Angry Britain

Coming soon to a street near you, if it goes to plan...

Britain is an angry nation. Step outside your own front and the evidence is all around you. Arguments in the street there, a small incident of road rage here. You can hear the mutterings of people in the lengthy post office queue, pissed off people being forced to wait for a few minutes.

Nothing new there you say.

But we are angrier than ever. Personally speaking I hate people. "Get out of my fucking way" I think to myself when anyone has the audacity to walk in front of me. I find myself swearing at the television when watching something that I disagree with. In the car I constantly shout and swear at other cars for not indicating at roundabouts or cutting us up. And I don't even drive, the Wife is my chauffeur!

I wasn't like this before. As a younger man I was fairly mellow, nothing much bothered me. I would say to myself I was angry because I was getting older, more cynical. The innocence of youth had left me and was drifting in the ether of times past.

But I'm not so sure that's why. Everyone is angry these days and, to be fair, we have plenty to be angry about.

And that's the problem.

There is so much to be angry about in Britain today and it suits the government. The collective anger isn't being focussed on one large issue, as it should be. The smeargate and expenses scandal, the incompetence of Gorgon and his cronies, the rise to power of Lord Fondlebum of boyes. The erosion of our freedom and the further acceleration of our country into a authoritarian police state. That's what we should ALL be getting angry about.

Instead we have the distractions. Issues that divide us, issues that we talk about with friends, workmates or fellow bloggers. All sorts of things. For the Heat magazine crowd we have the obsession with celebrity and the Big Brother/Britains Got Talent crap on the TV to keep them occupied. The Daily Hate middle class oiks get themselves lathered into a frothing mass of indignation with stories of immigration/assylum seekers and house prices. The working man now has the wildcat strikes at Total and the Royal Mail strikes to talk about. The chattering classes have the Iran issue to discuss at the next fundraiser event. Everyone hates bankers.

Now we are being provoked. The long awaited, much discussed 'Summer of Rage' is nearly upon us. Why else would a video showing heavy handed policing that was recorded last August suddenly pop into the public domain now? Do the powers that be want us to focus our anger against the police? Over the past year or so, there has been numerous stories about police brutality, missing shoulder numbers etc etc.

So, everyone is angry. Now for the next stage of the plan.

They want a 'Summer of Rage'. They want a distraction.

A season of public disorder is just what they want. 'Emergency' public order legislation is ready to be rushed through to be used against everyone, regardless if you are caving in the local cop shop window or if you are a blogger. Another heel to stand on the neck of freedom and liberty. Identity cards will become mandatory for all, police will have carte blanche to stop and check. "Papers please" will be the demand. More CCTV and more data base state. More excuses to moniter and control us all, comply or pay the penalty.

I'm sure many of the good subjects of Britain would be delighted with a few riots, giving it to 'the man'. Showing the bastards that we've had enough.

But I fear that's exactly what they want us to do.