First rant of the year

This is the first complete christmas I have spent in London in my life.

There are several things I do not understand, what the hell is up with all this festive violence???

Friday 22nd: Had just finished work for the year and went to an upmarket bar with some friends. One guy started a huge fight which got out of control and four people ended up being hurt. The four guys who got badly hurt had no idea why the guy had started on them. He eventually got kicked out leaving the place a wreck with blood everywhere

Jan 1st: Just got back a few hours ago from the rave. Had never used the NYE transport before and decided to give it a go, a bunch of kids got on (no more than 21) one of them was swearing at everything and everybody. Then started threatening a Eastern European guy calling him a few racist names, the victim and his friends had to get off the bus because he threatened to stab them. His friends told him to calm down and he threatened to beat them up, he went on and on threatening people, so people were either getting off or moving to the lower deck. Because no one else on the bus was doing anything I tried to call 999 but my phone was jammed (poor souls were probably oversubscribed) so I went down stairs to speak to the driver, I told him what was going on and simply said “call the police or your controller and let them know where you are going to be stopping in a few minutes so the police can be waiting so this idiot doesnt get away. But meanwhile stop letting people on as the bus is packed and this guy is getting violent and scaring people.” Another guy came to tell him the same thing, the bus driver did not listen. I simply got off and walked the three stops home. Meanwhile the guys had gotten off at the stop ahead and were vandalising a bus stop with baseball bats and I believe running after someone.

I was born in the UK but did not grow up here and have only lived here for 6 years. However what I believe is that if someone is looking for a fight, they will get it and a lot more than they bargained for so that next time they want to start trouble they will remember the beating they got the last time. I would have normally expected everyone on the bus to launch at the guy and give him what he wanted but everyone sort of sat there or got off. Afterall he is not going to learn anything from walking away without a hair hurt on his head

I normally dont advocate violence but in some situations I believe it is necessary

Ship him to America…I’m sure someone would have busted a few caps in his punk ass for carrying on like that. :shrug

u talking bout me or the troublemakers being on crack?

I am actually too frightened to take crack

Extreme Euphoria at Sheperds Bush Empire

Thats what I mean KSGregman… I remember being in Australia (Perth) and this guy looking for trouble, he started threatening people, the guys in the bar held him down and gave him some good sharp knocks and a nice shiner. I think Brits are too polite, need to show more fists

A lot of America citizens are armed to the teeth…if you go out in public LOOKING for trouble, there is a VERY good chance you’ll find it…in the way of your “target” being armed and you being shot.

I’m not saying this a “good” thing…or “better” than things in the U.K…but it does seem to be how it is. :shrug

I too hate this type of behavier as its not nesesary, weve all done stupid and threataning stuff in the past when your young but what the guy done was ott and someone should have done something.

It sounds like to much beer and coke mix.

When you look at the muppets that are running the country is it any wonder society has gone tit’s up…, i am surprised they havent brought out Bronze, Silver and Gold ASBO’s - just a matter of time perhaps…

But don’t forget that if the goverment did their job they wouldn’t have the time or money to run a state sponsered terrisom program.

As for Chocfawn’s post its a shame you had to experience the joys of the night bus or as often refered to as the fright bus.

This doesn’t just happen at this time of year, but as more people are out you are more likely to see it.

As for standing up to them… how would you feel if he pulled a knife and stabbed you? There is a high chance of that happening in London.

Really sorry you had to experience the real british way of life. Unfortunately we are not allowed to challenge hooligans/chavs as we will get prosecuted for infringing their human right to violence.

Therefore, they are allowed to run amock, and recieve government sponsored benefits to help them achieve their goals of winning the highest accolade in british society, the ASBO.

It sounds like to much beer and coke mix.

Why do you think it is drink or drug related? I’ve been to many house parties, club nights, pubs and the likes and IMO it has nothing to do with the drink or drug, its all about the person wanting a fight

Maybe 2007 can be the year of a crack down on crime? I’m not talking about doing it with laws, more cctv or even more silly tv ads. I’m talking about cops out on the street at night there to deal with these people.

IMO a cctv camera will not stop you getting your ar$e kicked. But having police on the street will put the people who wants to do this in two minds. I think it is easy for all of us to see that making London the cctv capital of the world has done F/all to sort out crime.

Yet another reason to stay the hell away from the chav ridden public transport in London!

I had no idea what a ASBO was…so I just googled it and read the wikpedia article…I must say that English lawmakers seem to have bizarre, and I mean truly BIZARRE ideas about crime and punishment.

What is the point of making 100% of society give up their right to privacy through the obnoxious and ineffective CCTV program if you’re then going to turn around and allow the 10% of people committing crimes to essentially get away with it? (An ASBO, even the acronym itself, strikes me as more Politically Correct bull****. Why is it so hard to call things as they are? In this case, a CRIME…and why is it so hard to PUNISH people who commit crime? And don’t trouble me with any concern whatsoever for criminal’s “rights”…I’m not at all interested. I think criminals would quickly notice that their rights and freedoms were not infringed upon if THEY DIDN’T COMMIT CRIMES TO BEGIN WITH.)

I think London could learn a lot from NYC…Times Square USED to be unsafe…a slum…infested with porn shops, drug dealers, homeless people…the dregs of society. Rudy Gulliani put a stop to all of that by putting “boots on the ground”…constant policing by REAL POLICE…not video cameras. The dregs of society were eventually all seperated from their freedom WITHOUT the rest of society giving up their right to privacy in the process. Times Square is now a centerpiece of the “new” NYC…clean…and safe for the citizens and visitors to the City to enjoy.

violence is never necessary

Violence is a fact of life, Salee…to pretend otherwise is utter utopian foolishness.

CONFRONTING violence…and punishing those who commit violent acts is a NECESSITY for any society…unless you would prefer to live in anarchy?

sorry …but i could never hurt another and if that is utopian foolishness…

i’m foolish and utopian

its always best to talk

no you are wrong! it takes 2 to talk and a lot of the people commiting these violent acts are beyond talking.the cure is not more laws! enforce the ones that are there and make the punishments stick! why are the police arresting the same drunks and petty criminals week in and week out? not because they are not doing their jobs, rather we as a society have allowed the well doers to overtake the justice system and water down the punishments to the degree that they are useless! for an example, the fuss about 24hr drinking and the increase in drunkedness it was going to create. my opinion is that if you want to stop drink related violence then the way to go about it is to crack down on the small number of morons that cause it not waste time and money dictating to the majority when thay can go into an open bar! if you get arrested 3 timess in a year drunk and disorderly then you go down and if that means more prisons so be it ! I would rather pay for prisons and staff then fund even more useless goverment departments !

I certainly do not agree with you Salee

Views like that are why the “anti social” people are causing chaos, that is why some deluded teenager who has watched too much tv can stab someone else and then later on cry in court and call it a friggin accident

erm dude you just took someone elses life

if he had been told by the relevant people and realised that a life of hard prison labour (which no longer exists by the way since the prisoners would probably sue the government) would be the result of his actions, he would never have done it in the first place

sorry that you feel i am ‘wrong’…it is my opinion which is just as valid as yours

your opinions on punishment are the same as mine…although i go further and say that only bread and water in an unheated cell should be used as punishment

but that still doesnt mean that it is wrong to talk

you have every right not to agree with me

so what do you disagree with???

my not wanting to hurt anyone

that i am foolish and utopian

or that it is always best to talk

as that is all that i wrote

unfortunately Salee, Neville Chamberlain tried to talk to Hitler ‘there will be peace in our lifetime’ and all that cr*p - with some people talking does not work, you have to fight violence with violence.