Youth Anger in the UK

In no way do I support or condone the actions of rioters around the UK this week. However, neither am I angry at their actions. I am sure this would be different if I or my loved ones had been directly affected – having lived in both Liverpool and Bristol close to some of the flash-points, my first thought was for the welfare of those I know who live nearby. But I repeat, I am not angry at the rioters: instead, I feel a deep sadness for them. The fact from BBC News that surprised me and now sticks in my mind is that the average age of those involved is 14-20 years.

As David Cameron’s government trip over their Louis Vuitton travel solutions in their rush back to Downing Street, I would like to ask our Prime Minister, "how did you fail to anticipate this?" If we refer to history, he seems to have conveniently forgotten the Toxteth and Brixton riots of the 1980s, which followed recession and austerity measures under Margaret Thatcher’s administration. Under the same government, peaceful protests against the Poll Tax escalated into rioting in 1990 – a pattern echoed, though far less drastically, after the anti-cuts protest in March of this year. And while this week’s events have certainly not been organised by politically motivated left-wing groups, I do not believe that it is a coincidence that we have seen attacks on high street businesses (like the Bristol Stokes Croft Tesco), representing the minority who have much, by those multitudes who have little.

But history, as well as a basic appreciation of psychology, can teach us something else which is equally relevant to this situation: people with no hope feel frustrated, become angry and may react violently. This government is taking the hope offered by state-provided support and education away from those who need it most. How many of the rioters, aged 14-20, were receiving the Education Maintenance Allowance before it closed to new applicants on the 1st January 2011?

How many were receiving help from Education Welfare Services before public sector cuts began impacting on staffing levels and service delivery? How many were involved with Social Services, with their health and well-being directly at risk without the intervention which may no longer be deliverable following cuts to services and staff, and how many were being supported by youth services like Connexions that have been decimated or are simply not there any more? How many had hoped to work hard and gain a place at a good university – before the fees went up to £9,000 per year, meaning an average of £27000 debt, without any guarantee of a job at the end of it?

It is no longer enough to condemn violent disorder as despicable behaviour from a senseless criminal underclass we can lock away and forget about. These people are not all gang members, stupid, on benefits or drugs. Many of those who are old enough will also be voters and tax-payers. Nor are they all anarchists or left-wing militant groups; they have been brought up in a capitalist society, where expensive possessions are deemed to represent success – that’s what the TV, advertising and tabloid press all seem to say. When they are faced with severely limited access to education, no hope for the future and an upper-class, deaf government that has no concern for their welfare, they get angry and try to take what they think they are owed.

We should certainly condemn their actions and their violence, but we mustn’t dismiss them. They are frustrated and angry for a multitude of reasons: it’s time somebody listened to the millions of voices that are being ignored.

Emma Whitcombe is a steward in the Norfolk County Branch of UNISON.