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Shi Huangdi
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Pittsburgh, PA
Apr 1999
time: 00:36
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http://politics.guardian.co.uk/home....html?gusrc=rss
quote:
PM attacks yob culture and pledges to help bring back respect
Michael White, political editor
Friday May 13, 2005
The Guardian
Tony Blair yesterday underlined the cabinet's eagerness to address voters' campaign concerns about petty hooliganism and loutishness in neighbourhoods and city centres when he promised to help restore "respect" for other people.
Mr Blair coupled a personal endorsement of a shopping centre's decision to ban the wearing of threatening hoods by teenage boys with a renewed willingness to blame voters' own shortcomings as parents.
Musing on the "deep-seated causes" of children growing up without proper discipline, the prime minister told reporters at his monthly press conference: "I can start a debate on this and I can legislate but what I can't do is, I can't raise someone's children for them."
Article continues
He said he backed the decision of the Bluewater shopping centre near Dartford in Kent to ban the current teen fashion for the wearing of hoods over heads in the centre.
"People are rightly fed-up with street corner and shopping centre thugs, yobbish behaviour - sometimes from children as young as 10 or 11 whose parents should be looking after them - Friday and Saturday night binge-drinking which makes our town centres no-go areas for respectable citizens, of the low-level graffiti, vandalism and disorder that is the work of a very small minority that makes the law-abiding majority afraid and angry," the prime minister said.
People his own age - in their 50s - are reluctant to go into their local town centre on weekend nights for fear of abuse. That must stop and parliament must send a "very clear signal" that it will not be tolerated.
The deputy prime minister, John Prescott, recalled how he had been approached by a gang of youths in a motorway cafe a year ago. He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme that the gang had come up to him carrying a video camera, intending to film the confrontation. His security minders had scared them off.
Mr Prescott said he had found the encounter alarming. "I think the fact you go around with these hats and these covers ... I mean, it is a uniform, in a sense. It is intimidating and I rather welcome what they have done there at Bluewater."
Mr Blair was speaking after his first reshuffled cabinet agreed a "bold programme" to implement Labour's manifesto pledges "and address head-on the priorities of the British people in the NHS, schools, welfare reform, childcare and support for working families, crime, disorder, respect on our streets, asylum and immigration".
Next month there will be a green paper on David Blunkett's new agenda, incapacity benefit - and the need to cut claimant numbers - and health and education white papers in the autumn to promote a more personalised public service.
Mr Blair was repeatedly drawn back to the issue of antisocial behaviour which, he admitted, troubled many voters he had met during the election.
"People like a society that is less deferential. They want a society free from old prejudices. But a loss of deference is very different from a loss of respect for other people. Society without prejudice should not be one without rules," Mr Blair explained.
As a politician who made his first big national speech on this topic after the murder of the toddler, James Bulger, Mr Blair has long extolled the "rights and responsibilities" formula.
Yesterday he was again forced to defend the rights of the law-abiding majority - including their right to 24/7 licensing laws - against the antisocial minority.
"A few years ago when I be gan the debate on antisocial behaviour, there were some who thought it gimmicky, even eccentric," he said, recalling that legislation had been resisted on the left and right, in part because it laid less emphasis on the rights of offenders.
Ministers currently plan no new legislation because they believe that such programmes as the Together Campaign - aimed at police and local coun cils - along with schemes to encourage the public to become more pro-active and less tolerant of miscreant behaviour require time to settle down and become widely accepted.
In relaxed post-election mood yesterday Mr Blair became animated when recalling recent exchanges with voters. "During the election campaign I heard too often people talk about a loss of respect in the classroom, on the street corner, in the way our hard-working public servants are treated as they perform their tasks," he said. Other issues for the government, he signalled, were pensions and council tax reform and new ways of funding the transport network. |
Looks like some of our British posters might need to be careful of Tony Blair coming after them 
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child of Thor
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quote:
Originally posted by Odin
My God, His Toniness is acting like a Tory.  |
He is New Labour, so dont be too surprised
But on a serious note - this new craze that is going around, its called 'happy slapping' - is looking like going out of control.
I watched a program on tv about it last night. Its part of the whole 'Hooded tops' yob thing.
Just in case your dont know what 'happy slapping' is about i'll give a brief description.
Usualy its done by two or more kids/youths(often 'hooded'). Mostly it happens on public transport+ at schools, but its also started to be reported on the high streets.
Anyway one member of the gang is the slapper - he will be the one conducting the attack. His mate(s) will take up a good vantage point to use their mobiles to record the event(sending video over the internet or to other friends phones), most attacks happen behind the victim - catching them by surprise.
