The youth of Britain have every right to be mad

AUSTRALIA’S Prime Minister Julia Gillard told reporters in Canberra that scenes coming out of London have left her feeling “very, very disturbed”.

But this is no time for mere judgement of the angry youth of Britain. The reactions to the riots are largely concerning and indicative of a deep misunderstanding of how we got to this point.

Opposition leader Ed Miliband said: “We have got to avoid simplistic answers. There’s a debate some people are starting – is it culture, is it poverty and lack of opportunity? It’s probably both.”

An uprising of anger that started with the killing of a man at the hands of a police officer became an outlet for all manner of discontent that had been long brewing amongst the less-well-to-do youth of Britain.

Prime Minister David Cameron has condemned the riots, he said: “This is criminality, pure and simple, and it has to be confronted and defeated.”

Cameron continued, saying he felt for those who “live in fear” because of the “appalling scenes”. And while the behaviour of the rioters was extreme and devastating, his words show little regard for the underlying inadequacies of a system that allows so many to live in situations of poverty.

This is not to excuse the taking of life, or destroying of people’s livelihoods, however, this is pivotal moment in Cameron’s prime ministership, and pure condemnation will not win the battle.

“‘I am determined, the Government is determined that justice will be done and these people will see the consequences of their actions,” and with these words Cameron fails to see that the scenes on the streets of Britain are a consequence of the actions of his Government and failings of those Governments that came before his.

As the tabloid press bemoan the cost to taxpayers for the clean-up of the streets riots, perhaps we should compare that cost to how much taxpayers were slugged with to bail out the banks.

The youth of Britain have every right to be mad. In 2011 while they struggle to make ends meet, their head of state is a man born into an opulent lifestyle complete with a castle for a family home.

As young dissidents in New York prepare to #occupywallstreet (Google it), perhaps it’s time for the youth of London to #occupybuckinghampalace.