Â鶹ԼÅÄ

Tony Blair's been hanging around GW Bush for too long. Surprised Tony hasn't blamed it on Gay Marriage.

According to what Tony Blair said, I held the strong opinion that his reasoning is flawed. One may have seen many news on gun attacks by Black indeed. However, if it is not of deprivation and poverty, will one, specifically Black, most likely to cause these problems for the society? I believe not. "A distinctive Black culture", to my opinion, is totally mistaken. Not to mention, Black are not even the one who invented weapons such as guns! A rather racist comment was expressed by Tony Blair to the public.

The problem is the exponential increase in the number of children brought up in one parent families. This is predominently characterised by a single mother and a feckless father. There is a dearth of decent male role models around for such children. The Government refuses to see this, and sees such views as an attack on single parents and the children resulting from such loose relationships. This is because of the personal experience of one or two Ministers (Alan Johnson in particular who has tunnel vision on the subject) and the desire not to offend them. I am not suggesting that there are not irresponsible parents who are married, but all the statistics (and common sense!) point towards the facts that a significantly higher proportion of children from one parent families more inclined towards criminalty, alcohol and drug abuse and school failure. Promoting marriage and committed life-long relationships has unfortunately gone out of fashion. Promote marriage again through the tax/benefits system and halt the rise in the PC brigade who continue to support 'anything goes'.

Neither poverty nor cultural traditions can breed violence. These are complex issues (think parenting, schooling, mentors, environment, mental health). Neither is violence limited to the poorer sections of society (see the tragic case of Alberto Izaga, 04 June 2007 Times Online). My guess is this crime will not receice nearly as much interest as the sensational "black gang shootings". Respect must start at home. We need to sort out domestic violence in our country's homes (white and black) first.

hi i do feel we have a broken society. as people come to this country they must like our way of life so why does everyone want to change it .it must be awful to live in a country and not able to speak to anyone because you don't speak english. this should be part of being included in any society judith

Not "there WERE a series....." but "there WAS a series.......". Come on Newsnight, very basic grammar, A series is singular!!! I thought you were supposed to be an educated lot (evidently, semi-literate)

Black families have a trend toward losing fathers or father figures. This together with the British tradition of building housing estates and Labour's abondonment of family values, means that peer pressure is the prevailing influence.
Until there is more discipline in schools, respect for the establishment and integration, not just culturally but doing away with council estates, there is not much hope for change.

Why should it be an issue in this country were the police do'nt generaly carry Guns.Black or white anyone carring a gun should get an
instant 20 years in prison or juvanile detention(with plenty of hard labour attached to it)do'nt let this low life culture creep into Britain.Should anyone actualy use the gun, then life should be life(with loads of hard labour attached to it).

It's not a part of a "distinctive black culture", but a part of a distinctive failure in Labour policy regarding gun control, law enforcement and the whole criminal culture under the politically correct policing introduced under the myopic labour party. When the law abiding majority and the victims of crime are treated worse than the criminals, (because the way that human rights legislation is perversly interpreted in this country), the result is a continuing rise in increasingly violent thuggery because they get away with it. We cannot harras or target the criminals in case it offends their human rights or their racial sensibilities.

When you could defend yourself and you where innocent until proven guilty then there was less crime.

legalise guns for the defence of the law abiding majority and this "youth street crime wave" would end overnight.

Drugs drugs and more drugs plus a lack in most instances of a father figure coupled with their rapping scenes imported via American tv shows where the killing of Policeman and a complete disregard for rules of society are meaningless, to days situation is just the tip of the ice berg,the woman are treated like dirt and refered to as bitches, birth control is unknown to Rastafarian men and the future is very very bleak for all of us.

at least we hear blair's refuse now that he's not going to be as prominent

idea for "Broken Society" item

The caring role of the family

refer to:
recent Report on Neglect of Elderley
(Age Concern?)
Carers Week this week
Subject - How far is it possible for families to be involved in the care of sick/vulnerable/elderly relatives??
factors:
social - families scattered
economic /social/ changing role of women / mid-life responsibility husband/wife both likely to be working to support family/cost of university education for older children close involvement with elderly relatives more difficult?? Financial Support - Carer's Allowance/DLA makes it financially difficult
Housing - availability of suitable housing for extended family??
Care in the Community - inadequate
Cultural - are we accustomed to the Welfare State taking on this responsibility?
Are these the factors which combine to produce neglect ??

