General Chat

On the TV yesterday - the voices of two 17 yr old girls were heard saying what good fun it was to be involved in the riots, how they were enjoying drinking the stolen booze, had been drinking all night, and thought it was " a great laugh, real good fun innit".
Actually they didn't sound drunk at all, so I think that bit was just bravado, but they continued speaking, saying they were doing it..
"to show the police who was in charge, to show the politicians, the conserva'ives or whoever it is, an' all the rich people with businesses and stuff, they just gotta be shown who is in charge of the streets"......

Feeling pretty ashamed to be a Brit at the moment. I thought things had got bad out here at the beginning of the year, but this is terrible to see happening in a civilised country.

K


Not a bad idea at all Izzy, ship them out there in return for a soldier, but once they've arrived out there , just forget about them. Let's see how bored they get!

wonder what the reaction of the parents is when these thugs get home with stolen goods!! softly softly PC approach does not work - turn the water cannons on them - put a coloured dye in the water - then you can identify the little thugs - let's have some boot camps set up and send the little darlings off to some remote area and let them learn some survival skills

The jails wonlt be big enough to house all these little failed abortions so a boot camp under canvas should suit them very nicely

I wonder how many parents and relatives reconise their darling little Johnny from TV images who will just not bother to inform the police?

Hey i know, let's swap each convicted rioter for a british soldier in Afghanistan, let the young soldier return to the warm loving arms of his family and leave the rioter out living on next to nothing , working 14 hours a day for next to no money, and see how long it takes him to get BORED then.

See i did warn you the rant would return!!!

I'm not particularly bothered whether the spelling on the e-petition is correct or not, try reading some pages from Hansards!!

The only punishment some people understand is when it hits them in their pocket.

A slap on the wrist and a small fine for civil disorder won't deter thugs, it'll be another qualification on their 'street cred CV'.

Sue

Two youths have been arrested in Scotland. One in Glasgow and one in Dundee for trying to arrange the same thing here via facebook.

I hope they really throw the book at them..Should take them down to where the riots have been and make them clean up.


Marion

BORED BORED, how the hell can being bored be a reason to burn down peoples business's and homes!!! If my sons get bored they find things to do, my 18 year old cut my grass front and back yesterday, my 11 year old reads, draws, writes, helps with chores, plays with the dog. How the hell can being out at heaven knows what time running through streets that you and i would not walk down in darkened hours,acting like feral (?)animals be an acceptable alternative to being BORED!!!!!
I am heartbroken to think of all those people who have struggled working for a living at the Sony distribution centre, who are now jobless through no fault of their own, just because some mindless idiot was BORED!!!!
Rant over with for now, (but I'm sure it will return,!!!!).
Hoping everyone has a safe day. xx

There was one of those so called experts on TV last night, you know the sort who gets wheeled in front of the camera to comment and give the reasons why these little darlings are looting and robbing and terrorising.....well, apparently it's because they are bored.

Bored???!!!!

How can they be bored? They have more now than any generation ever had - each with their own TV, designer clothes/trainers, video games, mobile phones, blackberrys, etc etc etc, not to mention the ease at which you can have credit these days so go and buy before you can afford it......and they're bored?? Yes, apparently they're doing it as a form of entertainment because they are bored.

Shame on the decent upright hard working tax-paying citizen for not providing them with interesting and exciting things to do 24 hours a day!!!!

Words just fail at times, don't they :-S

K

Roy, I know what you mean about parents being strict.
When I was around 8 or 9 I walked along the mile end road in the east end of London to visit my grandparents. On this particular day as I passed the local greengrocer. I SA a palette of plums...my favourite fruit. Now please recall that fruit was not as easily available at the time. So as I walked past I picked up a plum and bit into it then a hand landed on my shoulder...feer does not explain how I felt. A lady said, " I know your father, Bridget and you have just stolen that plum" . I was terriefied. I turned around and she continued " you can take that plum into the owner or tonight I shall have to tell your father that you are thieving". I knew immediately which option I was going to take. I walked up the steps to tne shop, the bottom floor of a house, and apologised to the owner. He was tall compared to me, he looked very angry, but he said if you promise NEVER do this again I will not slow that nurse to tell your father. I gave him the plum, and walked away crying....but what a lesson I learnt..

Shame we do not do the same now.

Bridget in Spain 09.54 hrs

Surely the " markets" will be flooded with mobile phones etc

Where will they get rid of so many ?

I wonder how they lift Plasma Screens -I can hardly move my new tele to dust !!

