dominica, Tonga, Sao Tome, Principe, Kiribati.

So all in all, quite a fucking bit really.  
Did you notice Malta in there?  They held off the entire Nazi War Machine throughout World War 2.  So I reckon if they can do that on their budget, we can make it to fucking school on ours?

According to the Office for Budgetary Responsibility (OBR) Corporation tax raises 35.8 billion, which equates to more than a fifth of the overall welfare bill.  So it looks like corporations are paying a fair bit too.

And how about the voluntary organisations for young people, for example:  The Prince’s Trust , Youth to Youth , The National Youth Agency , The Family and Parenting Institute , Catch 22 , to mention just a few.  Perhaps try them all before we decide there’s no chance.

Oh and just to point out, the company Comet?  Much derided by Red mask tit for not helping out?  They have a charity arm. 
They also offer discounts to charities and run a grant system with the government, to help young families with disabled children.  

Fuck me, who would have thought it?  So they actually do help provide opportunities?  I wonder if you have to wear a nice pair of trainers to apply?

This is of course, not to mention the  £80,000 spent on free education, subsidised housing, free medical care, and the same for any children.  

In short, There is no real justification for saying that there is a lack of opportunity.  And if I could do anything with this blog, it would be to make people realise that Government funding and help is taken from us under the threat of prosecution.  
So if you are saying it’s OK to riot if The Government doesn’t give more funding - What you are really saying is: I’m gonna riot, unless The Government forces you to give more money to me.  Which isn’t going to solicit any sympathy from me.

For those of you who disagree, the address for the inland revenue is below, they accept voluntary contributions:-

HM Revenue & Customs

PO Box 1970

Liverpool

L75 1WX

I think they get about £8000 in voluntary contributions every year.  I suppose this means most people think they pay enough.  They are probably right.

Their arguments were simply the repetition of everything that they had heard on TV up to now, from those who would seek to forward their political agendas, at your expense, maybe not?

The most honest reply was from this guy.  He doesn't make much of a point other than, I just wanted to, and the Police probably won't get me.  He tries to blame them for it, but doesn't do much of a job of it.