Will there be civil unrest?

[yellowredtulips]

If everything continues as it is and there’s no progress in the way of a vaccine or cure, so we’re stuck with all the measures/masks/distancing/testing rules, local lockdowns and potentially wider scale lockdowns every time the numbers rise, all the rules and restriction on travel and leisure. Will people begin to get fed up and start rebelling, even rioting and going mad? On the one hand people will learn to live the new normal and start to forget the way things were before, but on the other I think there’s only so long this can go on for before more and more people just can’t cope?

Are you personally planning to riot?

Why is it that the people least likely to take to the streets are the ones who most delight in imagining civil unrest...

No. People in the UK know that it's a virus and that it won't magically go away just because we protest about having to work from home, order from Ocado or wear masks in the supermarket.

You'd almost think that an unimaginative Russian bot was starting these threads.

Why should there be? Just take it as it comes, that's what I'm doing
Yes, there's the way there was before but there's no reason why we can't live free now
Just takes a different way of thinking if you're not used to it.
Positive, and less material things

SAGE certainly seem to think so

Once furlough is gone and people are on the breadline I think we might see it, yes.

When/if it reaches a point that enough people are slipping into serious poverty then yes, I think civil unrest is likely. If people cant afford to pay their rent or feed their children they will reach a breaking point.

It's better to do one proper lockdown than this ongoing dragged out in, out, in out situation for several reasons including economic ones.

However, it's extremely unlikely that there won't ever be a vaccine, and there's already been progress made with treatments. Mass production and distribution of the vaccine means we probably won't get the vaccine until this time next year but that's not the same as never having one.

I think there's more chance of civil unrest if the government decided to hit the poorest harder (again). The chancellor considering freezing benefits when they're already below subsistence level for many is one example of a potential trigger. Hopefully some common sense and foresight exists in government, despite not being used for Covid approach. Lessons might just have been learnt. We can but hope.

Rioting would be completely counter productive in this situation though... damaging property and looting businesses would just lead to a greater decline in the ‘normal’ that is available. Protests I get and can see happening though.

I think things will become very bleak and may lead to some form of unrest. Life is going to become very hard for a very large amount of people and we have to remember we have a Tory government who's natural instinct isn't really to help people or empathise.

I've been travelling into London for work once or twice a week these past few months and I go through some fairly deprived areas on the way into the office. Things have gradually been getting worse in terms of homeless numbers and the general feeling of unease in my surroundings in the areas I walk through and public transport - what I mean by that is the desperation in the voice and body language of those begging for money and food. I have done the same commute more or less for around 15 years and this is definitely the worst I've ever seen it, even during the worst of austerity under Cameron.

If I could compare it to anything that might make sense it would be the general bleakness and hopelessness portrayed in the film Joker if that makes any sense?

I don't think so simply due to restrictions on meeting up etc but if people start to go hungry then maybe. This happened in Sicilly where people looted supermarkets during the inital lockdown.

I think you may be right, we are already seeing demonstrations, not sure it will solve anything though.

We have had a 3 week lockdown on top of the national lockdown. Scotland has also removed sanctions more slowly than England.

Your MP's are ridiculous. If your numbers are high then your lockdown should be stricter. All these weeks when your only restriction is you cant go to someone elses house...It obviously doesnt work.

BoJo needs to pull his finger out and manage the areas with high cases. Areas with low cases ( who follow rules) should not be sanctioned .

If things get really desperate I may be tempted to put pen to paper and write a strongly worded letter to my MP. That should be sufficient.

Yes , and if you can’t see it coming then you live in an echo chamber . The signs are all over social media . Breaking point will happen once furlough ends , although winter weather might dampen it a bit

@moominmomma1234 on social media people open their mouths and let their belly rumble.

No, unlikely. The weather is the best policeman.

Think back to any past instance of rioting - Brixton, Toxteth, Croydon, St Paul's - they were all April - September. Fine evenings with plenty of people out on the streets. Not in the cold of winter.

If we are still in this situation next Easter, then is the time to worry.

Obviously very committed rioters if the cold weather puts them off.

I mean, I would let my incandescent rage over the fact my family can't afford to eat hit the streets but it's but blustery.

Oddly @pinkmacaron a high proportion of previous unrest has been around bank holidays too. Resentment builds up and simmers, then explodes on a long weekend - lots of people out drinking and no need to be at work on Monday morning.

Theres already been protests and likely to be more these may end up with some antisocial behaviour as these things naturally do theres always a few idiots that are out for trouble. I think that will be it in terms of rioting it will be smaller isolated incidents rather than simultaneous civil unrest across the across the country. We are a nation of moaners not fighters.
I can see more people breaking the rules though the longer this goes on, many people are passed caring now and willing to take their chances

I think someone mentioned it already, but when furlough ends, there are going to be one hell of a lot of redundancies kicking in. That on top of restriction after restriction and a grossly incompetent government could cause people to kick off.

Who could blame them. When you feel you've lost or are well on the way to losing every thing, what have they got to lose. In that position, I could see myself pushed to it.

I won't riot. But if we're forced into lockdown again with no financial protection this time then I won't be complying with the rules.

I don’t know anyone planning to fully comply with the rules. Why should they? There is no plan after any further lockdowns and they have lost support.

We are planning to comply with the rules and most people we know are too.

@Waxonwaxoff0

I won't riot. But if we're forced into lockdown again with no financial protection this time then I won't be complying with the rules.

Apart from the £500 (big deal!!) for some, I don't think they can afford to do it.

The company I work for is quite a large one, but the message coming out now is that if the restrictions tighten, everyone (and that's thousands of us), should consider themselves at risk of redundancy, as they will take any measure to keep the business afloat.

The country rioted for less than this at the back end of the 80s, so to people saying, no the country won't do that, I wouldn't be too sure of that. Yes, it may be a "deadly" virus, but there are many not frightened of that, but frightened of how they will survive in other ways.

@PhilCornwall1 if school closes again, I can't work (can't WFH) and therefore all income will be gone (I'm a single parent). I had the protection of furlough last time. Benefits won't cover the mortgage. This time around I will have no choice but to mix households by using family members to help with childcare.

Of course, the company I work for barely made it through the last lockdown so there's the chance of redundancy anyway.

Absolutely sick of it.