Who DIDN’T predict a riot?

Strategy with Sue Marsh

Times of hardship or austerity have always seen riots and civil unrest. Always. Bread riots, beer riots, potato riots. The 20s were practically one long riot both here and in the US as depression took hold. The 60s, 70s and of course 1981 saw UK riots directly related to increased hardship. Through famine or poverty, in the end, tensions and resentments boil over.

We are currently in the middle of the severest reduction in public spending for a generation. This government were warned repeatedly by the police that this year would see civil unrest. In September and November last year, and in January this year, police made it quite clear that riots were possible, even probable.

In March, economists at HSBC warned of civil unrest and food riots if inflation continued to rise. Mervyn King has repeatedly warned the government of the capacity for civil unrest as the cuts bite.

The Archbishop of Canterbury warned them in June, the youth in the very areas that exploded into violence were warning the government of trouble just weeks before it occurred and even Nick Clegg was prescient enough to foresee riots if the Conservatives won the election and were allowed free reign to cut this far and this fast.

So why on earth were we so surprised to see flames and broken glass decorating our city streets? The only surprise was that it took this long. If we pay any attention to history at all, it was clear that there would be riots in the UK and it is clear that there will be more.

To deny that the economic situation had any bearing on the violence of the last few weeks is not only mendacious, it’s dangerous. Convenient of course for our coalition, but a guaranteed way to ensure that we are hit with waves of violence over and over again.