UK Riots 2011: Youth underclass rebuff to austerity cuts - fuelled by idleness, opportunity, anarchists and police violence

Tigerquoll,
I looked at the anarchy website but could not see what you were referring to. Quick glance revealed what I expected - that they are 'against hooliganism'. Anarchists are generally non-violent. Australian anarchist spokesperson, Joe Toscano, is a very able politician who speaks eloquently against violent agitators, warning that they are usually agent provocateurs from government and police. Please be more specific if there is material there which is scary. If there are anarchists advocating violence, I would suggest that they are not real anarchists and that sites are false sites. Governments have falsely stigmatised the term 'anarchism' as violent.

All anarchism is really is relocalism - self government at a local level. Democracy. Direct representation. That kind of thing.
It was demonised during the 19th century because anarchists tried to stop the steamrolling of local populations' rights by industrial nationalism.

Tigerquoll wrote:

Hence the riot targets have been corporates, the perceived 'haves' (business owners, McDonald's, commercial retailers displaying spoils of wealth).

In fact, I would suggest that the actual targets are not the corporates, but smaller businesses and poorer people.

Contrary to an angle put by some "left" commentators, these riots seem far more likely to help the wealthy by further breaking down what little cohesion now still remains in those parts of Britain in which the riots have occurred. It may well create a climate in which it may be easier for the UK government to take away the democratic rights of those who are now speaking out for truth, democracy and social justice, in particular, against the UK Government's current war against Libya.

Whilst the Global Research article London burns; Tripoli calm of 9 August makes some good points about the hypocrisy of those defending the arming of 'rebels' in Libya whilst condemning the actions of the UK's own 'rebels', the title of that article seems to imply that the eruption of the riots, by tying up the hands of the war-making UK Government, may lessen the plight of the Libyans, when in the longer term, the further harm done to community cohesion in the UK is more likely to actually make it easier for the UK Government to ignore the democratic wishes of UK residents including those opposed to its war against Libya.

A more helpful and incisive analysis of the riots is another article, Britain's Riots: Thuggery, Looting, Lawlessness... By the Ruling Class of 11 August by Finian Cunningham also on Global Research.

Finian Cunningham writes:

The looting, thievery and lawlessness that (UK Prime Minister) Cameron so condemns is but the reflection at the street level of British society of what is taking place on a much greater scale at the upper echelons of government and the economy.

What the thieving rioters are now doing in some cities of the UK (and, for that matter, in the 'rebel' controlled areas of Libya) is no different to what the wealthy elite of the UK has been doing to the UK as a whole for decades, Also, it differs little to what the wealthy elites of Australia and the US and the Australia have been doing to their respective countries for decades:

Despite the appearance of pinstripe suits and well-groomed accents, we can, if we are honest, see decades of looting and thievery of economic and financial resources by corporate elites aided and abetted by Labour and Conservative governments. The taxpayer bailout of corrupt banks initiated by Labour PM Gordon Brown and now overseen by Cameron, paid for in large part by austerity in public spending cuts, is but the latest manifestation of official robbing of the majority to swell the already outrageous wealth of the ruling elite class.

Cameron and his gang of plumy-accented thugs are gunning for $150 billion in public spending cuts to pay for the criminal enterprise known as British banking. This is racketeering that a street gang in London's east end can only marvel at... and indeed, in a very real way, only emulate.

Combined with that looting by the elite we see the total lawlessness and criminality of British governments who have worked hand in glove with other criminal governments to launch wars of aggression (Nuremburg standard war crimes) in Afghanistan, Iraq, and now Libya, resulting in the deaths of over one million civilians. Where is individual responsibility for that mass murder and destruction Mr Cameron?

According to CNN, Libya, is currently 'revelling' at the news of the riots in the United Kingdom:

... turning the tables, after enduring sustained criticism from the West, it was authoritarian regimes such as Iran and Libya that delighted in mocking Britain over riots that have engulfed its major cities.

Libya, which has endured sustained criticism for alleged violations of the human rights of opponents since March is, evidently now able to be just as critical of the United Kingdom for its handling of the riots.

So, according to CNN, The tables have truly turned.

Except, ...

Has Libya only endured 'sustained criticism'?

What about the six month aerial bombing campaign in which hospitals, water pipelines as well as military installations have been attacked? What about the arming of the Transitional National Council 'rebels' by the US, NATO, Qatar, Saudi Arabia etc.? What about the seizure of financial assets and oil tankers end expulsion of its diplomats from a number of countries?

If the tables had truly turned then logically, the UK would have to be under sustained aerial bombardment from the Libyan Air Force and the rioters in the United Kingdom would be firing at the police with Libyan-supplied AK47s and rocket launchers.

Two good reports are given in Counterpunch (http://www.counterpunch.org): The London Riots in Historical Perspective Burning Britain - The Economics Conditions Driving Riot Fever The bullet that was shot and lodged in a police radio (do they have those now??) was a Metropolitan Police issued bullet. Duggan was apparently shot as he and his friend were being held to the ground by several policemen. This is usually termed 'arbitrary execution' - and if it was, it is of the utmost seriousness. Will we ever know the 'truth'? Hope so, but fat chance. Personal note. I lived in Brixton with my family for about three years in the early 70s. I quite enjoyed it as I happen to like the mixed racial environment and the reggae-disco pubs (not many white people came to these, though. I went with one or two black or double friends. Can't really see why others didn't go. I always had a good friendly time...) However, even at that time young black people (esp. men) complained of being selectively harassed by police officers from Brixton Police Station. As a 'hippy' with long hair and 'strange' clothes, I would have thought that I would be just as likely to come in for a little police attention (all manner of 'drugs' being pretty easily available at the time), but was totally ignored by the police force. Fine by me. Obviously, very little has changed in the intervening 40 years! In fact it's probably worse. Despite a certain amount of radiation contamination where I live now in Japan, I still feel 'safer' here.