Leeds… Manchester… and now Southport (EDIT: Hartlepool and London). These incidents may be separate, but in some ways, they are all interlinked. Many of the problems which have led to acts of protesting and rioting in recent weeks, had been condemned by both politicians and commentators.
However, very little has been discussed, in most of the mainstream media anyway, over why these incidents happen in the first place. The failure of the media, police and governments to provide proper information on such incidents has led to all sorts of stories of disinformation, lies and alternative facts to spread on social media, causing the increasingly high levels of public anger in the UK.
It has been clear since 2008, we have witnessed the almost very breakdown of civil society. It is becoming increasingly difficult for the most of the general public to live relatively safely and comfortably now. Successive governments have caused the very conditions which have led to the current crisis. The situation will get worse over the next parliament, because the newly ‘elected’ Labour government (on just 33 per cent of the popular vote) is planning fresh tax rises and deeper cuts to public spending. In the eyes of critics, entrenched austerity will continue. Public services will be slashed further to meet pay rises. Around ten million pensioners are facing the loss of the winter fuel allowance this year, increasing the risk of more deaths in winter. The retaining of the two-child benefit cap will mean the already high levels of young poverty will be entrenched. Meanwhile, there is an arms race between Labour and Conservative parties over who can be the most cruel on the most vulnerable people in society, be it asylum seekers, women, BAMEs, LGBTQs, and working class, for example.
In parliament, we now have arguably the worst cabinet, the worst opposition, and the worst parliament in living memory. The Labour government in a space of a few short weeks has been exposed by its many mistakes and failings. Commentators who warned the public during the general election campaign that they didn’t have any plan to improve society have been proved correct so far. Many of the Conservative opposition will be forever tainted by their recent record in office. Even now they remain in denial about some of the problems they created in the first place. It’s no wonder an increasing number of people are turning to and voting for so-called populists like Nigel Farage and Tommy Robinson.
We all need to say this, far and wide…
Both Labour and Conservative parties are to blame for the mess this country is in. FULL STOP.
Will it take another series of riots, like those that swept through England in 2011, for Westminster MPs to get out their ivory towers, and finally start to do something in tackling the nation’s deeprooted problems?