Genre: Opinion/Argumentation

share this story The smoke has seemingly cleared from the streets of London, though I still get messages via Facebook from concerned friends and relatives outside of the UK worried that I'm so close to the action. I reassure them with jokes like "they only riot over a lack of good pinot in Barnes" making light of a tragedy that's left behind at least five dead. But sometimes you need to use humour because the reality is too uncomfortable to stomach. As I type you can still here sirens and my guess is it isn't an RTA. My worry is that this will be forgotten as quickly as the violence erupted, that it'll become the digital equivalent of chip paper, discarded and disposable content. My view is that this country has changed forever and was in dire need of it, the issue now is how we make good of the bad. I'm not a apologist for criminal behaviour, it has to be condemned but lets not be hypocritical about this either, it cuts both ways. For too long we've buried our heads and dismissed them as chavs but within British society we've allowed this to happen. Attending a sink school doesn't inspire anyone and lacking in role models within their own communities they'd be hard pushed to find ones outside. All they see now is that criminality doesn't stop beyond the estate. Bankers are getting paid, MPs are getting paid, Police are getting paid and also getting away with it so why shouldn't they. It's a "money for nothing society" fueled by a sense of entitlement that runs across the social strata. We've had years of state sponsored greed, served up by both the Conservatives and Labour.... and they want foreigners to take citizenship tests? Many people in the detention centres have a clearer idea of our individual responsibilities to society that some Brits do! The social contract that our welfare state was built on has been so gradually chipped away at that it's now in tatters. It's true there are thousands of people who live in these inner city communities who have the same background as the rioters and similar prospects who don't smash up their neighbourhoods. But the "mindless yobs" had no problem smashing up local businesses and enjoyed it because when you've never been given boundaries and have no values you have no respect for the law, you see nothing in taking and destroying other people's property. They've been doing this in their areas since before they got into secondary school so why should anything change once they're mobilized into a mob. They upped the ante but in truth the destruction of these communities didn't start last weekend, it's been crumbling over generations. For many they have never seen work as an option and even if they did they'd be doing jobs that would barely make it worthwhile. They've seen criminality or breaking the established rules as part of life's game and what's worse they see those charged with leading the nation to be just as bent as them. Class is still an issue in this country and there's always been a top down component to it. In the past people knew their place but now that no longer exists. Years ago I spoke to a man who had been on the Jarrow March during the dark days of the 1930's depression. I asked why the people didn't revolt. His reply was that wasn't the British way. The rise of a more individual some would say more narcissistic society has long removed the leash, with people no longer deferential to their betters who set an even worse example. The short selling on currencies that undermine our national livelihoods by those eager to make profit at the expense of others through to MP's fiddling expenses is all part of a trend that ignores the wider society and puts the individual above all else. My gratification is more important than your welfare is the message that is force fed to all in our society. These young men and women were not robbing shops to send a message to society they wanted a new handset or a pair of trainers. But they've communicated a lot through their actions. It showed that there's a problem that's cross generational, cross gender and cross race. Poor people in this country do not have a voice especially the white working class. They have no community leaders and the only time you see them on telly is on a reality TV show or as angry vox pops about immigration. There is no democratic forum to change this - voting seems a waste of time as the power exists to only further the rich and powerful. These" mindless yobs" can see a con a mile off - the longer we pretend there's meritocracy, the worse it will get. The senseless loss of life is tragic but if these riots had remained in the poorer parts of the country and hadn't spread it'd only have be covered by the ethnic press, the microscope wouldn't have been turned on the wider society. Now it's a chance to reflect on where it's gone wrong. Thing's change after riots, look at the Poll Tax riots. The press was full of words like appalled, condemn and increase police powers. And what was the upshot? The Poll Tax was scrapped. We can blame the parents all we like but part of the responsibility lies with us all. Taking back your community doesn't start with helping to clean up but simply trying to put back what we all take out. Loading comments... To paraphrase Thatcher, "There is no such thing as society, only individuals." Reagan similarly endorsed a breaking of the social contract. Young people were criminalized en masse with draconian drug laws that overstuffed our prisons. The mentally ill were dumped on the streets as hospitals closed. Real wages declined. Workplace and environmental protections were removed. Education was defunded. Social security taxes skyrocketed on everyone but the rich. The public good was left to charity and to whatever "trickled down." Perfect meritocracy was declared. It wasn't long until we had the L.A. riots. But it was inevitable. In a society in which large numbers of people are slipping permanently behind and treated with not even so much as compassion or understanding, but rather loathing and contempt for it; when anyone with money is treated as having a higher order of consciousness and morality -- where is the social contract? "We're all in this together," the world wars made us say, and believe -- but that changed to "I got mine -- get yours!" And to the devil with you if you don't. When society treats you as invisible, expendable, and contemptible -- where is the impetus to do well or do right? Or even to hope? When the stakeholders in a society are all at the top, the bottom has no stake in order. It may be that very order that demeans and condemns them and fights hardest against them. It should come as no surprise when societies reap what they Loading comments... I haven't seen any posts in the last few days I've agreed with more than this. Davis's piece is just the kind of wider base we need as a society to go from to sort things out. Much more of use to the wider discussion than Dr Starkey's comments. I hope that social debate will stem from this and we may be able to build a more meritocrious society.