The reasons for knife crime are complex, but it’s wrong to ignore the impact of cuts to youth funding
Actually, I can. However, before that; what cuts? Seriously, this austerity bollocks is beginning to pall. It was nonsense from the outset. There are no cuts. When Cameron came to power in 2010, he pledged to reduce government spending. What he actually did was reduce the rate of borrowing, so government spending has risen. I repeat; there are no cuts.
That said, I grew up in a poor environment. My parents struggled and we had little in the way of assets and luxuries. We managed okay, but they had to be thrifty to survive. There was no “youth spending” and if there was, I never saw any of it. Yet, oddly enough, I didn’t go out stabbing people. Those who do, do not do it because of a lack of “youth spending”, they do it because they are nasty, violent scum that deserve to be behind bars.
Yet again, we have the guardianista making excuses for the inexcusable. I grew up understanding the difference between right and wrong without any government spending. So can modern youth.
Cut more, cut often, cut deep.
BBC news covered a story about education “cuts” yesterday. Footage of assorted teachers, parents and kiddiwinks waving banners protesting about the “cuts”. At least the BBC were reporting honestly for once, that spending on education had actually risen. The claim was actually that costs were allegedly rising more than the funding was. Lying to children in order to use them as pawns is pretty low even by lefty standards.
I had a fairly humble upbringing too, I didn’t go around stabbing people either and neither did anyone I know.
Those non-existent “cuts” are merely an excuse to wave banners and stomp well-shod feet in protest, especially from people who have no inclination to work because they are well-paid by the state to do f*ck-all. Like all lefty actions, it’s all pretty meaningless but makes great (their word, not mine) street theatre.
I too was raised in less than perfect circumstances in t’industrial north. As such I saw real poverty where there was simply nothing and certainly no clean clothes for the kids; the fact I had parents who could provide meals and a few clean clothes was remarkable considering how some people round us lived. Even in the early 70s my then wife taught at a school where if a child came to class in a new cardigan or jumper, it was sign it was their birthday.
I get tired of the empty-headed talk of poverty. Very few people these days have nothing and if they haven’t got much they can count on the state to make their lives at least tolerable unless they blow it all on booze and/or drugs. More, no one took knives to fights as far as I knew. Most fights, when they happened, were stand-up affairs between two unarmed adults. Oh, there was gang warfare; I recall my former wife having a lad in her class who part of a once-notorious city gang and I raised my eyebrows and told her to watch out. I explained to her his relatives had women who would boil water so they could throw it on rival gang members while their menfolk prized up pavement stones (‘flags’) to hurl at the other men. But no one would take knife.
I am not romanticising this: they were criminal people who did violent things, but they did them on equal terms. Mind you, the bobbies were more than likely to thump the bad guys. There was no squeals of ‘police brutality’ then. Break the law, have your collar felt and chances were your collar bone broken.
The truth is, as any sensible person can see, there is far too much ‘public money’ washing around being wasted and far too much underhand behaviour. Carrying knives is about as underhand as it gets. We used to sneer at those countries where the ‘men’ would carry a blade, but we have to put up with it now. I’m not even sure we got the men, just the feckless yoof.
‘Poverty’ these days means only having a 40″ flat screen TV, and no full Sky subscription.
Of course we do. We imported so many of these ‘men’.
A few months ago we gained a new bus shelter, LED lighting, benches, digital display etc. Within 4 days someone had carried out a flammability test on the light fitting, probably with a mate or two to help as it is beyond most people’s reach. The glass panels have been kicked out and replaced with plastic and the metal panels have also been kicked out and refitted several times.
I expect it is protest against our foreign policy or sumfink.
I hope you don’t mind swearing on hear Mr longrider. Agree with you sod all to do with cuts to youth funding.
Absolute load of bollocks to suggest this. Totally to do with liberal bullshit ideology that removed corporal punishment from schools prevented a Bobby from giving a clip round the ear etc. Whilst at the same time empowering youths with a shit load of rights without responsibilities.
Will we (society ) ever redress this ? Rhetorical question. No not a chance horse has bolted and fucked off long ago.
Whilst I am at it the demographic ethnic make up of this rise in disgusting evil violence must be taken into account when trying to prevent it. . Bullshit not too.
Nostalgia when I was a lad teenager in the 1970 s I and my mates would go hunting rats rabbits take with us knives and several air rifles and pistols. .can’t remember ever any of us shooting or stabbing each other.
Yes guess the snowflake s green liberal nut jobs with call out cruel to kill rats rabbits. They are entitled to their opinion. However, even these nut jobs must realise that to shoot skin a rabbit is not as bad as to stab shoot or kill a human …
Or can they ?????????