The Next Big Thing

“They’re mad as hell and they’re not gonna take it anymore”.

Can’t you just see the bye-line of the upcoming computer game Social Unrest 2011?

Filched from Network it could easily be applied to what’s going on in the inner cities. The undertow is that authorities are tied down by red tape and health and safety regulation. How do you deal with marauding sociopaths when it will just end in form-filling. Or on YouTube.

Attempts at levity aside. This latest twist on tensions isn’t hurting the authorities. It’s trashing the lives and livelihoods of people that are just trying to make it through the days and weeks. Many of them haven’t got homes, or businesses or jobs to go to today. All because a pack of twonks wanted to nab ugly tracksuits and/or a flatscreen TV. Insurance will have a field day and our already absurd premiums will spiral ever upward. It’s sickening and I sincerely hope that you folks out there aren’t affected directly by any of this?

While I fully understand that no-one in their right mind has much respect for what passes as the authorities, this should not be confused with having no respect for how others may choose to conduct their lives or their property. Don’t piss up my back and tell me that it’s raining and I’ll leave you and yours alone. As a credo goes, it's pretty simple. This is almost certain to get worse before it gets better and we’ll all have to pay through every orifice for it. That’s the only certainty in all of this. Do you think that Cameron will be able to get his holiday leave back after having to cut his break short?

This is the best piece I've read about what's going on. As of right now there are 16,000 cops on the beat down London way. Chaos reigns, even in town as I understand it although there are no actual altercations. when something like this results in the cancellation of Mose Allison's final night of his Pizza Express stint then, well, that's just not on. This Solidarity Federation statement is also worthy of your attention.

And what about the Sony/PIAS thing? As if music wasn't suffering enough - a lot of labels and bands simply won't be able to wear what was happened.

Let's hope that things can calm down. Why don't the police just make like they're dealing with terrorists? The actions are certainly terrifying the people that have got to live in these areas so can't they just shoot them?

Oh soz, I forgot. The form-filling.