Thanks for the link to the petition contained within...

They should have called in the Canadian Army, after all they are the "World's Peace Keeper".

Nicked this from another site....classic!

THE RIOTERS PRAYER
Our father, who art in prison, my mum knows not his name, thy Riots come, read it in the sun, in Birmingham, as it is in London give us this day our Welfare bread & forgive us our looting, as we're happy to loot those who defend stuff against us, lead us not into employment but deliver us free housing, for thine is the tele's, the Burberry & the Barcardi, forever and ever...Innit

What do you think about David Starkey's quote about the riots? Is he accurate in his analysis of modern British culture or was it just a racist rant from a disconnected and privileged old man?


"What's happened is a substantial section of the chavs have become black, the whites have become black . . . A particular sort of violent, destructive, nihilistic gangster culture has become fashion, and the black and white, boy and girl, operate in this language together."


Full article

I don't think it's racist, because to me, racism means treating somebody as inferior because of their race.

As someone who originally came from a small provincial city in Scotland, I can instantly see that the behaviour, language, mannerisms, (attitude?) of young Londoners is one that I would definitely call "black". Kids aren't like that in Dundee. But that is simply because there aren't any black kids in Dundee. We still have mostly the same poor behaviour, and mostly similar social problems (arguably greater deprivation) but it's white kids that are the drug-dealers, the petty thieves, the errant "baby-daddies"...

I think that with reference to London especially, it's too easy to identify the problem as a black culture problem, purely because black people are highly visible components of the 'underclass'.

Lack of parental responsibility, and a shameful poverty of ambition are not a race thing. It's a fundamental problem of the entire country.

I think not only is he extremely clumsy with his language but I also think there is quite a strong odor of racism with his analysis. I understand he's a historian and we know they just make up stories, but he's an accomplished academic and quite frankly his assessment should be a lot more measured and thoughtful. That said, he's more of a television personality these days and one that is trying to be provocative in order to still be relevant.

He's doing the reactionary old buffer routine that plays well with the Daily Mail crowd. (Just read the comments to the article you quoted)

For the most part he's talking b******s, though the predictable "right on" witch-hunt that's now under way is equally nauseating. (Piers Morgan taking the moral high ground? - f**k off)

This guy is talking a load of bullocks in my opinion. Sheer ignorance...

There is definately an under current of Gang culture in many British children.

I believe "Ali G" mimicked it best and it was why he was so popular. Although it's probably not so funny now he really hit the nail on the head.

Kid's want to dress and emulate the rappers and talk in a silly dialect for recognition by their peers regardless of the fact that it will probably reduce their chances of getting even a basic customer service job.

David Starkey is probably using inappropriate language because he describes some one as "black" which you just don't do these days, but I do agree that Britain has a problem with a youth gang culture and that something in the long run needs to be done to re-engage youngsters.

In my day we had Cubs and Scouts. I seldom see those groups now- maybe it's because I'm not looking but who knows.

Most youths want to distinguish themselves from previous generations, whether it's language, dress, behavior etc. All the better if it offends or acts in opposition to the dominant older generation. Given the propensity of larger cities to have concentrations of immigrants its no wonder that all these youth have adopted a style that incorporates elements of their first-culture. And, given many white kids have also adopted such signifiers is hardly surprising, they’ve been doing this in one form or another for decades.

I grew up in Hastings E. Sussex, we got our annual summer visits of the Mods & The Rockers, running battles on the beach was common and the Carlise Pub got smashed up every time
Looks like the sentancing is still pretty pathetic in the UK even with the increased sentances.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/riot-jail-t...030527083.html

I was in Hastings E. Sussex this month. No Mods. No Rockers. No running battles.

Back in the day you wally.

Back in the day the Germans had issues with Paris. So.......

Well, I did and I got some po-faced Vancouver lady waving her finger whilst hectoring me. I was running on the seawall at the time and had headphones on so I have no idea what she was saying.

The missus said somebody would say something because that's what people do here. Still, I thought people would see the funny side, but no the humourless stereotype is reinforced.