‘Grenfell’ bonfire

The police can't be tough because there are hardly any left.

I totally agree POGS. Yes, bad behaviour knows no barriers, and the Bullingdon Club is a good example of arrogant young men behaving atrociously to the detriment of other people. They are however easier to punish, and should of course be sent down and their studies curtailed. That might put a stop to it! What you do to stem this awful baiting, ridiculing, bullying attitude that seems endemic on protests, Politicians to each other(?!!) social media, and so on. I've read some really horrible cruel comments about Paddy Ashdown after being confirmed with bladder cancer. What are people like? I begin to wonder if some people are either mad, or just plain bad.

Several hundred more police were put on the streets in London yesterday, a sixteen year old was stabbed and killed last night .

I think the burning of effigies of ANYONE is absolutely disgraceful whether it's Mrs May, Alec Salmond, Jeremy Corbyn, Dianne Abbott, the Pope, ANYONE! including poor old Guy Fawkes, even he makes me feel uncomfortable these days!

Wouldn’t it be nice if theH of C set an example by changing its behaviour at PMQs?

In defence of Lewes , although I don’t like it, it is only once a year - whereas social media hatred and threats is utterly relentless, day after day, minute after minute. I think social media is actually much more insidious and influential in how it changes and shapes what passes for acceptable behaviour and language than any Lewes effigy burning.

Maryeliza

" In defence of Lewes , although I don’t like it, it is only once a year - "
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If you applied the ' once a year ' principle to defend the displaying of bigotry and hatred then that could apply to the Grenfell Tower effigy burning .

It is either right or wrong and no defence can be made because of the amount of times bigotry and hatred is carried out surely.

Again, POGs it’s not morally equivalent , at all. Not all effigy burning is equal - but you are not going to agree with me on that.

Maryeliza

" I think social media is actually much more insidious and influential in how it changes and shapes what passes for acceptable behaviour and language than any Lewes effigy burning."

I absolutely do agree with that but are children and the public looking at social media sites that display such bigotry , when it is on public display it has a visual subliminal message added to the equation.

When vitriol and abuse is aired in the open at demonstrations , rallies , public effigy burning events and shown in / on the media it reaches across the divide and ' normalises ' bigoted, hate filled actions.

Why are some events deemed to be ' fair game, ' amusement' and nothing is said or done about it ?

Oh yes POGs children and adults are looking at a whole range of social media sites that display much much worse bigotry, images etc and it’s there for all to access 24/7 for free and a normal part of everyday life. I believe this normalises such attitudes and actions far more than a march or a demonstration. I’m struggling to recall any hate filled posters from the People’s March but I do remember some very amusing ones.

However the Trump rallies........

Anniebach that is not the fault of the police is it ?

How would you police these areas of crime ? And what would you do to stem the knife/gun crime ?

I loved Spitting Image maryliza54. Shame it's no more.

My old dad used to say " Satan always finds work for idle hands ". How true !

It was often very very cruel - but always ( nearly) funny.

EllanVannin. I did not say it was the fault of the police, I replied to a post saying there were hardly any police left

I'm sure it will come as no surprise that I hated Spitting Image! For me ridiculing and mocking other people/religion etc is never funny and nearly always offensive and cruel, but then I hate satire too for the same reasons and avoid anything like that like the plague!!

EllanVannin. For the first time in my lifetime, senior police officers, including the head of the Met, are speaking out about the impact of the cuts on police and all other public services on rising crime. Cressida Dick has talked about the impact of the cuts to youth work, drug/alcohol services, social work, alternatives to custody etc - she's also said clearly that the increase in violent crime cannot be understood without acknowledging the impact of the cuts.
It's desperate. As our grannies would no doubt have said 'robbing Peter to pay Paul never works". This is a wealthy country. We can afford to provide excellent public services, including the police. The police are left at the only emergency service in some areas. They're called to someone committing an offence, maybe public order, realise the individual seems mentally ill, they have to have an officer with the individual until the mental health assessor arrives. So, they're doing nursing/social work etc rather than policing. Its shocking.

Some police forces employ CPNs as so many of those they arrest have mental health problems and the police would rarely be able to access a MH professional from the NHS especially out of hours. I was shocked when I first heard of this

Because POGS

Those involved in the ' Grenfell ' effigy burning were pathetic and hate filled but when equivalent pathetic and hate filled occurrences happen such as effigies of humans/politicians are burnt, politicians hanging from ropes, politicians called the most vile , hate filled names on placards at demonstrations nothing is said, WHY?

because although the burning of any political effigy and in very bad taste, it just cannot be compared to this Grenfell case - where so many did die, burnt alive, children and old, human being - and the comments of the people on the video make it sickingly plain how racist they are.

Any attempt to compare the two is just plain WRONG.

It's shocking. When I heard it on the news this morning I thought I must have misunderstood.

There are significantly less police than there were and they are expected to do more. I hear this first hand from a friend and on the radio in a measured and sensible way from very senior people. Why on earth the fact that several police officers were at the scene of a knife crime in London was brought up, I have no idea.

I didn’t say police were at the scene, I said more police had been put on the streets

Perhaps use of police investigating allegations against dead people is a waste of time