Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
News
Original poster

Enfield riots?

916 replies

Empusa · 07/08/2011 18:21

Just seen on Twitter and in a few articles like this, that there are meant to be plans for a riot in Enfield tonight and riot police are in the town centre?

Used to live there, and got family there (luckily a fair distance from the centre), but fucking hell! What the hell is going on?

OP posts:
noddyholder · 09/08/2011 15:53

It isn't as simple as that but amidst all the chaos and danger the root causes need to be put aside until the streets are safe again and then there needs to be some heavy duty public debate. But it is too soon for that and irrelevant for about 99% of the people who are rioting and looting now.Those affected by the shooting and closing of public services etc are sadly a v small minority.Talk of the root cause when it is still going on gives them fuel for their fire iykwim

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 09/08/2011 15:55

i have been flamed several times.

And people have been criticised for their comments. As I said I am at work and can't pore over the thread to provide examples and am just having to post and run

working9while5 · 09/08/2011 15:58

Isn't flaming where you get pulled to shreds for something and called names for stating your opinion, are ridiculed?

People have not always agreed but that is not flaming. Where someone disagrees and states their own opinion, that is not a criticism, it's debate, surely?

working9while5 · 09/08/2011 16:00

I didn't call you silly, Fanjo, I said it is silly to suggest that reasoning about behaviour equates to justifying. That is not name-calling, Fanjo, it is a rebuttal of a statement.

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 09/08/2011 16:02

well you said i should "nail my colours to the mast and say "its them black kids innit"..which is basically flaming me and calling me a racist

Birdland · 09/08/2011 16:06

fanjo,I can't recall you being flamed-people have simply disagreed with you. And you have been very critical of other peoples comments-in one post you asked if I had any personal experience of 'thugs'-with all the implications that had.

We all have different opinions-I happen to think yours are simplistic and you think mine is 'hippy drivel'.

working9while5 · 09/08/2011 16:10

That wasn't directed to you, that was a rhetorical question directed in the context of the discussion at the time which was whether it was political or not. I could say you said I was trying to pull a race card if we're going to get into the nitty gritty, I said it was silly to make any reference to race about "pulling a race card" and that, again, was my opinion and response, not a "flaming". Flaming is what happens when people tell you that you should hole up under a rock and . The post where I asked the question you have posted out of context was 7 pages ago and it happened to follow one of your posts. If you feel I was flaming you, you know what to do, the site doesn't tolerate flaming so you can report it and if MNHQ feel I was flaming you they will delete the offending post.

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 09/08/2011 16:19

Birdland - I genuinely asked if you had experience of thugs out of interest, sorry if you felt that had implications.

I mentioned hippy drivel but then you explained yourself and I actually agreed with you

ColdTruth · 09/08/2011 16:20

There is no sense of community they don't give a shit that they are burning their own community because they don't see it as their own anyway they just see it as things around where they live.

Birdland · 09/08/2011 16:20

Ok fanjo-sorry for the misunderstanding

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 09/08/2011 16:21

working - well, it appeared directed at me as in the rest of the post you answered one of my points.

If it wasn't then fair enough.

That was the "flaming" I was talking about, not your discussion of my points, clearly.

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 09/08/2011 16:26

and the only reason i mentioned "race cards" was because you appeared to accuse me of racism for NO reason at all, as you weren't doing that, the comment is not relevant so don't please quote it out of context.

kamarastar · 09/08/2011 16:27

burning 'their own' communities = self-harm. It is sad and it is wrong. yes. so what are we gonna do... lock em up and throw away the key???

working9while5 · 09/08/2011 16:27

Okay, well let's leave it then. There's been many pages since then and no one appears (to me) to be condoning or justifying the violence and lawlessness of the riots at all.

