Are the riots in London a result of austerity, flaring class warfare, or a combination of both? by Bill Gee
(centrist)
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Last night the streets of London were in flames as young people attacked police, broke store windows, looted stores and set cars on fire. Prime Minister David Cameron has recalled Parliament to deal with the crisis, which may be counterproductive and just bring the riot to Downing Street.
Riots in a Vacuum
The Prime Minister was quick to blame the riots on “gangs of youth”, which seems to suggest that this is simply a police problem where bored teenagers decide one night to burn the city. This thesis that violence on a massive scale can occur in a vacuum is ridiculous and merely points to the fact that the government is unprepared or unwilling to address the underlying causes of the unrest.
Please keep in mind that history has shown time and again that during periods of unrest, only about 10% of what you read and see in the news is accurate. If things are really chaotic, you will get more accurate news as the government filters have not yet had a chance to control the message. Therefore, what will appear to the rest of the world as a spontaneous act of uncontrolled civil unrest was likely brewing for many months before the riots actually took place.
Age of Austerity
On April 26, 2009, David Cameron used this term to describe Great Britain’s new policy to rein in spending while rising taxes on its people in order to address its own sovereign debt crisis. While the US and European Union were attempting to throw money at the Great Recession, the English Parliament sought to get their nation’s fiscal house on more solid footing.
Austerity in Britain consisted of a combination of tax increases and cuts to healthcare and other social programs. Among the items on the chopping block were youth programs that focused on providing young people with after-school activities, job training, and scholarships. We were given the impression by the media that the people of Great Britain were unhappy, but generally accepted the fact that the government had their long-term interests in mind.
If you believe that, then the riots this morning would have surprised you.
The Decision to Riot
How angry do you have to be to pick up a rock and throw it though a shop window? How much planning does a riot take? Does a riot have a leader?
Anger is one of those tricky emotions that is generally unpredictable. A person who loses his job may be angry enough to resort to violence right away, but this is generally an exception. Generally, when people lose a job, they are angry, but they can go to the unemployment office and get some level of compensation while they look for another job. However, if that person cannot find a job right away, their anger is likely to get stronger. If they’re out of work for an extended period of time when they run the risk of losing their unemployment compensation, then they’re likely to get really angry.
Most people don’t like to be angry at themselves. After all, self pity or self blame can only go so far before it becomes a debilitating depression. Many people go that route and find that they lose the ability to find a job even when jobs are available. Therefore, in order to maintain a sense of self worth, people tend to attach their anger elsewhere. In Britain, most people have a great deal of affection towards their government, so instead they direct their anger on the people they feel are to “blame” for the economic crisis. Namely, the bankers and business owners.
The “planning phase” of the riot, if you can call it that, comes in the form of social media interactions. Disaffected youth and scores of unemployed workers have not much else to do except talk to other disaffected youth and unemployed workers via Twitter, Facebook and other social media outlets. People get more angry as they share their stories of how the London “fat cats” have taken away their jobs, bankrupted their government, and mortgaged their future.
Finally, we throw into the mix the hot days of Summer. Already angry, dehydration further clouds judgment and anger turns violent. Violence begets violence as mob mentality takes over, police are overwhelmed, and the streets of a once-proud city are on fire.
Over 250 people have been arrested so far in London, but the violence continues due to the fact that such civil unrest has no “leaders”, and all the government can do is to crack down in an overwhelming show of force so that rioters will think twice and go home.
A Preview of what’s to come
British austerity has been brewing for just over two years and now it’s reached a boiling point. The boiling point in the US is likely to come sooner than that for a couple of reasons.
First, American cities already have a great deal of civil unrest due to high unemployment, gang violence, and socio-economic disparities. Up until now, the social safety net has kept these cities from falling into total chaos, so if these institutions are taken away from an austerity program, they are likely to come to a boiling point faster.
Second, while Britain was engaging in its austerity two years ago, it still had a world economy to support it. In other words, there were still tourists coming to town, the banking sector was in a sort of recovery phase, and production levels were somewhat stable. With the immanent economic collapse of the Eurozone, China, and Russia, the US will be without trading partners and therefore “normal” business will be done as well.
Here is my advice for what it’s worth. If you live in a city, talk to a family member or a close friend who will agree to take you and your family in should riots break out in your town. Ideally, you should have a primary place to go plus at least one backup. My prediction is that things are going to get especially ugly in the Summer of 2012, but the unrest may come sooner. As stated in my previous article, be sure that wherever you go, you can get there on a single tank of gas. Do not rely on public transportation as these systems are likely to be either shut down or severely damaged in the event of a riot.
The important thing to keep in mind is to have a plan, and then knowing when to not ignore the signs of when to execute that plan. Otherwise, you may find yourself trapped in a war zone.
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