Party Vibe

@GiantMidget 447321 wrote:

Maybe actually properly beating people is a step too far so I’ll retract that bit, The problem still needs addressing though.

it does but what makes things much more difficult if you also want to live a “free” life as a raver was the changes happened in my generation.

In our teens we were much more prepared to challenge authority, whether it was our parents, the Police, or teachers or anyone else.

It wasn’t because we didn’t fear corporal punishment – as it was still an option especially from parents, but we would have physically fought back, especially as we reached our late teens and were often physically fitter and stronger than our fathers in their middle years.

One of my mates at the time was always fighting his own dad on pill comedowns and feds always getting called by his mum as otherwise he would have killed his Dad – not because he wanted to (I know he’d regret it not just because of prison because he wasn’t that bad a guy) And he wasn’t a big scarey violent guy either. but thats how irrational early 90s pills comedowns could make you.

Other folk with more liberal parents (especially 60s hippy/artist types) basically bullied them into putting up with their lifestyles, even subsidising them through their addictions.

BTW as early in 1986 they were warnign against knife carrying in high school, in ’87 one of the lads in my school shanked another and was sent down for about 20 years. Feds were regular visitors to my high school by 1990 to defuse fights between certain groups. And we had thatcho in power then, and much harder authority. We just fought back against it, particularly when there was booze and drugs inside us.

yes and we did shit like robbed the local shop on pill comedowns etc, there was this sort of “midweek madness” when we couldn’t get enough drugs. we’d probably have looted out a hi fi shop, if it weren’t for the fact even then there was shutters on them. In fact one of our lot (this otherwise middle class Asian dude then a few years older than us) who knew about cars ended up robbing loads of motors and doing numerous ramraids of shops, and all this stuff was fenced through our crowd and/or sold on for drugs. we all thought it was good fun until he got nicked and sent down for a few years..

however, it was this same rebellious spirit (as well as a relaxation on media censorship and a rise in free speech and expression) what eventually led to the rave scene and alternative music and media – even the Tories were forced to begrudgingly tolerate loud music and nightlife – initially via legal parties and then when these got locked off by the anti-drugs lot folk took matters into hands and started free parties.

so yes, the problem can be (and perhaps will be) addressed – but at the expense of removing the freedoms and fun we got comparatively recently in my generation. its a case of either being careful what you wish for or being prepared to accept it when you get it.

I was of course pleased that ipswich didn’t have a riot, but at the same time this is because the streets have already been heavily controlled by cops and other authorities, starting with clamping down on raves and more rebellious night time venues.. OK I’m nearly 40 and have “had my fun” so this isn’t a big loss – but already a lot of young friends are feeling the hurt – they just sit at home and do bare ketamine and vainly think the good times will come back – this time they won’t.

I know personally of at least 3 ravers who became coppers since the 90s, there is also “PC Hardcore” in Suffolk Constabulary who spent about 5 minutes chatting to my mate about all the raves he’d been to in his youth (when he was supposed to be discouraging us from attending a illegal one :wink:). If it hadn’t been such a bait/tense situation I’d liked to have spoken to him simply to ask him what made him cross the blue line, as I know the others who did did so because the had seen so much bad shit go down with drugs etc and had genuinely negative experiences from the rave scene.

When I worked in public services myself (for a government dept dealing with the environment), it was amazing how much of your past the Govt will in fact forgive and forget – I was honest about my involvement in raves and that I knew a lot of eco-protestors from the 1990s, their view was that the protestors in fact had a good point and they agreed with a lot of their causes – but the way they went about things wasn’t ideal, plus they got distracted from their real cause by drugs and hedonism (which was true).

And this was from the same senior civil servants what went head to head against these protestors in the 1990s!

I make more money in the private sector today and wouldn’t go back to public service now because of the bureaucracy, but having seen Government from the inside I do not think one bit it is “all evil or a conspiracy” – it needs improvement and I’d rather have a more equal democratic country (like the Netherlands, Norway or Denmark for instance) but if peopel keep pushing things with “riots” and “protests” they will end up like Malaysia as thats that happened there half a century ago – “people power” was divided and strong government ended up being the only solution to stop the entire country burning.

Unless you do quit drugs 100% you are never going to be able to last in todays constabulary – they carry out random drugs testing and if your colleagues suspect you they will dob you in. Even a civillian could make a complaint if they suspected you were under the influence on duty. its not like the 1980s or what is seen in old British TV and film, whether or not you are a Freemason if you can’t cope with their rules then you are as much corrupt as the people robbing shops or MP’s fiddling their expenses.

Where I worked there were other jobs which had more of a need to judge others – especially catching those who polluted the environment, endangered their workers by unsafe use of chemicals or were involved in animal cruelty – I was also offered a transfer to Border Agency to help catch illegal immigrants or smugglers – and again we need officers to catch people doing these bad things, but it was made quite clear to me that I would have to lead a much less rebellious lifestyle and obey the system if I wanted to be part of it…certainly with Border Agency frontline staff there is now random drugs testing, as otherwise the incentive for corruption is way too much..

Actually what put me off (as well as the fact I’d have to knock PV on the head and basically live a solitary life as feds of any sort aren’t popular and you can’t even trust your colleagues in that sort of job) was having to relocate to Sheffield, and still not have a chance of a 100% secure job..

Even after that year, you’d have to stay off permanently TBH, if you relapse when in service you are going to bring so much shit not just onto yourself but your family as well, especilaly if they helped you get into the Constabulary. That might be harder to cope with than the fact you have been as corrupt as those you despise. Even more so than if you are just a civillian getting busted. Also this forum would make the Daily Fail yet again, as this has openly been discussed on a high profile monitored forum..

You’d also have to move away from the music scene as the whole scene (even pop music) revolves around, and is funded by illegal drugs.

I can’t say that I didn’t give the Border Agency job serious consideration. I knew my other Civil Service job was coming to an end, and it was 2005, just after London had got blown up, so I knew the govt needed decent British Asian workers they could trust and I already had a good work record. I was already becoming disillusioned with raving in SE England, and also the amount of hidden racism and hipocrisy anyway on the so-called “alternative communities”, and how drugs were fucking up communities, so I didn’t feel I was betraying anyone, just sticking up for what I thought was right.

However, other than the issue regarding Sheffield, I realised that it would be such a life change and a lonely existence, plus there was always a risk of governemtn changing and budget cuts. OK these days I don’t party any more, but at least the two or so years of fun I did get in EA and the friends I met for a few years here were worth it – plus I’ve managed to carve out a decent career and get a house in this region and have more stability even than being back in public service..