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UK- style riots in Australia - not so far-fetched 8/10/2011 8:40:58 PM
Anarchy, social disobedience and insurrection is the penalty society pays when the greater proportion of the population is excluded from opportunities fundamental to their future. Shocked as I am by the looting in London, Birmingham and Manchester, it is apparent that the UK is now reaping the rewards of social inequity.
Resentment often leads to rage. And it is a fact that many young people have strong reasons to feel aggrieved. Children from poorer areas in the UK lag far behind students in affluent suburbs. Constantly moving from one rental home and in many cases living rough, of course they resent missing out on the material things that children from affluent families take for granted like trendy clothes, trips to the movies, holidays and school excursions.
By the time they are older enough to become a nuisance to society (in the case of the baby-faced thugs - nine plus), they know that the future isn't going to be any different. All they can expect is long term poverty as they are excluded from the workforce as a result of low educational attainment and inadequate social skills.
Here in Australia, we must take note because for decades our social policies have alienated and marginalised people and unless, we too, are prepared to reap the whirlwind, the government has to find ways to ensure that our own disaffected youth does not feel excluded from the economic and social life of the country.
For a start, we have to find ways to fund welfare programs stop cutting services and ferociously defend attempts to erode our egalitarian heritage. The most obvious is for corporations and high income earners to pay higher taxes. It won't be popular. Especially, as many wealthy people believe that the poor deserve to be treated the way they are.
Fine if the less privileged are prepared to suffer in silence. But as we are seeing in the UK this is no longer the case. I certainly don't want to live in a Mad Max world and that is why the most important issue facing the government is to ensure that all our citizens get a fair go.
