I'm itching to make a comment, but after reading the last few became confused as to what was being discussed, was it the riots, phone hacking or bankers bonuses?

The it came to me, they're all linked. Young people were rioting because they could see what was wrong with our society. But that's not right either, is it? They were smashing up shops to steal things.

But, hold on, isn't that what the phone hackers and bankers did too. Metaphorically?

So what's the difference between all of the disturbers of Her Majesty's Peace?

At last an easy one. Of the three guilty parties, only the rioters are going to prison.

Now, now, that is a tad premature! Lets not forget that the enquiry into the hacking is ongoing, and there is already at least one NOTW journalist who has served time behind bars.

What the bankers did or didn't do is irrelevant, unless you can pinpoint some criminal act that took place?

I believe there was one banker put behind bars for that major scam.
A few MPs enjoying their porridge care of her majestys pleasure also.
Things must be looking up.
Murdochs next maybe ?
Now that really would be a day for national celebrations.

leave them where they are then they are drawing £oodls in benefits

we have to get them out of the benefits cycle especially if they earn less than they get in those benefits.
try working out the benefits for a "lone parent" with 3 or 4 kids
income over £1000 per month tax free, without getting out of bed
cos the boyfriend stays 6 nights a week

the "surprise" is that they havent hit the figures before now

lay of 1000 here, 10,000 there, they are going to go to the UBO and register, but because they have received various amounts in lieu of notice their start date for actually drawing JSA will take some time to come thru the stats.

its funny but I have been wondering whats happening to all those being laid off and not hitting the stats - but they are starting to come thru now

The system has its insanities.

HOWEVER there is merit to paying the jobless and the workshy off so that they don't cause trouble.

After all, where would we find the jobs for them? Screw 'em. Legalise cannabis, pay the farmers to grow the stuff, and give those on benefits all the cannabis they are physically capable of smoking, and then some.

That way they will be relaxed, and cause very little trouble.

Plus the dope dealer network would go out of business in an instant.

I can see at least the younger Murdoch being brought before the courts along with both the previous NOTW editors and senior staff. When those kind of people fall out, the police's job is easy, all they need to do is sit back and collect the evidence as the grasses line up, as they are doing. There's no loyalty at that level in society, it was only ever superficial when their side was winning.

The public prosecutors will play it straight, even though their previous boss works for the Murdochs, ditto the police, Andy Hayman never did command much respect anyway.

Will the public still care in a couple of year's time? I doubt they will, not many of them read the Guardian and it won't be on the front page of The Sun.

This won't go away overnight.
I fancy the various enquiries Court cases and the rest will drag on well beyond that time and will continue to make headlines, especially if one or two of them eventually get put away.

I don't even care much about it now let alone in 2 years time. Hardly a priority with all the shit which is happening. So some got hacked, not nice but hardly compares with being burned out of your home and losing everything. If Murdoch goes down...so what, others just as bad will take his place. Many celebs have already got big pay outs!

Maybe we shouldn't care and maybe one man with his immense media influence was beneficial to the British people. Over the past 30 years, Murdoch decided who and which party should lead the country, starting with Margaret Thatcher, via Blair, through to Cameron. He got rid of Major and Brown because he didn't like them.

He was in and out of the back door of Downing Street like a Yo-yo. Our politicians worshipped at his altar.

It could have been worse. 30 years ago there was a fight between Robert Maxwell and Rupert Murdoch as to who should control our media. The bouncing Czech lost, otherwise we would have had a socialist government for the past 30 years.

Put that way, the country was lucky. As for democracy? It's for the birds.

A thought for you all, I found this on another forum.
Which is worse rioting looters or plundering bankers. I have to say that considering what has happened to the economy it must be the latter.

Graham

Of course we can blame a lot on the bankers, and with good reason, and although they might have affected me financially in some small way, if I had to choose between that and having my house/business raised to the ground, a neighbour killed, I know which I would choose. And I'm sure there's a lot in London would take the same option.

Agreed. It's not the illegality of the acts in the case of the bankers, its the immorality. If people can see that the world is unjust and immoral where is their investment in being moral themselves?

definitely the latter
the former have been responsible for showing up the Met as totally unprepared and, initially anyway, to be either unwilling or unable to formulate a cohesive response using all the tools at their disposal.
they have also been responsible for torching some of the very poor properties in the areas concerned, this will at some point lead to a few jobs for the period of rebuilding.

the latter are in part the catalyst for the riots. they have taken well paid jobs and demanded more for actually just coming in and doing their jobs.
they have ensured that they get paid more than the funds they are responsible for make for the good of the pensioners, savers etc.
whilst everyone around them is having to pull the belt in another notch or two they are demanding more and more bonuses that exceed salary.
They seem to have a Marie Antoinette syndrome in their attitude to the common hoi-poloi.

Easiest thing for the rioting yobbos isn't it....blame the bankers Most of that riff-raff would still be in the same position if the bankers were absolutely honest and caring and the economy was growing by 10% per year.

Easiest thing to blame them on here too when not affected by the riots. There were lots of people who were left with only the clothes they were wearing.