Left-wing politicians have cynically sought to make political capital out of the riots, blaming government cuts for the orgy of violence.
Labour MPs and activists lined up to make excuses for the thugs, spouting claims that disadvantaged youth had no option but to smash up high streets.
Chris Williamson, Labour MP for Derby North, suggested the Government’s austerity drive was to blame.
On Twitter, he said: ‘The Tories are back alright. Why is it the Tories never take responsibility for the consequences of their party’s disastrous policies. #tottenham’
Minutes earlier he had endorsed the comment of another Twitter user who said: ‘Riots. Protests. Cuts. Unemployment. Disaffected Youth. Strikes. Recession. Police Brutality.’
Swift to jump on the bandwagon was Lee Jasper, a former adviser on policing to Ken Livingstone when he was Mayor of London.
Mr Jasper was following the example of his former boss. Mr Livingstone said that the austerity drive had created a ‘social division’ which was forcing the police into conflict with communities.
He said: ‘The economic stagnation and cuts being imposed by the Tory government inevitably create social division.”
This sort of political opportunism destroys a society and is likely to beget (and then excuse) more violence.
(h/t Weasel Zippers)
The sad fact is, they are absolutely right. This is exactly what you would expect to happen when you start weening people off of an all-encompassing welfare state. Progressive/Socialist policies made the people like this but, technically, the conservative policies are sparking this behavior.
Expect to see that start to happen here, in the next decade or so. Madison was the precursor– if the left loses the recalls today (GO VOTE WISCONSIN CONSERVATIVES!!!!!!) expect it to get worse in other states.
Mobs have always been the truest leftist base. Tolerance of mob violence has always been the hallmark of false conservatives. Real conservatives should oppose mob violence forcefully, effectively and relentlessly without hesitation or remorse.
You’ve been reading Ann Coulter’s new book Demonic, haven’t you?
Yes. Demonic was far better than I expected.
As they say:
The Left hand giveth.
The right hand taketh away.
Spoiling the child by giving too much produces the “brats” who wag the society.
Shame on the Left.
“Labour MPs and activists lined up to make excuses for the thugs, spouting claims that disadvantaged youth had no option but to smash up high streets.”
The bankruptcy of the Left, displayed in all of it’s sordid glory. “Hey everybody, we’re unhappy – let’s go destroy a lot of stuff! We’re expressing ourselves!”
This is pure idiocy. The Brits won’t even use water cannon to stop the rioters, much less firearms. At least a good soaking of cold water would quell some of their ‘high spirits’. I am listing to the Minister in charge of the police and order and she’s just spouting platitudes. She’s so proud of the 450 arrests. BFD. Thousands riot over the course of four days and they have 450 arrests? What do you want to bet that they regularly arrest a hundred people a day in London? How many of those arrests are actual rioters? In the US an arrest is everything from a Citation to getting the cuffs snapped on and thrown in the hoosegow. Is it the same in Britain? Are they counting every stop and frisk or ‘catch and release’?
Britain imported a new electorate in the last decades. We see the results, while they can vote for Labour, they do not feel they are British. We are doing the same thing in this country importing criminals (literally) and allowing them to vote when they are not even citizens.
Now we see the DOJ voting section packed with La Raza, ACLU, and supporters of the New Black Panthers. Combine that with the ‘dress rehearsals’ all over our country of the ‘flash mob’ riots that are ignored by the authorities and the media and it looks like we’ll have an ugly summer next year if Obama has trouble at the polls. I’ll take an informal poll here.
How many people think that the US will see something like this before the 2012 election?
How many people think the Obama/Holder DOJ will prosecute the rioters if they block the polls?
How many think that the first white person to defend themselves form a black mob will be prosecuted for assault or hate crimes?
Sorry, that last question should read ‘from’ a black mob not form. Slightly different meaning. :>(
What? They didn’t blame the Tea party?
???
My comment was supposed to appear on the first level, not as a reply here, but hey, as long as I’m “replying,” you should note that the police minister is a “she.” That should speak volumes.
“This is exactly what you would expect to happen when you start weening people off of an all-encompassing welfare state.”
Except England doesn’t have an “an all-encompassing welfare state”. People don’t get free dental care or eyecare, for example.
You also didn’t quote the part of the Daily Mail article where several Labour MP’s said there was no excuse for the rioting.
I agree they should have used water cannon though, and I would like to have seen plastic bullets and baton charges used as well.