Sometimes Great Britain ain't that Great.

Service has been suspended due to riots, but I think I'm back now! It seemed a bit inappropriate to write about how I done fun stuffs when the country was experiencing a moral and practical breakdown. And I felt an enormous urge to write about my thoughts on the events but it has taken me a few days to put them into order, and also pipe down my anger enough to write sensibly about it. I'm amazed how some journalists put out such insightful and reflective commentaries within hours of stuff taking place. But I guess that's why they get paid to do writing about important topics, while I don't get paid to write about what I did at the weekend...

I've been angered by the perpetrators themselves and their blatant disregard for the communities around them, a disgusting show of greed, violence and disrespect. That goes without saying. But that wasn't where my anger ended. I was astonished, over the first few days, by a complete refusal amongst much of the public to seek and discuss possible reasons for what was going on. I know full well that the rioters were on the whole not acting with any agenda, let alone one that justified their behaviour. When journalists managed to talk to youths involved, the reasons they gave were often confused, vague and showed a clear lack of understanding of political and social issues. But that does not mean there's no wider social issue to address.

This refusal to look for an explanation seemed to stem from the fact that people felt that by rationalising the behaviour, they were somehow justifying it, saying it was right. But you can rationalise and condemn, surely, just as you can rationalise and condone. In many ways, I feel the disorder we've seen across England is no more than a vastly overblown reflection of the kind of activity seen in certain areas of towns and cities every single day.

Neglection,
Kids carry guns for protection
Weapons, buy that on the street for pence
Direction
Kids lost that a long time ago

Cos all you hear is BRAP BRAP BRAP BRAP

There is a massive underlying problem at play in our society here. The riots were just the inevitable blow up, as a window of opportunity was seized by kids normally pushed to the fringes of society. We can't pretend it happened in a bubble.

The proposed solutions have so far done little to calm my nerves. Water cannons, rubber bullets, live ammunition (apparently people genuinely thought this should be used? If I ever meet one of these people, shoot me...), these are confrontational, aggravating methods of controlling disorder that long term risk reactionary blow-ups. I have renewed respect for the police for not resorting to these methods, despite the violence they were facing.

Cameron's initial statements recognised a problem and I was briefly optimistic. However, his more recent comments have been vague and I'm not sure he is showing an understanding of the bigger picture, nor the ability to engage with the right people. I was concerned by his announcement of a 'war' on gangs. We've had the war. We don't want it again. We need the peace talks now. I'm not sure such a loaded word was the right choice. And the 'marriage solves all society's problems' line needs to be dropped. Seriously. I hate the generalising absent father argument. What's the implication? That women make ineffectual parents?

Role models
They say we need some black role models
That ain't footballers, rappers actors and no models?
Father figures
They say we need some more father figures
Like you can't grow if your mothers there but your father isn't?
F*** that, I say we need to put something back
Into communities where they think the way out is shottin crack

And I think I'm most worried of all about the justice system. Yes, everyone involved needs to be punished, but this needs to be proportional, fair, and each offence must be punished individually as it would be if it had occurred outside the riot period. Politicians need to keep their noses, and policy, out of the judiciary.

Discipline is very necessary. But what about the longer term? We can lock everyone up, but last I heard, prisons were full? We can evict them from their council homes, but where will they go? Take away their rights and there will be a bigger backlash. I don't pretend to have the answers, but I think we need a wider plan, more investment in these communities. We need to work towards inclusion, education, greater communication. I believe in the goodness inherent in everyone, and we need to find a way to bring it out. I don't think that's 'liberal', I don't think that's 'hippy'. I think that's just basic, civilised humanity. That may not be what the rioters showed, but if we all abandon it, what hope for us then?

----

Title lyric from 'Great Britain' by danlesac vs Scroobius Pip; lyrics in the rest of this post from 'Don't Come Around Here' by Kano. Listen to the Kano track here. It's a favourite grime track of mine and one I think is pretty pertinent in its message, particularly at the moment.