EVery Child Matters - So we are told, but the reality for many is very different. True there are large numbers of young people acheiving well in school, getting involved in projects and activities out side of school - making a real positive contribution to their commmunities. HOwever there is now, more than ever an increasinly large number of young people who feel abandoned, ignored by their parents and forgotten by organisations that should be engaging with them, giving them an opportunity to have their say, express the reality for them, as they see it. In a climate where we are supposed to be consulting with young people so we can improve services for them, we still are not listening, we don't like what they have to say - its that simple. things will only change when we actively listen to young people and most crucialy work with them to create real change that reverberates through the lives of those younger children on the cusp of teenagedom!

I reeally don't think that Mr. Blair understands the complexities of the problems. He sits in his office and doesn't go out after dark to roam the streets. He doesn't understand the complexities that "gang" members undertake to become indroctrinated into the gangs. They are looking for some sort of stability that they don't get at home. They are, more than likely, looking for that "father" figure who isn't there for them, and the gang offers that. It is a problem all over the world: just look at the United States and one will see the rise of gang membership. The members think it is "cool" to join a gang. Only after one of them gets killed, do they realise that, being in a gang isn't all that it is cracked up to be. Lets hope that Mr. Blair comes to a better understanding of the problem and tries to offer a better solution to the main problem at hand: that is to have more dialouge with the gang members and see it from their eyes.

It's called diversity and multiculturalism!
As the Â鶹ԼÅÄ HYS page today has put it
"Should more be done to educate and inform the indigenous community?
And will receive information packs as how to deal with both!"

This is what takes place when a country and it's people have been conquered by a foreign power.

Who said "We will change Britain forever" know that, know the traitor!

This is not a racial statement or question, but purely one that is of interest to me in figuring out which comes first in this matter; the chicken or the egg.... the poverty or the race, the ethos or the gun culture ... irrespective of race.
Does anyone know of a small white ethnic minority in any country dominated by a black (or any other than white classification)goverment anywhere in the world where the minority of whites pose or constitute the same problems in relation to the rest of the society as is found with a black minority in a predominantly white society or country as referred to in this discussion?

The trend towards guns may have started from a Jamaican cultural root but, if black gangs are "tooled up" does Mr Blair really believe white gangs will simply say "Oh that's not cricket" and not follow suit? Coming from Hull, I can assure him that this is a problem for the whole of our society.

The only gangs I know of are the groups such as Solicitors Police NHS who gang up to stop families getting the information they need.

These people are putting themselves before families. When adult Children have no rights to information regarding their own parents how do they keep them safe?

Time for honest within the family unit and for families to be kept informed

Have a look at "Margate man', a warrior on the Kent coast. The dispossessed, disenfranchised and the alienated hang together at this seaside outpost. White on white crime, immigration conflict, mass umemployment, a transient population and drug problems all contribute to violent crime in the area. The rejects of society are dumped here out of the way of politicians and polite society, and havoc rules on the streets. These people have no 'home', no job and no future. Did Tony Blair ever visit Margate for a weekend break?

I am really delighted that you are commencing a series on 'The Broken Society'. and I trust that it will prove to be a true exposure of the Blair legacy in fact going as far back as the Thatcher regime.
The culture of greed and selfishness kick-started by Margaret Thatcher in the 1980's has been invigorated with a new lease of life by Tony Blair, so much so, that the top to median inequality gap has more than quadrupled since 1997. The resultant decline in social responsibility is epitomised by the 'fat cat' explosion. The inequalities between rich and poor continue to compound at an alarming rate, whilst the Blair regime unashamedly provides succour to corporate avarice, corruption and fraudulent activity. As the blair-inspired obsession with materialism and unbridled commercialism in all its worst manifestations becomes the creed of the day, it is little wonder that the fabric of society is at high risk of disintegrating as never before. Excessive inequalities lead to tension and conflict that translate into social ills. Evidence of a broken society abounds in all directions. It is hardly surprising that Britain heads the league of most social ills in the developed world, and in particular the following:
Alcohol abuse
Suicide/Self Harm
Teenage Pregnancy
Crime & Imprisonment rate
Obesity
Bullying
Drug Abuse
Anti-social Behaviour
Animal cruelty
Paedophilia
Delinquency
etc, etc, etc
I have compiled detailed statistics on all the above
All these issues and many more are so relevant to the times in which we live, and I do applaud Newsnight for their courage in addressing this sad and depressing situation
Sincerely
Cllr David Walsh

