THE SECRET POLICEMEN’S NO BALLS

THERE ARE THOSE WHO FIND A KIND of symmetry between the Toxteth, Brixton, Handsworth and Bristol riots of the early nineteen eighties and the riots raging throughout the UK at the moment. The initial similarity resides, as is obvious, in the fact that the supposed “trigger” was overbearing behaviour by the local police force, or police “service”, as we are requested to term bobbies nowadays.

COMPARISONS CONTINUE with the fact that both sets of civil disturbances have led gentlemen on the tip of the political dipstick to suggest that all of this shop-looting, school-, hospital-, and library-burning, as well as assaulting of innocent passers-by, who have been mugged even when bleeding and crying (see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Gex_ya4-Oo London Riots – Scum Steal from Injured Boy) is caused by the fact that these otherwise innocent youths have been unable to find work and are upset about the increase in VAT and the fact that their mothers’ benefits will be or have been cut, thus forcing them into a life of crime and to steal their Adidas or Nike trainers, replica basketball shirts, bottles of Vodka, Sony PlayStation 3 games and Blackberries.

BUT THE TRUE MIRROR IMAGE found here has to do with the timing of political attitudes towards our societies. In 1979 Margaret Thatcher was elected after promising to change the distress in the UK caused by years of an over-spending Labour government. Thatcher’s policies meant: (a) cuts in education; (b) cuts in local transport facilities; and (c) cuts in the National Health Service.

IF WE REMOVE “THATCHER” and replace it with “Cameron” (and 2010) in the above paragraph, nothing has changed. (Thatcher was later actually removed by her own party and I would not bet against the same happening to the useless boy Cameron sometime next year.) However, another similarity is more pertinent to what is happening. Both Conservative leaders promised to be “tough on crime”, and both of them immediately followed election with a ban on police overtime pay, a reduction in basic pay and perks and a threat to reduce the size of the police force (as I insist on calling it), in Cameron’s case intending to reduce the 6,000-strong London Metropolitan Police Service by 2,000 officers in September. No wonder the police just stood around and watched in July 1981 and August 2011. That’s what they don’t get paid to do. Thatcher, of course, went back on her threat after the riots.