badlands

I've started and scrapped this blog post about 4 times. At 9pm on Monday evening myself and my brother left Heathrow, London for Bangkok. Little did we know how much scenes would escalate in the capital in the following few hours. It doesn't take a genius to see that 95% of the children and young adults taking part in these riots, are doing it literally for the sheer adrenaline of it, somehow the knowledge that they can now break into shops and steal without consequence is enough of a reason for bored idiots to undertake such acts.

The other problem that's quite clearly evident is that the police as it is, can physically restrain rioters but aside from that, the order hasn't been handed down to start using water hoses, tear-gas, plastic bullets or police force to stop these mobs. Why are these people being given such protection? They've made their choice, send in the army, send a message to them all in one foul swoop. I have nothing against peaceful protesting, if only that was all this was, it's not even realistic to call them rioters anymore as that suggests they actually have something to riot about! If you're not entirely sure what's going on take a read on the Telegraph's website or anywhere else online at the moment in fact.

I believe the conversation between Alfred and Bruce Wayne in The Dark Knight sums up the situation perfectly.

                            Alfred: "A long time ago, I was in Burma, my friends and I were working for the local government. They were trying to buy the loyalty of tribal leaders by bribing them with precious stones. But their caravans were being raided in a forest north of Rangoon by a bandit. So we went looking for the stones. But in six months, we never found anyone who traded with him. One day I saw a child playing with a ruby the size of a tangerine. The bandit had been throwing them away"
                            Bruce Wayne: "Then why steal them?"
                            Alfred: "Because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren't looking for anything logical like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn."

I'm not trying to preach any kind of message to the world about this situation. I just don't feel like as a citizen of the UK I can sit and watch all this going on without having anything to say about it. The only positive for us right now, at the moment anyway, is that we're 5,930 miles away. We can only hope the police can handle the situation before people start taking to the streets elsewhere in the country rioting for nothing.

Paula Radcliffe tweeted quite appropriately,

                            "In less than 1 year we welcome the world to London, and right now the world doesn't want to come"

On a slightly more positive note, the hashtag 'londoncleanup' has been trending like mad and the facebook page 'Supporting the Met Police against the London rioters' is rising by some 1,500 'likes' every minute right now. It seems peoples anger towards the scenes and rioters is pushing them into acting for the better such as these two..

In the coming days and weeks I plan on continuing this blog as normal but for now I thought I'd chip in with my opinion on matters, let's all hope this comes to a conclusion sooner rather than later.

Stay safe and be smart.