Are England's Riots Coming Here?

A mix of increasing wants, greed and individualism, lack of funds, and respect for people mixed in with drugs and alcohol are the catalyst for an extremely volatile reaction. 

I have a friend who lives in Hucknall, just out from Nottingham. He lives about 110 miles (175 km) north of London. Last night (9 Aug 11) he told me (via e-mail) that there was some trouble in Nottingham, and the football (soccer) match between England and Holland, scheduled to be played at Wembley Stadium in London, had to be canceled. He also added that the small towns of Bulwell and Ilkston were expecting trouble. And I heard (via radio) that London experienced a fourth night of riots. So the riots are continuing and spreading.

Here is a link to a BBC video (less than one minute) that has two "ladies" "explaining" why the rioters are rioting. There is one quote in this video that you may not catch: "It's the (Conservative) government's fault, and the rich people."

Is the U.S. next? Are riots coming here? After looking at some facts, draw your conclusion.

Riots Started Because ...

The violence broke out after police shot to death a 29-year-old man in London's economically depressed Tottenham neighborhood late last week. The original Tottenham "outburst" was precipitated by the shooting by police of Mark Duggan, a suspected member of a local criminal gang. It seems he was carrying a replica handgun that had been modified to shoot, but that he was killed while it was still in its cover (a sock, allegedly). A deputation to protest against Mark Duggan's killing outside the police station was ignored by the police for several hours, and so turned into a riot. A peaceful demonstration marking Duggan's death exploded into violence Saturday when protesters threw stones at police, smashed store windows, and set cars and buses on fire. The Independent Police Complaints Commission is carrying out an investigation. But London residents say the riots were spurred by anger over the gloomy economic situation in north London, including high unemployment and reduced public services.

Riots Grew Because...

There has been much discussion about the potential root causes to the series of events that are unfolding in London and the rest of the UK. Some claim that the actual cause is due to the lack of employment for large number of disgruntled youth who see no future and no jobs. The riots seem to be a reaction to much pent-up aggression that has culminated due to institutional racism, a breakdown of the family, socio-economic exclusion, a widening of the rich-poor divide, lack of investment for the under-privileged, and a lack of opportunities.   [sound familiar?]

But, some say, the greatest reason of all is a complete lack of morality and guidance. Many of the youth have been brought up in single-parent households where there is no father figure. They spend their time watching violent films, playing violent games or lurking the streets causing nuisance. They are not taught respect at schools, educational establishments, nor from their families. They are actively taught to be atheistic and believe that they came about by chance and will not be accountable for their actions. They see attending youth correction facilities and prisons as being badges of honor that they can show off to fellow gang members and places where they can learn new tools to ply their illegal trades. The capitalistic society that they find themselves in insists that they wear the most expensive trainers (athletic shoes), listen to the latest music, wear the best labels, and have the most advanced electrical equipment. A mix of increasing wants, greed and individualism, lack of funds, and respect for people mixed in with drugs and alcohol are the catalyst for an extremely volatile reaction.   [sound familiar?]

Riots Spreading To Other Cities

Rioting has broken out in Birmingham, Liverpool, Nottingham, Bristol, Leeds, Manchester, Salford, West Bromwich, and Gloucester.

Will They Come Here?

Are the austerity protests and riots happening in England right now a glimpse of America's future? There are some differences between England's situation and the situation in the U.S., but there are also similarities. Budget cuts and other austerity measures are being promoted by the political leaders of both countries. English citizens have reacted very negatively to the economic austerity programs that have been implemented. As budget cuts on the federal, state and local levels in the United States start to become painful, will we eventually see the same kind of austerity riots in this country that we are currently seeing in England?

Over the past several decades, the federal government, state governments and local governments have been on the greatest debt binge of all time. We have been living beyond our means for so long that most of us don't even know what "normal" is any more. For example, this year the federal government will take in about 2.2 trillion dollars. It will spend about 3.7 or 3.8 trillion dollars. But it is not just the federal government that is making cuts. State and local governments all over the United States are cutting back as well. Today, state and local government debt has reached at an all-time high of 22 percent of U.S. GDP, a major problem. In many areas of the country, cuts are being made. From coast to coast we are seeing police, firefighters and teachers being laid off.

An Associated Press (AP) story quoted a London rioter: "This is the uprising of the working class. We're redistributing the wealth," said Bryn Phillips, a 28-year-old self-described anarchist, as young people emerged from the store with chocolate bars and ice cream cones. Phillips claimed rioters were motivated by distrust of the police, and drew a link between the rage on London's street and insurgent right-wing politics in the United States. "In America you have the tea party, in England you've got this," he said.   [sound familiar?]

In the Guardian newspaper, Stafford Scott wrote, "If the riots at the weekend and the disturbances around London today have come as a surprise to the police and that wider society, the warning signs have long been there for those of us who engage with black youths. Essentially, it boils down to the belief among the young, and poor that "they have no stake in the neighbourhood, and consequently no state in wider society."   [sound familiar?]

Obviously, the spread of these riots has been planned. As for the motivation of the vandals and thieves, one need look no further than what one rioter told Sky News reporter Mark Stone: "We're getting our taxes back." In other words, the rioters are stealing designer clothes and gadgets - besides causing property damage - because they can.

"To what purpose," you may ask about riots coming here. The answer is (perhaps), "when the cities are in chaos in 2012, Obama will declare a national emergency, install martial law and suspend elections." This is the scenario leftists said George W. Bush was planning. Their 2008 predictions - that he would dishonor the constitution and install himself as a dictator - lack only the flash mobs that we are beginning to see today. For all of President Obama's complaints about having to deal with congress and "messy" democracy, it would be easier to just do what he wants.   [sound familiar?] But that's just my opinion.