WHAT LIES WITHIN

This week has seen England come under what can only be recognised as 'feral violence' of unimaginable proportions. From Monday to Thursday evening it seemed that every city in the country had come under siege and fear lay within everyone as to where it would next strike.

Youths of all races rampaging through the streets looting and smashing peoples businesses and in the process five men lost their lives which included three within my home city of Birmingham.

Newspapers and news reports have said that this was a tinder box waiting to go up, disillusioned young people with no money, prospects and being forgotten by the government as cut backs are made and centres where perhaps they could have attended have been closed down.

Is a lot of this just an excuse to believe that life owes you a living and as one woman said 'I am only taking my taxes back'. To be honest I don't think she had ever paid any but that was how quite a few felt.

I was raised on a council housing estate in Birmingham during the 70's and 80's. Th estate now has a terrible reputation for drugs, muggings etc. but growing up there was a fantastic life. The whole estate was made up of decent family's who raised their children properly to have manners and respect both for themselves and others.

The majority of the youngsters who were involved in this weeks violence have also been raised on estates but now they are places of fear rather than enjoyment. Concrete jungles filled with people who have been allowed to fester and put there just to give them a roof over their head. Local councils have given up caring and the estates have gone to hell taken over by gangs and drug dealers.

On facebook there is a page that has been set up for all the people who grew up on the estate I did and this week there has been some very interesting arguments. The majority agree that is the lack of home life, love and discipline that these kids haven't got in their life. A feeling that someone gives a damn instead of feeling like 'why should I care when noone else does'. Its a very sad situation but I feel also a very big excuse. Everyone knows that life is what you make of it yourself, if you grow up with violence and poverty around you surely in most peoples minds this would give you the determination to want to leave and make good of your life. There is no such thing as an untalented person, everyone has fantastic qualitys in different ways and maybe someone somewhere needs to go to these places where these youngsters are and show them that this isn't the way to be and if they want the best things in life the right way to do it is to go out and show the world the unique fantastic individual the are.