They pick a target and the slapper will come up behind the unsuspecting member of the public and using an open hand, give them a huge slap on the face/head. His freinds will record it. And then they all run off.
By huge slap - they showed people getting knocked out cold, knock to the floor by the force, so its not like the game 'slaps' kids used to play at school. Its basicaly a full out assault.
Now it doesnt sound too bad on paper, but some of the footage they showed on this program was pretty disturbing.
One young women was hit twice in the face, just minding her own business, and you could tell was really traumatised by it - i doubt she will be able to travel on the bus by herself anytime soon 
The thing was watching these attacks just made my blood boil - its hugely cowardly on the yobs part. And the craze is growing and getting very dangerous as they try to up the ante.
Recently a guy who fell asleep at a bus stop was set on fire by two kids who filmed it on their phones. He survived but is burnt for life and in constant pain. The two idiots who did it got 6years each in jail(too little imho).
I'm just waiting for it to happen to me - i'll ram their phones down their throats for starters i think. The thing is i know i'll react extremly violently to such an attack, bad for me probably(due to my reaction), bad for the kids who do it, as i can not gaurantee i wont kill them in a fit of rage(or get stabbed or shot in the process)
Stupid fu**ing kids 
Its stuff like this that makes me loose my tolerance - are our out of control kids just asking to be pyriahs in our society? I can see this story growing and the reactions getting harsher
And the problem is because they are oftne wearing hoodies or caps - its difficult to catch them from the cctv footage.
I hope the police will be allowed to come down extremely hard on this kind of thing.
Last edited by child of Thor on 14-05-2005 at 01:12
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child of Thor
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You would think that would happen more often. But of all the video examples they showed no-one could react quick enough to get the kids, or were outnumbered and i guess scared.
I feel like you - i think if i saw it happen i'd just flip and try to do something.
If it does get really out of control i hope reactions from the public to these 'happy slappings' will be given some positive considerations in any court cases.
I think maybe we should allow a certain amount of 'vigilante' action to help curb the problem, with the cctv as backup to prove an attack took place to justify such action.
I just think that with this kind of thing, it could be almost impossible to legistate against it, or for the police to police it - bar putting police on all busses/tubes etc?
Allowing the 'community' to sort it out might be more effective, if they knew they had some rights to act?
Am i sounding too extreme?! - the tv program and footage i saw would get anyone worked up i think.
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child of Thor
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usually i would agree, but this seems very different, and from what i saw it not like anything i've experienced before while in London(Loonies/drunks/Football thugs etc). This is played like a game, using video mobile technology, and the players gain qudos amongst their peirs for doing it.(sorry about spelling)
Women/girls are being hit in the face for no reason.
A man has been set on fire.
They are just picking on the lone commuter going about their business - the more vunerable the better it seems.
I wont be surprised if old people are the next targets, or mothers with young kids - its that kind of attitude.
Sucks big time and these kids getting their kicks this way deserve no respect from society, or even the same protection it should provide them imho.
Its a shame David Blunket isn't back on home secertary duty - his slight fascist bent is probably just what we need to get these punks of our streets and out our schools and into work houses where they belong.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/4539317.stm
and maybe the media hype isnt helping:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4539913.stm
Last edited by child of Thor on 14-05-2005 at 02:42
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Dr Strangelove
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Will the rule apply to muslims in chardors? How about monks?
What if it's really cold? If someone comes into a shopping center in January wearing a hood, would he be given a certain amount of time or space in which to lower said threatening hood?
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child of Thor
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Religious articles of clothing will be exempt apparantly.
A shopping mall in Kent has already got a 'hoody' ban in place.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/4545657.stm
I dont think a ban against an item of clothing is the best way to go, and as you make a point about - there are so many situations where it doesn't make sense.
I think they should just give us the power/rights in law to deal with yob-culture as and when it happens. Its only from our society that we can change these trends of violence and disrespect.
I dont believe these kids need to be given more activity centers etc, as some people put the blame on - for the trouble makers they are just seen as stupid places to hang out. The kids that are causing the problems WANT to hang out on street corners intimidating people - thats their idea of fun.
Sadly, I think with people like this only broken bones and local public shaming will get the message through to them.
They opperate with a 'group mentality' , so the public needs to defend itself likewise - a few group beatings of these youth gangs should give them the message?
Sometimes you do have to fight fire with fire.
Last edited by child of Thor on 14-05-2005 at 14:19
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13-05-2005 20:12
I love it.
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