When i was a very young boy about 9 years old whilst playing out i FOUND an old push bike torch,
I never said anything to my parents and that night mum came to my room to check on my and whilst i was playing in the dark with the torch.

when she saw it she called dad and they questioned me about the torch, they did not believe that i had found the it and said if i had found it why had not told them,

They then frog marched me up to the police station and handed me in to the police with the torch although i was under 10 years old it was still taken very seriously and i was put in a sell to think about my actions sure now they only put me their while they had a cup of tea and a chat.

How many parents today would hand their kids over to police if they thought their kids had broken the law

I bet that None of the parents of kids that are involved in the riots will do the same

that is all part of parental responsibility
Roy

In the midst of all the chaos there are stories of hope.

People organised themselves to clear up the mess in many areas.

People surrounded buildings in peaceful protection of them.

One woman stood in the doorway of her shop and refused to move, the rioters left her alone.

The majority of people in this country are good, we must never forget that or let a small minority of the disaffected destroy what we have.

Gwynne

On our morning television news, we watched as a young man sat on the footpath, bleeding from a head wound.

Unbelievably, two youths helped him to his feet. Well done I thought, then before our very eyes we saw the 'helpers' unzip the mans backpack and rummage through to see what they could help themselves to..........

I am utterly gobsmacked by what we are seeing and reading. I just hope no more lives are lost. With the scale of buildings on fire, I for one, won't be surprised to learn of more fatalities.

Sadly the reputation of the young who are not thugs, thieves or firebugs are being tarnished by this situation. As a parent, I would turn my own child in if I had proof of their participation in any thing like this - or other crime. But then the shock of their involvement would probably kill me.

Oh for a magic wand, but Politicians with a bit of bottle would be a start.
I get heartily sick of 'underage' criminals getting away with crime. It happens here too.

If you want to play at being a big boy, take the big boys punishment - no excuses, no PC crap - end of.

I did see your Deputy Police Chief saying water cannons and rubber bullets weren't the answer. Why is tear gas not being used to dispel the crowds?

I feel so sorry for the innocent caught up in all the goings on.

Susan

TW

Where is the proof that the parents don't give a damn where their children are? Once children get into a gang or a way of life...no amount of Parental care will stop them. Just telling a child not to do something doesn't tally that they will do as they are told. There is no such thing as a perfect parent. Youth culture is a very powerful thing.....no amount of careful parenting will break that power......Those of us who think we have great children should think ourselves lucky....There but for the grace of God...etc.

These rioters should be sent to prison and work there until they have paid for the damage and distress they have caused.

I really feel for the Reeves brothers. That business has been in their family for five generations, which means they have never known anything else, it's always been there. Bad enough if you've built a business yourself to find it gone like many have, I can't imagine how it feels to lose something that was there before you were.

Ice, don't you think that the parents who don't give a damn that their kids are out on the streets way past midnight are not guilty of a form of neglect? It's not just about providing, feeding and giving a roof to your own kids, it's also being responsible for their behaviour, teaching them right from wrong, giving them a decent structured upbringing. Failing to do that IMO is a form of neglect as bad as not feeding them.

First time I've spoken on here about the riots, those of you who can follow me on FB will know how I feel about them. My son works in Westminster and I fretted this afternoon when I heard police had advised businesses there to close, board up and get out quick at about 3.00pm. Fortunately, he's fine, no problems, but it's scary.

If those parents bothered to worry about their kids like I do about mine, there might not have been the riots in the first place.

Apparently a 21 year old male has been arrested for arson with regard to the family run furniture store in Croydon. How heartbreaking for the 80 year old father and his two sons, who's family have run the business for 150 years, and they only discovered what had happened to their store when watching the news on tv after returning from a family meal out celebrating the father's wedding anniversary. I wonder what the 21 year old male was hoping to achieve with his thuggish stupid actions.

You have to believe that there will be light at the end of the tunnel and that good and common decency will prevail in the end. Already communities are pulling together to clean up the streets.

My worry is that too many children are not given this message and will only see the unfairness of the bad guys (and gals) getting away with things.

I seem to recollect that Boy George was made to wear a fluorescent jacket and given the task of street sweeping for his misdemeanours.

Let's try that here.....in street speak make them "Take the Shame"

Ice ~ Ice ~ Baby

I totaly agree with what you say and where you are comming from where are the parents? they should all be in court with their children and facing charges of child neglect, after all the age of criminal responsibility is still 10 years old BUT the parents are still responsible untill they are 18 years old although they can leave home at 16

As for the e-petition

It will never happen but its a way of letting the powers that be no how we feel
thats why i signed it


Roy