Back in November 2010, I bodged the front cover of the Evening Standard to make it look like this: 
This was tongue in cheek, but a few months after aforementioned wedding, we had the worst/best*(delete according to taste) riots that this country has seen for decades. I was reminded of this yesterday, when Peter Snow, in his review of 2011 programme on Channel 4, covered the Wills/Kate wedding and then went on to describe the later riots as entirely unpredicted and/or unpredictable, but I don't think they were:
In 1977, we had a Silver Jubilee and in the build up to that we had the Notting Hill riots.
In 1981, we had a Charles/Diana wedding and riots.
In 2002 we had a Golden Jubilee and in the build up to that we had the Bradford Riots and Oldham riots.
In 2005, we had Charles/Camilla wedding and Birmingham riots
This may all be a complete coincidence, of course - I cheerfully admit that there were no riots at the time of Edward/Sophie wedding and that there were riots (notably in 1985) when there was no royal 'occasion' - but it is equally possible that there is a connection. It could be:
a) The politicians sense when the huddled masses are getting a bit uppity, and so they get the Royal Family to put on a bit of a show to take people's minds of things and to make them feel a bit patriotic and hence willing to buckle under,
b) The politicians and Royal Family are so hopelessly out of touch that they put on these extravagant shows anyway, and this just reminds the huddled masses of the huge inequalities (perceived or actual, justified or not) which exist, and they respond by rioting, or
c) Some combination of both.
Thursday, 29 December 2011
The London riots: not so unpredictable
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23 comments:
Spotted the first Jubilee goods today in Lakeland. They are displaying cookie cutters which make flag shapes and crowns, also associated linen.
I'm not interested in the Olympics but I wouldn't miss the Jubilee if only for the chance to compare it with Victoria's.
WOAR, that's a good point, shall we pencil in some more riots next year?
All I can say - re your conjecture on what the spur for riots is/maybe - is that my Class Warfare 2012 pocket diary (a great stocking filler, and the stocking might itself be very handy during the riots) has all the designated riot days for 2012 clearly marked and readily spotted on the unfolding of said diary at any one of its "week to two pages" openings. Some of these may well match the dates that you and WOAR are considering for riots during 2012. There are no riots scheduled for the period set aside for celebrating HM the Q's [gawd bless 'er] Jubilee WOAR for one will be pleased to know.
The diary also includes a handy "reasons to give when nabbed by the filth during any riot, and later in court" advice page .. .. the expression "I saw there was a great opportunity to grab that [insert name of desired object/precious shiny thing] and then leg it" does not appear in the list, although "attempting to bring down capitalism through direct action" does, and it may be that a sympathetic magistrate or judge would deem that a suitable defence if/when you are nabbed in the process of grabbing it with a view to swiftly legging it with that [insert name of desired object/precious shiny thing] ...
Anon, you can't pin it down to particular days, except for the glorious fact that Sex Pistols were number one during Jubilee Week. The official version that they were only number two is hotly disputed.
PS, I've still got my Silver Jubilee mug, as well as an old copy of the album.
unpredicted ? - *ahem*
ND, good call. Or did you use the Royal Wedding-o-meter?
You'll know we are in the depths of the recession when we get the dance craze.
Hmm - seems there might be the odd riot around Jubilee Time - sparked by disenfranchisement :-
Queen's diamond jubilee celebrations fall victim to town hall cuts
Bunting, bulbs and beacons for royal party on a tight budget as 100 councils reveal they have no plans to mark occasion
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/dec/29/queen-diamond-jubilee-spending-cuts
Let them eat wedding cake.
There are riots in UK cities every year but they are barely reported except locally. Am not defending Royal events, (or denying people are angry) but do think it's more to do with summer being a better time for Royal Events and also to get out and about with a molotov cocktail.
Would it be best to avoid the 2012 Jubilee Riots or those celebrating the Olympics?
(Carefully worded to avoid accusation of "encouraging disorder" on t'internet).
I propose leaving the whole thing to "managed decline".
"...but do think it's more to do with summer being a better time for Royal Events ..."
Yup, few people riot in the rain.
S, good point. The Specials hit gold with "Ghost town" because if there is a documentary about 'deprived' areas of Britain, they always use that as back ground music, bringing them a few hundred quid royalties each time, it's the same as "Money" by Pink Floyd (a lot of documentaries about banking, housing etc will use both). But I'm not sure if there was a dance craze to go with either of those songs.
Anon, wot? Do you think the royalists will be rampaging in the streets demanding more bunting?
M, brilliant.
SITT, are there?
SITT, JM, yes, summer is the best time for rioting because you need fairly good weather, furthermore, people become most excitable, irritable or easily drunk at a certain temperature, which is allegedly 92 degrees F. Which is why riots are in the summer nearest to a Royal Occasion and not on the day itself.
B, yes it would, I assume that the riots will be associated with both events, with the students out in force again when next years' tuition fees bills go out, maybe even the public sector people will go on strike.
FT, managed decline of what, Royal Occasions or riots?
If the make Charles king next year, be worried. Very worried.
More likely, whats the chances the banks wont open after the new year?
RS, they won't. It appears the plan is for QE2 to hang on long enough for Wills to leap frog him. As to banks, no idea.
managed decline of what, Royal Occasions or riots?
Hmm. At 0330 today as I drank an insomniac's cup of tea, Google News was all excited about papers released under the 30 year rule which related to the 1981 Toxteth riots. Much being made of Geoffrey Howe advising Margaret Thatcher to assign resources elsewhere and allow Liverpool to go into "managed decline".
It seems to have gone quiet on that now; in fact I can't see much mention of it anywhere on the home page.
You must forgive me. At that time of the morning it seemed funnier that it was.
FT, they dredged that up on R4 this morning, and they had a brief interview with dear old Howe (pre-recorded?) and he said words to the effect of "Look, don't try and pin me down to what I might or might not have said thirty years ago. I was Chancellor at the time and my job was saying 'No' to any ideas for new expenditure. Further, I was MP for a Merseyside constituency so as a constituency MP, my sympathies were otherwise."
Fair play to him I thought. He then spoiled it all by waffling on about Enterprise Zones in Liverpool and the East End, which was basically just tax breaks for land lords and which achieved precisely nothing at a modest cost to the taxpayer.
Oh I mean if they make anyone King be worried.
So the royals are sort of the predator drones of the PTB. Hmmmm - possibly.
RS, don't worry, QE2 is under orders to hang on.
JH, if you go with explanation (a), then yes.
"Anon, wot? Do you think the royalists will be rampaging in the streets demanding more bunting?"
Well severely miffed Royalists denied their bunting, severely miffed Republicans denied the opportunity to have bunting as a focus of complaint, severely miffed don't knows and don't cares who nevertheless, on the basis of us "all being in it together" will consider that being denied bunting when others have it is desperately unfair and discriminatory ... I mean, why should some get the benefit of the distraction activities being played out in full, and others not ... of course there will be riots ...
Anon 15.06, ta, that makes much more sense.
Add to the list the bored students and miffed council workers who were expecting a bit of overtime payments for hanging up and taking down bunting and we have a really rich brew of potential rioters.
A bit like some recent planned Gay Parade in East London where the Islamists protested against the gays and the anti-Islam EDL came out to protest against the Islamists (and thus inadvertently supporting gay rights, top people that they are too). It would have been fun if the fundamentalist Christians had turned up too - would they have protested against the Islamists or against the gays, or both?
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