Party Vibe

I am proud to be both English and Asian – although my ancestry is very important to me, my views and culture are wholly different being born in England than had I been born in Kuala Lumpur or Manila or Singapore..

I think there actually is a sense of balance and fair play in England which is lacking in some other nations, even former UK colonies.

As much as we curse the government and “nanny state” they are still quite tolerant and TBH there are loopholes provided you don’t take the piss whilst stopping short of public sector being wholly inefficient or even corrupt whilst still taking fuckloads of taxes.

Or there’s the other extreme where they are ruthlessly efficient with constant surveillance and there is no option other than to obey or fuck off (like how things are run Singapore)

Also consider that down here political extremists are still a rare threat – yes, shit happens, but in some countries (even European ones) a bomb goes off every day or someone is shot dead for their political views.

And when we do have protests and strikes although there is ketling and some cops and protestors get out of hand, there aren’t usually major injuries a couple of years ago at fuel protests in Spain and Portugal, lorry drivers just drove straight into the blockade, crushing the picketers under their wheels. Of course the drivers were immediately arrested by heavily armed cops and must have gone to prison for a very long time, but other than one incident at the 1980s miners strike I’m not aware of anyone recently being killed as part of an industrial dispute in England..

also by and large both EDL and Muslim extremists are seen as muppets by the bulk of their larger communities, whilst in Europe these extremists often have real political and economic power, and by semi-covert funding of gangs (often surprisingly small but ruthless ones), their battles result in blood regularly spilled on the streets (even in unexpected places like Belgium where people don’t think this stuff happens)

there are reasons why despite having a reasonable knowledge of about 4 European languages and the option to go to Malaysia and be set up with a job any time I want I choose to work and live in England..

@AGENT 15 427292 wrote:

Ian Tomlinson at the G20 march?

was thinking more of strikes/pickets rather than protest marches/larger public disturbances (as there have been many more injuries/deaths there, such as Blair Peach) and then all the riots of the 1980s, with reprisal attacks between both cops and rioters (they were arresting folk for the PC Blakelock murder up in Suffolk just a few years ago).

There is always more risk to folk at protest marches anyway as they are viewed as more contentious and have a less widely defined group of people (they can also be much more easily infiltrated by provocateurs or folk who just enjoy trouble) – most strikers, for obvious reasons, aren’t totally set on “destroying” the system and particularly not their employers, just fighting for better pay and conditions so there normally isn’t much opposition other than from groups within the company involved or the cops if they are called to restore order.

Even then its a rare occasion compared to outside the UK. In this country even criminals get treated reasonably well by the Police and justice system nowadays in comparison with 20 years ago and way better than in other lands.

My mum told me about how when she grew up in Malaysia in the 1960s some young lad with learning difficulties gave some cheek to the FRU (Federal Reserve Unit, their riot cops). The basically set upon him and beat him to death with their own bare hands and truncheons. When the mum complained she was told that her son was a “cretin” and “didn’t deserve to live if he can’t respect the Police”. No action was taken against the officers involved. (it was of course things like this what made my family decide to migrate to the UK).

@harr!et 427302 wrote:

oh gaaawd, what a prick.
i bet he goes for a curry every friday night.

Although EDL is full of racist muppets its not 100% white! There are sikhs and hindus in the EDL, who use the clashes as opportunity to cave in the windows of Muslim owned businesses who are of course commercial rivals.

Of course British Asians have been doing this for the last 20-30 odd years especially in places like Southall and Slough but now they can claim its “political activism” rather than just crime between rival businesses.

Also EDL isn’t as anti-drugs as the BNP or other hard-right organisations (several of their members have been busted at marches with wraps of white powder).

Its true that lads in the the video are incoherent idiots, not everyone in the extreme right is stupid. Also todays right wing doesn’t always want all people of “foreign” origin to be kicked out, they just want them to “know their place” and be subservient.

I’ve met people who are “multicultural” when a ethnic person is serving them food for minimum wage, but less so when you are in a management position in a professional job potentially with power over them..