Another thing about them riots

[turtle]

I don't want to disturb the other thread which is slowing burning away but...

Is it just my imagination or are the police being deliberately shitter than usual?

[brispie]

The police are shit. The Met especially.

Anyway, I guess that they are letting it burn for a while before turning to the government and saying 'consider how much worse it will be after those cuts you are trying to force on us'.

[turtle]

Don't tell anyone but I agree with you about something.

[Bernie]

Right on, Wolfy.

The met are a bunch of twats though, I'll allow that up to a point. I think the main reasons the police (which are from all over the country now, not just London) won't get stuck in are:

1) Due to letting every fucker in the police these days, there simply aren't enough big, hard bastards to take the rioters on.

2) They know they are damned if they do and damned if they don't. I mean, if people start squealing when a bunch of face-painted goons get "kettled" for an hour, how are the great and good going to react to a hail of rubber bullets and shield-charges?

3) Seeing as they don't have half the equipment or mandate they did in the 80's, they chances of getting "Blakelocked" are rather higher and certainly no more appealing.

I guess that they are letting it burn for a while before turning to the government and saying 'consider how much worse it will be after those cuts you are trying to force on us'.

Bu- bu - but I thought you were OPPOSED to cutting public services?
Isn't your argument essentially that the rioters are doing the same thing ("stop these cuts, or else! Even though I am led to believe the cuts haven't actually kicked in yet, as public spending is still increasing)

[brispie]

The cuts have kicked in believe me. £27 million gone from the BCC budget. The middle classes are sitting up now as their beloved Harbour Festival might not happen next year.

I'm just telling it how I think it is with the rozzers though. I think the police are more 3 at the moment. Certainly given the layout of the Broadwater Farm which is essentially like trying to take a castle.

[JohnnyNeptune]

bernie, you may laugh, but there was a police goon on the news last night saying they weren't getting stuck in because we all squeal like girls when they kill innocent bystanders. it's HUMAN RIGHTS GONE MAD

which is all bollocks. they have the requisite means to police this properly, they're just sulking.

[Bernie]

A slightly extreme example, but considering the sort of policing that has to engage in to stop these fuckers I wouldn't want to be the copper who nicked one who then banged his head and carked it later, because I'd be looking at a potential life sentence.

There surely has to be some sensible middle ground between shoving innocent, if annoying Millwall supporters to the ground thus killing them and going around handing out free flip flops so the rioters don't cut their feet.


Bris - wasn't Broadwater farm significantly redesigned to stop it being quite so fortressy post 80's? Not especially important or interesting (unless you're a planner!) but I'm sure I read it somewhere.

[JohnnyNeptune]

well they're considering rubber bullets for tonight. just what we need, it'll go down swimmingly.

[Bernie]

Good. Why should the Irish get all the tax money thrown at them?

[merkin]

good police tactics i reckon

Let these muppets wrecks stuff so that the public is practically demanding that the piglice baton them to death.

warn them all to keep off streets then all bets are off.....

good plan

[Wizaard]

Aug 9, 2011 14:39:53 GMT 1 Bernie said:

Good. Why should the Irish get all the tax money thrown at them?

I don't think there will be many complaints if we throw the rubber bullets at them. I'd ask for the guns as well.

[ab]

Aug 9, 2011 14:15:54 GMT 1 brispie said:

The cuts have kicked in believe me. £27 million gone from the BCC budget. The middle classes are sitting up now as their beloved Harbour Festival might not happen next year.

Well, I guess they'll be even more on the side of the great unwashed when fixing the damage caused by the riots means that they definitely don't get the Festival.

All those prison places won't come cheap either.

:nopity:

[Gag_N_Bone_Man]

my step-brother is in the met. He's a big bastart, by the way, but he tells me that they have no mandate to take direct action other than containment when things are happening, unless people are in physical danger.

I think we need to give the polcie a break. They're pulling 20 hour shifts at the moment, and putting themselves on the line. Theya re ill equipped and not getting the back up they should.

I fear that the longer it goes on, the more risk their is of some copper losing it and battering the feck out of some chavvy dickhead, which will give these goons more of a reason to perpetuate the myth that this is politcal.

[Bernie]

Ah.. now that the smoke can be smelt in Hampstead and Islington, even the most yoghurt-hardened community-diversity-coordinator ethnic-wool wearing Guardian readers are starting to fill their pants and demand a robust reaction from the "feds" (as I believe the young people call 'em these days), which is slewing that organs party line in a most obvious and amusing manner today.

There won't be much of a let-up in the 20 hour shifts, and probably more than a bit of sympathy for the copper who does snap and truncheon some rat-faced little scumbag to death or into a wheelchair. Any howls of protestation will be met with a resounding "he asked for it, and so are you" from the subjects of Blighty.

Anyway, tell your brother to give 'em a good hiding from me if he gets the chance.