tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14575780.post3892299441938184727..comments2024-01-31T18:37:07.424+00:00Comments on The Agitation of the Mind: Anarchy in the UKNeil Fulwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686296295535235988noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14575780.post-90996057446228965752011-08-11T19:51:34.448+01:002011-08-11T19:51:34.448+01:00J.D. – ‘Attack the Block’ is still queued on my re...J.D. – ‘Attack the Block’ is still queued on my rental list (I missed it on the big screen). Thanks for the link. Hell of a good article, and the note the author ends on, quoting the Norwegian Prime Minister in the aftermath of the Breivik massacre, is a mindset David Cameron could do well to learn from instead of the proselytizing nonsense he’s been coming out with today.<br /><br />le0pard13 – thank you.<br /><br />Sam – one of the very very few intelligent status updates I saw on FB while the riots were in full swing said “we need to remember in the aftermath of this that we need more democracy not less”. The mistake, time after time, is for governments to respond with greater powers for the police and a reduction in civil liberties for the citizenship, a move that can only engender greater mistrust and bad feeling.<br /><br />Brent – thanks for your comment. You’ve eloquently summarized what I’ve been trying to get across to a lot of the people I’ve talked to over that last three days, that I don’t condone or support rioters, but that I do understand – and it’s important for society and the media and the politicians to understand – the reasons that people can feel so frustrated and disenfranchised that these negative feelings find expression in the form of a riot. While I personally would never lob a firebomb or loot a shop, it’s all too easy to look at how many members of the current cabinet have fiddled sums in the tens of thousands of pounds in fraudulent expenses claims – and got away with it – and think to yourself <i>well, what’s £50’s worth of nicked goods from Carphone Warehouse in comparison?</i> (BTW, on behalf of Nottinghamshire, we recognise the holy trinity of Clarkson, Hammond and May but The Stig is hereby excommunicated.)<br /><br />Franco – your photos of the protests in your country were the first thing I thought of when the riots in the England started. You’re absolutely right when you say “anger and violence doesn’t just appear from a nation, from the people, for no reason whatsoever” – there is always a root cause, and it’s usually tied into oppression, social injustice and poverty. Right now our politicians and our media are stonily ignoring this, and in doing so they risk the whole thing happening again.<br /><br />Thanks for your comments, guys, and thank you to everyone, whether in the comments section or by FB or email, has passed on their concern for me and my wife’s well-being during the unrest.Neil Fulwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14686296295535235988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14575780.post-42605460656356516482011-08-11T13:52:01.809+01:002011-08-11T13:52:01.809+01:00Damn Neil, I saw the riots on the news, they remin...Damn Neil, I saw the riots on the news, they reminded me of what was going on in my own country a while back. Remember? When we collaborated on the Viva La Revolution articles? <br /><br />If you read through those articles you'll see they had lots of frustration and anger in them, and it's because that's what naturally bubbles up when people are opressed and feel powerless to do anything about it. I never participated in the riots, but I was right there with them feeling that anger.<br /><br />Dont know if you remember, but I also mentioned a bit about how the media controlled the point of view of the masses by referring in a generalizing manner to students and rioters as drug addicts and hippies. Or making it look like they are the ones responsible for the chaos, and leaving out the dismantling of human rights that was going on in a day to day basis. <br /><br />So sad to see this type of thing going on in the world Neil, but it seems that its happening more and more around the world. <br /><br />I'm with you man, I never participated in the violence, I had to work and live my life, but I was emotionally with them, and I understood where it was all coming from, anger and violence doesnt just appear from a nation, from the people, for no reason whatsoever. <br /><br />You mess with the people, your gonna get the riots. It's one of the symptoms of a sick and abbusive government.Franco Macabrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10994905312221715861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14575780.post-52961178292221824382011-08-11T05:17:23.123+01:002011-08-11T05:17:23.123+01:00Well said and I think most countries suffer the sa...Well said and I think most countries suffer the same problems It is incredible to see such scenes from a country that is considered 'civilised' and 'cultured'. But then again who would have ever predicted a mass murderer in Norway? <br /> I've also sat in rooms with the ill informed putting in their opinions even though they areoe a world away. It is easier to rubbish the rioters instead of looking at the frustrations that lead them to such actions. By rioting they do leave themselves open to condemnation and yet they are put into a position of what else is left for them to do in making a statement. I don't condone but I do sympathise.<br /><br /> On a off beat note The Stig from Top Gear in the most recent episode to air here in NZ is supposed to not recognise the existence of Nottinghamshire!! <br />What says the resident of that fair city have to say??!BRENThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15953231992674091002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14575780.post-73215006954985150652011-08-11T03:05:08.407+01:002011-08-11T03:05:08.407+01:00Neil, I appreciate the opportunity to get an unfil...Neil, I appreciate the opportunity to get an unfiltered, un-media-ted account of this story. The rioters need to be stopped, but anyone who thinks riots will be prevented just by slapping these people down hard enough is kidding himself. Whatever the pretexts will be, I fear we'll see more along these lines all over the world.Samuel Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00934870299522899944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14575780.post-58879017838737871442011-08-10T23:54:27.408+01:002011-08-10T23:54:27.408+01:00Hear, hear.Hear, hear.le0pard13https://www.blogger.com/profile/09421175808461787862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14575780.post-40257799719456681022011-08-10T19:42:08.144+01:002011-08-10T19:42:08.144+01:00Well done, sir. Very eloquent and from the heart.
...Well done, sir. Very eloquent and from the heart.<br /><br />Have you see that Joe Cornish film ATTACK THE BLOCK? Eerie parallels between it and the riots. Check out this review:<br /><br />http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/archives/too_much_madness_to_explain_in_one_text_on_the_u.k._riots_and_attack_the_bl/Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.com