The English Riot

England has run riot in the current cricket series.

But what is really troubling is the London riot that spread to Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool…

Flaming shops, looting youth, caning police… pictures all too familiar on TV from various parts of the world; but London? England? The great Briton that ‘civilized’ the world?!!

England’s economy was whatever it was when it was the great imperial power. After the Second World War, and decolonization, did England ever recover its pre-eminence as a world-class economy, and a world power? That’s a question that English governments must have asked themselves over the years since 1947.

Around mid 1970s the coal and energy crises in England were so alarming that England resorted to the measure of a 4-day working week. Clearly the economy teetered on the edge. The American downswing in the last 3 or 4 years, which affected most world markets, and the economies of many countries caused some concern. But governmental support directed by a group of world leaders helped a recovery for a period.

The downgrading of the US by Standard & Poor in the face of a possible debt default dealt the world markets another hefty blow. Suddenly the spurt in gold-prices has begun to assume the aspect of an economic daemon.

Will the economies manage to provide enough employment and will the production of goods continue to be at least stable? Will Industry face a recession? Will service sectors sustain themselves?

London riots gave a brief but graphic glimpse of the prospect. Arson, and looting by organized gangs of unemployed or under-employed people; and police action to restore law and order; possibility of deploying armed forces to restrain the rioters… not a pretty picture at all, Mr.David Cameron!

And to think of England as the harbinger of civilization in so many countries for nearly 200 years…well, well, well.

Just under the skin was raw flesh and blood as the riots demonstrated. All for LCD TVs and bottles of liquour. Did some people grab for food? Was hard currency snatched?

One English woman said on television that it was time “these people knew what real guns and bullets” were. Would that quell the riots? Or ignite more? Her assumption was that only the coloureds were involved in the rioting… that is what the TVs showed. Is there more to it than sheer opportunistic, ‘copycat’ criminality?

The economies, friends, are failing. The looters who took TVs and liquor are simple people who reated to an economic indicator. Real looters such as Raja and Kalmadi and their counterparts in England and elsewhere have already done their bit … with the willing or unwilling support of Camerons and MM Singhs.

London riots are a warning bell to the economies and the governments of the world.

All is NOT well gentlemen. Like the Indian cricketers, there is an urgent need to pull up the socks and play the game well.