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 09/08/2011 16:28

agreed, best to leave it

debrs4 · 09/08/2011 16:42

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Sams town, married in white and all the other ladies who aren't afraid to tell it like it is. If this was about being disenfranchised, disaffected, disillusioned or dis anything else my son (the one who was robbed last night, sorry to bang on about it) wouldn't be on the receiving end, he'd be doing the bloody rioting! He and my daughter a year older are two of the kids who did everything they were supposed to but never got the payoff they were promised. They stayed out of trouble, stayed on at school, passed their A levels, got a decent degree and then . . . . left uni and found out the jobs had all dried up. So what does he do now, this economics graduate? Does he go and loot the local Currys? Does he go and set fire to the nearest corner shop? No, instead he rides round on a bike delivering sandwiches for 85 quid a week.Thank you, thank you, thank you to Sams town, married in white and all the other ladies who aren't afraid to tell it like it is. If this was about being disenfranchised, disaffected, disillusioned or dis anything else my son (the one who was robbed last night, sorry to bang on about it) wouldn't be on the receiving end, he'd be doing the bloody rioting! He and my daughter a year older are two of the kids who did everything they were supposed to but never got the payoff they were promised. They stayed out of trouble, stayed on at school, passed their A levels, got a decent degree and then . . . . left uni and found out the jobs had all dried up. So what does he do now, this economics graduate? Does he go and loot the local Currys? Does he go and set fire to the nearest corner shop? No, inste

busybee1983 · 09/08/2011 16:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

KRIKRI · 09/08/2011 16:45

TeamDamon Tue 09-Aug-11 09:50:03

"What does it say about the society we live in? That we have a lot of greedy, mindless people who don't care who they hurt in their pursuit of material goods."

It just occurs to me that that statement could equally apply to those big financial institutions that still pay out hefty bonuses to senior staff while sacking their minions, refusing mortgages and calling in loans from those who are struggling. It could also apply to those journalists who didn't give a toss for the lives they destroyed while hacking phones to get that lucrative front page scoop. Hey, and what about those MPs all too happy to make fake expenses claims and the political leaders committing millions from the public purse to fight unwinable wars, while public and community services are cut to the bone?

Well, some of our "leaders" don't exactly make great role models themselves, do they?

IntergalacticHussy · 09/08/2011 16:50

Youth unemployment is at record levels. People with jobs to go to in the morning do not riot the night before. Why the heck should anyone have to put those factors aside just to stand on the sidelines reading the daily mail in shock and how awfully 'those thugs' are behaving? The two things are inextricably linked. We need serious amounts of wealth redistribution and state-led job creation to address these problems. In the last great depression my great grandad and his mates were paid to dig out ponds. When they'd finished they were paid to fill 'em in again, and dig 'em out again. Anything to keep from rioting in the streets was teh logic, I suppose. I'll dream on...

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 09/08/2011 16:52

yes, because if you are shocked at the awful behaviour you must be a Daily Mail reader. Now THAT is simplistic

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 09/08/2011 16:55

and voila, an example of people being flamed for objecting to the behaviour..if calling people Daily Mail readers is not flaming I don't know what is Wink

Have been unemployed and didnt feel the need to riot.

MakesCakesWhenStressed · 09/08/2011 16:59

What about facial recognition software to catch the rioters, though? Don't want to hijack, so started a new thread here, but it'll be interesting to see if it catches on...

Birdland · 09/08/2011 17:02

oh please fanjo-did you read the rest of intergalactics post or are you intent on sniffing on about being flamed?

I think everyone is shocked and disgusted by the behaviour-some people believe there are wider explanations for it. Is that so hard to understand?

noddyholder · 09/08/2011 17:02

The daily mail reader analogy is so ignorant. Never read it in my life am appalled by all it represents BUT I am disgusted with these criminals. they are not political protesters It is not like they have tried everything else in order to improve their communities and this is the final straw. this is their first defence to destroy the homes and lives of those around them.

aliceliddell · 09/08/2011 17:04

It would be foolishly simplistic to argue that individuals had to be directly affected by, eg unemployment or youth club closure in order to be led to riot. But the whole culture and social environment is implicated, not just individual 'evil'.