I read the news today oh boy! Page 1,610

People broke a bunch of laws, with cctv and more importantly help from citizens a lot of people who broke the law went to prison.

I dunno civil societies a contract, if you break it expect to end up in court.

Quote: sootyj @ 6th June 2014, 11:41 PM BST

People broke a bunch of laws, with cctv and more importantly help from citizens a lot of people who broke the law went to prison.

I dunno civil societies a contract, if you break it expect to end up in court.

And when the rioters arrived at Dalston, the Turkish shopkeepers and take away owners went out onto the streets armed with knives and bats to protect their premises - the rioters turned around and attacked other bits of London.

You've pretty much admitted that our police are useless at maintaining order in a crisis situation - surely that is a rallying call for re-arming the citizenry?

or uparming the police, that said where ever the rioters met organised resistance from citizens they ran off. Mostly when confronted by people with cameras or just shaming words.
If you're saying it shows the damage caused from a lack of social cohesion yup you're right.
If you're suggesting arming the citizenry, well that's working out marvelously in the Ukraine right now.

Quote: Stylee TingTing @ 6th June 2014, 11:43 PM BST

They had their own guns because the 'rebels' were mostly disaffected soldiers who rebelled against their own army - it was just that: two gangs of violent male thug army splinters fighting for control..

Then they were poorly armed soldiers, whose barracks were full of old hunting rifles, which is impossible. A lot of them might have been ex-soldiers, but they certainly didn't have the weapons of the Gaddafi regime in the first few weeks.

Again, I think it's sweet that none of you can imagine living under an authoritarian government in the UK. You think it's perfectly fine for the populace to be disarmed and that citizens shouldn't be trusted with guns and that the government knows best. Some of us think differently to this opinion.

Quote: sootyj @ 6th June 2014, 11:51 PM BST

If you're suggesting arming the citizenry, well that's working out marvelously in the Ukraine right now.

And Switzerland.

Quote: Stylee TingTing @ 7th June 2014, 12:00 AM BST

You call me that again and I'll set David Icke on you.

:D

Quote: Stylee TingTing @ 7th June 2014, 12:00 AM BST

You'd believe any old propaganda guff if it fitted your agenda, wouldn't you? Yes, those poor oppressed citizens destroying tanks with their air rifles and bare hands..

..with no Russian, Chinese nor American arms to be seen anywhere.

WHEN THE UPRISING BEGAN!!! BEGAN! BEGAN! BEGAN! LIKE THE FIRST WEEK! (excuse the caps lock but it might be the only way I can get people to comprehend what I'm writing.)

The uprising failed the military intervention succeed ed

Quote: Stylee TingTing @ 7th June 2014, 12:06 AM BST

And it was WESTERN MEDIA PROPAGANDA BULLSHIT!!

Here is a classic example - http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/21/world/africa/21rebels.html?pagewanted=1&_r=3&

Quote: sootyj @ 7th June 2014, 12:07 AM BST

The uprising failed the military intervention succeed ed

If the 'rebels' had no weapons whatsoever, there would have been no continued uprising leading to military intervention. You're taking away the chicken and leaving the egg.

You don't understand the terms I'm using

Quote: sootyj @ 7th June 2014, 12:18 AM BST

You don't understand the terms I'm using

That is certainly possible. Communicating via the medium of text lacks any indication of nuance or tone. (thank God for emoticons)

Quote: Stylee TingTing @ 7th June 2014, 12:24 AM BST

Oh God, this old chestnut - it's palpably not true, just more pro-Monarchist propaganda trotted out by the dogtooths.

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/the-queens-diamond-jubilee-weekend-brings-120-million-cash-boost-to-london-7819722.html

But don't take a newspaper's word for it, I popped along to the Thames to see the flotilla and I can tell you, it was bloody packed solid with people, both Londoners and tourists. People were drinking champagne, buying food from vendors and purchasing paraphernalia.

Enjoying the debate but the only thing I would propound is that 95% of the 2011 rioters were actually looters.

Quote: Stylee TingTing @ 7th June 2014, 12:36 AM BST

..but of course, your singular eyewitness account lends so much more gravitas to your argument.

Well, my account and the live television pictures showing 1.2 million people lining the Thames. You can rest easy that I was there to witness it and the BBC and ITV didn't CGI the crowds in on a 15 second delay. :S

Quote: Oldrocker @ 7th June 2014, 12:38 AM BST

Enjoying the debate but the only thing I would propound is that 95% of the 2011 rioters were actually looters.

That is true. But let's hear if for solidarity and the power of social media as violent gangs around London put aside their differences and united to attack the police and steal shit.

It's an Upworthy moment.

Alternatively, the rule for looters since forever is that they are shot without a second thought.

Quote: Oldrocker @ 7th June 2014, 12:45 AM BST

Alternatively, the rule for looters since forever is that they are shot without a second thought.

Another proponent for a police state? Wow, so many on here. ;)

I remember at the time that Facebook was awash with angry people demanding that the looters were shot on sight. I was like 'fine, but what happens when you see a dead 12 year old girl on the news riddled with police bullets?'

Bloody wimps changed their minds.

Quote: Renegade Carpark @ 6th June 2014, 11:30 PM BST

1) Americans in some States are allowed to own full auto rifles - they have to register it and pay a $200 tax and have to give up certain rights with regards to police entering their homes. As we're not even allowed to own a semi-auto centre fire rifle of any description, we have even less of a chance against an oppressive government.

2) The point is that an armed uprising began...and I'll say it again...began because Libyans had their own guns.

Thanks for the clarification regarding full auto-rifles in the US. You still don't seem to have got the point I'm making though. An armed uprising will only work if the citizens have weapons even vaguely matching what the army has. So, in the UK, that *doesn't* mean AK-47s and hunting rifles. I think I'd feel a lot less safe if anyone was allowed to legally purchase artillery and 12.7mm mounted machine guns from the local shop, and Eurofighter Typhoons from the local dealership to be honest.