The use and abuse of children is evil

This is a photo that is currently doing the rounds on Facebook and on blog sites (eg Daily Maverick). I don't know if this picture is a fake or not. I do hope the child is pretending to be dead and wasn't really shot by the man in the photo or someone else. However, fake or not it demonstrates how children are used and abused all over the world. 

A sad picture from Birmingham

This message was posted by the niece of Haroon who was one of the 3 Asian men who died in Birmingham and were buried yesterday. It says how much she will miss him and how happy she was whenever he visited her.

RIP.

Peace and Wishes to Birmingham

I went to Birmingham last weekend and I saw the scale of damage from the riots there. What I saw was both physical and emotional damage. Some shops were boarded up but they were mainly open. Lots of windows had a spider web of smashed glass covering more than half of the window. It did look eerie but there was a marvellous British spirit of getting on among people.

I spoke to some Asian taxi drivers and they tole me how upset they were that they had lost three members of their future generation. The funerals of the 3 Asian men are being held today. Two out of the three were brothers and their father has had a heart attack since the murders. The taxi drivers spoke of their sadness at losing men who were well educted, one was a university graduate. These taxi drivers represent an older generation who came over from Asia and watched their children intergrate into British society. They all felt British, were all proud to be British and were devastated at what had happened to their community. There was a sense of such deep sadness that I felt.

A week after the riots there has been an endless queue of young people appearing in courts.  This has left Britain feeling unstable but I live in hope that society will mend. There's so much debate and action on the streets to put shops back together and find people homes. Maybe a lasting solution will be found.

The Politics of Envy is the new threat to national security

I have been watching the debate and the analysis of the riots all day. It is clear to me. The riots weren't about class or race or the cuts. It is about people wanting things for free and without working for them. I have long seen this trait in children around me and I worry about it.

The politics of envy come from the celebrity culture which is widely adored by children everywhere. Take this as an example, Justin Bieber the pop star, has a twitter account and whenever he tweets it only takes 30 seconds for it to be retweeted 100+ times. For 100 plus teenagers to be sitting there waiting for Justin to say something amounts to an obsession. Shows like X-Factor or Britain's Got Talent are taken by children to mean that all they have to do is to sing or dance to become famous and rich. Children never pay attention to the judges criticism of those who have no talentc or how those who do have talent have to work harder. Children only hear what they want to hear and see and they see fame and wealth in these shows. 

Children would not have participated in the riots if the parents had taught them between right and wrong. Not all parents, however, are bothered to do this. For example, a 15 year old boy was in court today and his parents did not even bother to show up. The judge shook his head at this. Also, children are copycats. If one does something the others will follow and join in.

People are saying that the bankers created a culture of greed and that the rioters are following their example. I don't think the rioters can be compared. The rioters were opportunistic and were looking for what they could not afford. The children in the riots probably don't even follow politics close enough to know about the banking crash and sub-prime mortgages.

Gang culture has been mentioned as being behind the riots. Apprently the children join gangs for protection reasons and to feel part of a family. I find this sad. Why can't they find this at home?  I heard a woman two days ago say that if the Government forces single mothers to go back to work when the child is 5 years then the child will join a gang. I couldn't understand why this should be the case. Are gangs babysitters?

I don't think any Government can ever do enough to save children from knife and gang culture and broken homes. We must realise that the solution is a partnership between parents, Governments, social workers, teachers, police and youth leaders. But the child still has to want to participate in society. We can help but they must then take responsibility for their actions and learn to help themselves.

Our Western style of democracy was taken advantage of by the rioters. Libyan TV was broadcasting the riots and telling Libyans that people in the UK were demonstrating in support of Gaddafi. We were used. With China on the rise and how it does not believe in human rights we must protect our freedom and carry on dealing with those who threaten it.

It may happen in my area tonight.

I don't want to say where I live in case it attracts the looters but my area in London is on high alert. There's 1,000 police officers drafted in. The streets are very, very quiet and it feels eerie. The neighbours and my mother and I have been knocking on doors alerting other neighbours and checking that the vulnerable are aware of what may happen. There are a few elderly people who live here and a newborn baby too.

 I will provide an update later but I am hoping that I will be able to say 'nothing has happened'. Please keep safe everyone.

UPDATE 1:  I have made a roster. Each of the people in my block of flats have an hour shift to watch out for the rioters, if they come. My mother and I are doing the 11-12 am shift. Luckily we are all still safe but we will remain vigilant. I will carry on updating.

UPDATE 2: I have just finished my last patrol of our property with my mother. Glad to say that everything is ok so far. We noticed some youths hanging around for 10 minutes but they have moved on. I haven't actually seen 1,000 police officers but there have been enough of them around to make me feel safe. I am very sleepy and tired. I will update in the morning. Goodnight and thank you for your concern and care.

UPDATE 3:  9:05 am 10th August. Thankfully, there was no trouble in my area last night. The roster system worked well. RIP to those who died overnight protecting their areas. I also pray for those who lost their homes and possessions in the riots.

London's Burning

My neighbours and I are keeping watch in case the rioters head our way. There's nothing so far in our area but the scale of the riots in London and how it is spreading is scaring us. There is no excuse for these riots.

The cuts, disenfrachised youth and inequality are all being used as reasons for the riots. The coalition has been in power for just over one year. The cuts have not really taken place yet. The cuts cannot be blamed. Also, by blaming the cuts it implies that there was plenty of money before which made a difference. If so, how can all that have been undone since May last year so quickly which has led to London burning?

What I am trying to say is that what we are seeing is people who are opportunistic, who want a good life without working for it - looting expensive shops. There's something else going on. Is it youth apathy? Is it a disrespect for communities and life? Is it a total lack of morals and values? I think it is.

ITV 9pm today (Friday)-Violence Against Jane

There's a programme being shown at 9pm tonight called 'Someone's Daughter Someone's Son'  which I ask you to watch because the family of the murdered victim being show in the programme need thousands of signatures to bring their case to Parliament.  As Liberal Democrats this is the sort of issue we care about http://www.justiceforjane.co.uk/

Violence against women is something I saw today when I was out with my summer play school. I was at a Central London ice skating rink and I heard an uproar. A couple with a small child were shouting at each other. The man then hit her and ripped the sleeve of her t shirt. His friend held him back. The woman ran off crying.

There was a recent study which showed that violence against women is on the rise, especially violence carried out against teenage girls. On tonight's programme you will also see how society views women, as not really being important enough to protect.

Keep away from the far right

In my last blog post I wrote about the far left and how they use violence and force to make their point. Since then the horrible attacks in Norway have occurred because of far right views. We are experiencing  the extreme sides of politics which are trying to dominate the centre ground. The centre ground is the position we must protect because it is the point at which all reasonable views meet to form a fair society. Liberalism is under attack.

The Norwegian young people who died were future leaders with views that promoted the centre ground. I hope Norway does not descend and become a country that rejects liberal views. Already immigrants in Norway have been reporting of attacks against them. I hope this view does not spread to the rest of Europe thus encouraging and supporting the Norweign murderer's actions.