Once this is all over, London as you know it will be different. These moments of supposed chaos are huge opportunities for politicians to grasp fistfuls of power and drive through legislation that would otherwise prove quite difficult. I can understand the resentment and anger that consumes many young people, they suffer from disproportionate levels of unemployment, have regrettable relationship with the law and adults in general and are constantly vilified in the press, all of which are symptoms of a fractured environment, an environment that children inhabit but adults largely create.
With the Olympics less than a year away, an event that has the power to redefine the worlds’ perception of our fair city, London has to be seen as a city that maintains law and order and is able to successfully combat any and all social disturbances. So be prepared, for the events of the past few days will create new laws and grant sweeping powers to institutions that so many are already sceptical of.
Over the last decade, arranging protests and demonstrations has become a much more laborious task but with all the pockets of social unruliness that has come with the many protests this year, we might find ourselves living in a city where they become relics of a bygone era, where past disruptions are used as reasons to prohibit en masse politically charged gatherings which goes against the very democratic values this country supposedly holds so dear.
The debate will no longer be whether we should have an armed police force but it will be whether it's needed for the entire city or only in 'problem areas.' Even the charges that the opportunistic looters of the last few days face will be overhauled; new charges, heavily focused on social unrest, societal threats and domestic terrorism will replace terms like 'breaking and entering' and 'theft’, all of which will result in stronger sentences and an increase in the prison population.
Today officials at Scotland Yard announced that they would be arresting people whom they believe have instigated and fuelled these events via social mediums. Only last week, the majority of people would have been outraged by such an idea but the images that we have all seen this weekend are enough to cast doubt onto the convictions once held dearly.
These young people have managed to catapult their way to the top of the nations ‘most despised’ list and their actions, whether they are aware of it or not, will drag us all into a turbulent tomorrow.
