Riots in New Zealand, are they possible?

This short email was received from a friend; its sentiment represents for the most part my own views.

 “The Conservative PM of Britain is correct when he says "The Riots are caused by criminality":

·         The criminality of the wars against Iraq and Afghanistan. 

·         Crimes against humanity in the Horn of Africa where they and we are willingly let people die of starvation.

·         The criminal exploitation by the bankers, the wankers and the rich generally of the working and workless classes.

·         The stealing of people's jobs and livelihoods whenever the affluent need a bit more cash.

·         The criminality of cutting social services and income support under the rubric of balancing the budget.

·         The rampant ruthless criminality of coppers who feel they are entitled to maim and kill at will.

I could go on but risk boring you”. John

Now I don’t live in London but I’m human, I’m not a young man but I’m human, I’m not unemployed because I’m retired, but I’m still human. And I’ve lived long enough to know that thousands of youth male or female don’t suddenly become criminals overnight. And after living in various countries where riots were common and seeing them first hand in both Malaysia and PNG, I know what causes young people to express themselves via riots in the streets.

The dictator in Syria tells the world that those rioting on his streets are criminals as he murders them. When what they want is freedom, work, education and hope for the future.

The PM in Britain condemns that dictator plus the dictator of Libya…but when his own people in Britain riot he too calls them criminals and treats them accordingly. When what they want is work, education, fair treatment by the police and the government.

Events of a like nature have happened or are happening in Spain, Portugal, Ireland, and Greece why have all these countries seen riots on their streets?

The reasons listed by John above tell the true reasons and these reasons are just as valid here in NZ as well. We are lucky that all our unemployed youth don’t live in one area for example Auckland so the problem here is lessened because of our spread. But it is not removed. We actually have a larger group of unemployed youth between 15 and 25 than Britain does, so the reality is that we too are in danger of riots. You may know young people who are unemployed or searching for work are they criminals or even criminals in waiting? If you do then you and I have a duty to assist in preventing this from taking place.

The youth of Britain have for models, the Murdoch’s, the top London metro police bosses sacked for taking kickbacks, a whole heap of politicians charged or sacked over taking bribes or stealing public monies, a past PM who lied over the war in Iraq and Afghanistan and who flies around the world in a private plane speaking at 500 dollar per head dinners.

In NZ the youth have the model of a PM who made his money producing nothing of real value peddling Ponzi type schemes, of a government who gives 45 million to Mediaworks while cutting education for youth, where the selected few pay no tax while youth pay tax on every dollar they earn. Right now we have over one hundred and seventy thousand unemployed.

This from the Tumeke Blog; Canterbury University academic Bronwyn Hayward believes the tensions igniting the UK are simmering here in NZ and Winston Peters goes two steps further and really drives the point home that our staggering youth unemployment rate is a genuine danger and breeding the ground in which these riots erupt. The bennie bashing media this week attempted to convince NZers that most beneficiaries are frauds after Paula Bennett [pictured] released figures claiming viscous new restrictions had caught many out as ineligible. What Paula doesn't acknowledge is that these new eligibility criteria are actually designed not to help people find work, they are simply there to throw as many off the benefit as possible while making those who are cut off invisible to official stats.