Tuesday, August 09, 2011

Riots

Oh, for the days when my children looked like this.

Currently, as I have bemoaned before, Daughter 2 (in the middle) is in London. She's there mainly because her husband-to-be wants to be an actor and therefore feels he has to be in London. I have no idea why anyone would want to be an actor. And there are too many actors for the work available so he's impecunious. And at the moment, he's in Edinburgh because he's appearing in the Festival Fringe. And London is suffering horrible riots, which have been breaking out all over the place for the past three nights. Idiot young men are looting and burning shops and houses. And she's there - not at the moment near any riots but who knows where they'll go next? Any parent can imagine how we feel about this.

She often works late but, thank goodness, is not going to do so this week. And she and some friends have agreed to spend the night in whoever's flat seems furthest from danger - not that this is easy to assess, since the rioting has been breaking out in various places. How ridiculous does it seem, in a so-called civilised country, to have to evacuate your home and seek shelter with friends? And yet I'm very glad she won't be alone.

I'm not a person who is often angry but I'm angry now. Angry (not just on behalf of my daughter) and totally helpless.


12 comments:

  1. Oh, what a worry Isabelle. DD2 has a good head on her shoulders though, and I'm betting she'll be fine. I've only heard snippets of the riot news -- details about what's been happening here and there, but never the cause. What are they rioting over?

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  2. Me too. Furious. I was thinking of your daughter, and praying she is somewhere safe. This is just unbelievable.

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  3. Yes, the whole situation is infuriating. People rioting because apparently they live in a repressive police state where they have very hard lives. I suggest they all move to Zimbabwe and see how they get on. I would even chip in for their air fares.

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  4. I'd be worried sick too. I hope it all calms down soon.

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  5. Could not believe what I was seeing on the news, hugs to you all, and prayer for D2's safety.
    Re things learnt at school and never used, mine is.....osmosis is the process by which two liquids etc etc, still not sure what it means but more of a word person than a science one!

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  6. I would be worried too, but let's hope all's well, it seems to have quietened down a bit in London now...

    My thoughts and best wishes.

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  7. Thoughts and prayers go out to you, it's so hard when are children are far from home and horrible things are happening around them.

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  8. Thimbleanna - they're not really rioting as such - it's just plain looting and thuggery and to impute a "reason" for the violence beyond greed and aggression is giving far too much nobility to these thugs' actions.

    I'm spitting about it. So many peoples' lives, businesses and homes wrecked so a handful of brats can nick a plasma TV is sickening. And then to say it's about "social justice" or some other soundbite they've heard on the telly. Grrrr

    I'm sure your lovely daughter will be fine but sending some positive good wishes down there to assist.

    Lesley xx

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  9. I am keeping your family and all those in peril close to my heart until all of this terrible violence is over.

    I worry that that will happen here in the near future.

    Please try to keep Daughter2 safe and we all will continue to pray for a safe resolve to this horrible situation

    Deanna M.
    Fort Worth, TX
    USA

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  10. I'm angry too, because the news over here in the US has barely touched on this stuff... made it sound more like a one-off than the widespread craziness that it actually is.

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  11. I too share your concern for my 2 lovelies in London and all their friends. We got out just in time it seems!

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  12. I too was concerned for my cyberspace friends in the U.K. The riots have received a lot of media coverage here (in Melbourne, don't know about the rest of Oz) and everyone is talking about it - we are shocked and disgusted by these ratbags. I'm pleased to see the government and police have acted swiftly to find the culprits and bring them to justice. I heard on the news tonight that a mother actually took her own kids to the police when she saw them on the 'wanted' photos. Good on her!

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