So there was a little 'rioting', but not much. Personally I don't think it counted as rioting. Smashing stuff, maybe some looting, but not rioting. As Wikipedia says, "Riots often occur in reaction to a perceived grievance or out of dissent." I suppose it does say 'often'. But the people out there didn't have a particular grievance in mind, they were just out to do some damage. I mean, I saw the damage on Granby Street in Leicester - they'd just smashed random things, like the tanning shop window (because you'd want a quick tan if you were busy rioting all night and unable to get out in the sun during the day) and, oddly, Poundstretcher! Only in Leicester would anyone try to loot Poundstretcher. :)

The police vans were parked in the city centre when I came home, so it looks like they're still on high alert for troublemakers. I can't see an easy solution to the problem. In these problematic economic times the people who are the poorest and worst educated are the ones who are going to find it hardest to get jobs. Without hope, perhaps the most fun you can have on a weekday night is a bit of looting. I don't know.

Personally I know whatever happens to me I have my faith in God to fall back on. So I do have hope. But there are a lot of hopeless people out there. Stopping their benefits isn't going to make them less likely to cause trouble - it'll only make the problem worse! If the welfare state stops supporting those who need it most, when they're already buckling under the strain of things, how is that going to help?

How can we fix this? Sensible economic policy? Less austerity, more common sense? More, well, hope?

posted by Fiery Fred @ 7:13 PM