Meltdown in Britain

There are times when you feel proud to be British, now though is not one of those moments. The scenes on television and the pictures in the newspapers of the riots taking place throughout the country just make me feel sick.

It apparently all started in London but has quickly spread to other parts of the country. I don’t suppose many of those involved now could even tell you what kicked everything off. All they know is that there is a free for all going on in a city nearby with a chance to steal something and torch a car or two.

Last night there was serious disorder in a number of towns and cities across England, including Nottingham, Liverpool, Leeds, Bristol, Manchester, Wolverhampton, Leicester, West Bromwich, Gloucester and Birmingham. And from what I have seen the two aspects of this current wave of crime seem to revolve around breaking into shops and looting and setting fire to cars and buildings. Although there is something to be gained from looting, I can’t see any purpose in setting fire to cars and buildings.

From the pictures I have seen, the looters seem to be mainly males, some as young as nine years of age. Most are wearing hooded tops, some with scarves or balaclavas on their faces to protect their identity. However, a substantial number are either bold enough or stupid enough to go out showing their faces to the CCTV cameras. Hopefully they will all be identified and brought to justice in due course.

I have seen pictures of youths carrying arms full of clothes and boxes containing high value electrical goods and read of some even taking televisions and other large items. I even read of one lot who were trying their new trainers on to make sure they got the right size and then popping them into a store bag to take home – that is just cheeky.

Now, just imagine if your own son came home with a brand new pair of trainers or a new DVD player in a box, would you not question him? I tell you, I would have no compunction in marching him straight down to the police station and having him arrested.

In all this, I blame the parents as much as the children because after all, they were the ones who bought them the Blackberry phones that they use to communicate with and they were the ones who allowed them to buy hooded sweatshirts to hide under. These parents clearly have no idea where their children are or what they are up to. Actually, the more I think about it, the more I am convinced that they actually condone their offspring’s actions.

I feel dreadfully sorry for the vast majority of law abiding decent folks who are suffering at the hands of the mindless minority and are seeing their lives ruined by the destruction and mayhem that they are causing. In the end, it is cash strapped Britain that will have to pick up the cost of all this. The country’s reputation will, once again, be in tatters and all of us will pay for that.