09/08/2011

LONDON'S BURNING

IS IT REALLY ANY WONDER?
Thousands of people out of work.
Speculators aggravating the economy.
Politicians more interested in votes than in social justice.
Big businesses striving for bigger profits than would seem just.
Our planet is fast going to pieces and no clear future appears on the horizon.
There's a clear lack of leadership in Europe.
There's a clear lack of leadership in the UK.
There's a clear lack of leadership in the world.
Is it really any wonder that thousands of people of all ages, of all races, of all political and religious beliefs come out onto the streets to protest against a rotten system that's destroying rather than building our social fabric. The death of
Mark Duggan, RIP, a father of four, at the hand of British Police,can only worsen the situation. British bobbies used to go unarmed in the past. Why this radical change of policy that puts guns in the hands of some, not all, trigger-happy individuals?
This is not an isolated national incident and must be seen in a global world context. We've seen it in Egypt, in Lybia, in Siria and we passed it off as only a protest by liberty seekers in under-developed countries. But then Spanish non-violent protesters took to the streets and marched onto the capital. A non-violent protest probably due to that countrry's tradition of violent suppression by its forces; a reminder of Franco's regime. And in Greece, too, we've seen massive protests. These are not backwards countries, but modern, democratic European states. Now London, at the heart of democracy. AND IT IS NOT GOING TO STOP THERE. I expect we'll see more protests in other European countries before the summer's out. Indeed it's going to be a hot, hot summer and I do hope a better and fairer society will rise out of the ashes of the fires that are burning in the hearts of our cities... and of our people.