The frustrations of an unequal society facing people in the poorest and most deprived areas in the country are hardly a revelation. Conversely, the ideas of the great chasm between classes in Britain have been a subject of discussion for centuries.
Why is it then that this divide still exists? As youth unemployment soars, and the rich continue to escape heavy taxation; as tuition fees treble and the government remains determined in its attempts to privatise the NHS, there is little wonder that there seems to be an increasing sense of isolationism in the poorest sections of society.
The riots of last summer were called unprecedented, mindless opportunism; sheer criminality, brought about as a reaction to the never-ending glorification of material possessions that consumes our society. However, subsequent research, such as the Guardian/LSE enquiry, has revealed a depth that had previously been dismissed.
The findings suggested that while it was perhaps true that this wasn’t a united, politically conscious uprising, in at least some of the notions of opportunism were accurate, it was important to look at the bigger picture. What the Guardian/LSE enquiry and ‘The Riots,’ a play by Gillian Slovo, performed at The Bernie Grant Arts Centre, have revealed is the extent of the disaffection of people in deprived areas.
The enquiry showed young people who believe that there are no opportunities available to them, and who felt they were being mistreated in constantly being targeted by an over-aggressive police force. They spoke of the relentless reminders of all the things they can never have, through advertising and a national obsession with obtaining the best quality products.
It is widely suggested that the resentment is borne out of seeing the privileged acquiring material possessions and education so easily, whilst their struggle is being ignored. The riots may not have been overtly politically conscious, but there were reasons to feel angry, undermined and left behind.
Gillian Slovo’s play, ‘The Riots’ was a portrayal of real life accounts and interpretations of the riots in London last summer, covering all perspectives of those involved, from the participants to the politicians, to the police. One of the most compelling stories, taken from the many hours of interviews and research that went into compiling the play, was a portrayal of a Hackney citizen’s take on ’The Great Clean-up’ that occurred in the aftermath of the events. Here was a character not directly involved in the riots, but a woman living in a deprived Hackney council estate, and closely affiliated with people who were. For her, to witness an army of middle class ‘do-gooders’ coming to ‘fix the broken streets’ was an act of severe patronisation, serving as a powerful visual representation of the misunderstandings and divisions between classes that exists today.
Some analyses of the events were less measured. David Starkey, a respected historian, took to the BBC’s Newsnight to give his opinion that the influence of “Black culture” had some part to play in events. “The Whites have become Black,” he argued, to widespread and deserved condemnation. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVq2bs8M9HM)
The notion that the riots, as some have suggested, were in any way to do with racial orientation has been dismissed, given there is no evidence to support this. No overwhelming percentage of one particular ethnic minority was involved.
In a society where so much division already exists, it is dangerous that some are intent on creating more. It is also unfortunate that the targeting methods of young Black teenagers adopted by the police force and some sections of the media can lead to such animosity.
Parallels can be drawn between recent events in the UK’s major cities and The Brixton Riots of 1981. The Brixton Riots came about in the wake of a recession, just as in 2011.
One night, youths from a deprived area of London watched the police intervene disastrously in an incident involving a Black teenager being stabbed. Police allegedly led the bleeding youth away to be interrogated, rather than calling for the medical assistance he obviously required. The crowd jostled with the authorities, which resulted in a greater police presence in the area. This ultimately caused an isolated event to escalate tensions; and a whole group of disaffected people decided to fight back. Unemployment figures for people in Brixton stood at 13%. Unemployment among Black youths in the area was estimated at 55%.
In 2011, the shooting of Mark Duggan, and the mistreatment of his family by the police lit the torch paper for the events that were to follow. Though talk of institutional racism in the police force carried less weight, as many accounts of socially deprived White teenagers spoke of incidents in which they were being similarly mistreated.
The events of last summer showed a whole section of unemployed youth demonstrating their anxiety and anger in the most ruthless way, regardless of ethnicity. It is perhaps true that racism is less of an issue in 2011 than it was in 1981, but it is difficult to say how far things have moved forward. The overwhelming amount of similar accounts of the trials facing deprived young people suggests that social divides are just a much of an issue today as they were in 1981.
Reactions of two Prime-ministers have not helped the argument that there is a parliamentary understanding of the wide divisions that exist. Margret Thatcher dismissed talk of unemployment and racism being behind The Brixton Riots in the 1980s. ‘Nothing can justify what happened,’ she had said. Calls to increase investment in deprived parts of the inner cities were met with similar disdain by Thatcher. ‘Money cannot buy trust or racial harmony’ she opined.
In 2011, David Cameron, and members of his cabinet blasted the riots as ‘sheer criminality’, before an investigation as to why they happened was able to take place.
When there is a lack of understanding of the problems facing the poorest in our society from our country’s leaders, how is the divide between classes ever going to become narrower? How are the increasing amounts of unemployed people, living in over-crowded council estates throughout the country, ever going to feel comforted and reassured by a government made up of highly privileged, expensively educated politicians?
These are difficult questions to answer, but it is only by being aware that the divide exists and is a fundamental problem that we can begin to try and rectify the situation.
There are ways to make stepping-stones. By giving increased funding to the arts and apprenticeships, we can give all people the chance to get involved with something positive, regardless of social background. There are schemes in place that have worked in the past, and have led to many who were involved in crime previously, giving their devotion towards something positive and being given a taste of success.
Of course, these are troubled financial times, but it would be nice to one day look back and be re-assured that a whole generation of disadvantaged people haven’t been left out in the cold.