Quote: “Tony Blair said that the spate of gun attacks was part of a "distinctive black culture" rather than about poverty and deprivation. Is he right?�

No. Violent crime seems to be a real problem amongst disillusioned, disaffected youth of all races in this country, but is worse among the educationally disadvantaged

I don’t know what the cause of the problem is, but I’d suggest the education system being in a continual state of flux owing to this government’s mismanagement is probably an unsettling and contributory factor.

Add to that the social problems which have been exacerbated by unbalancing the population by such schemes as paying single parents to have children without the prospect of them being brought up in a stable environment and we see the emerging social disaster emerging from the sludge of failed New Labour meddling.

What children NEED is stability, if that is lacking all perceived problems become exaggerated.

There is no real poverty in this country as long as people have access to benefits and in my experience even the drug addled, neglectful, unemployed parents have benefits which they blow on drugs and alcohol.

Christ. Is this the remedial class?
Elijah, clearly not the prophet or anyone blessed with celestial insights raises a point. A small white ethnic minority causing trouble? Well, in the "UK" we had this thing about guns in Northern Ireland. I don't recall seeing too many black people involved in that. But it wasn't described as "white on white" violence. The white minority in South Africa enjoyed a murderous gun culture, too. But in most cases white minorities don't cause problems because they hold the power. It's about ecomomics and colonialism. What happens in black inner city areas is the outworking of history and imperialism. It may have become exacerbated by rap culture but predates it. If rap never existed, racism, poverty and the black underclass still would. And if you really need to see white people causing mayhem with guns, try Iraq. If you must post, try and be aware of the issues. Muppets.

and what would one class as a 'working society'? if iraq is one end of the spectrum who is at the other and where are we?

what picture do people have in their head when they talk about a good society? The 1950's? Compass?

in the same way jihadis have their preachers that inspire them so gangs have theirs and you can find their 'songs' being 'bigged up' and 'kept real' by the 'bloods' on the 'mother copulating' bbc 1xtra. How lucky we are?

The labour party likes to blem others for there faliers, from its foriegn policy to Eduction,by seying that black on black is black society problem the labour party is seyingt that we (the goverment don't see you as a part of british soceity yet we are happy to take your tex's.
when was the last time that labour goverment said that paedophilia
was a white problem.

To classify this phenomenon as black is forgetting to look at more complex issues. To blame parents or institutions for the failure of our society in helping youth would be also too simple.
There is a need to look at the roots of the problems, let's not forget that we also have other episodes of violence that do not concern black kids. Let's go back to not long ago when a kid in Peckham was killed and another episode that affected another black youth. The perpetrators were not black. Let's not make small boxes, which would be counterproductive to the benefit of a society that needs democracy values, no scapegoats or xenophoby.
Thanks
Daniela

I detest the fact that this vile criminal act committed by a few misguided, social misfits has been made indelible on the black person's image by Tony Blair in particular by his labelling of it as "Black Culture". I am a black woman and my culture does not include crime, shootings, stabbings, murders, thieving and all the bad labels that seem to be associated with it. I also do not support any form of criminal/illegal activities. These activities, if I may add, are common to all races, so should not be referrd to as elements of the "black culture". Shall we then say that Peadophilia is an element of the "white culture" since most known peadophiles are of the caucasian race? Of course not! So let's loose the "culture" label on this front.

Its the idolisation of the Afro-American musical culture, nothing more nothing less.

White society in the same socio-economic strata encounter the same obstacles and opportunities as their Black contemporaries, but are unable to use the race card as an excuse.

How many shootings have occurred within the predominately white musical culture, and how many of the artists have blown each other away?

They long to be a part of the gang violence on the streets of L.A and other such American cities, to the extent of creating their own, preaching the same circumstance of victim.

Pseudo-American gangsters, nothing more nothing less.

There are certainly cultural aspects and drivers determining the type of violent criminality and the under-class that sustains and promotes it.
This is not to say, however, that certain races are pre-disposed to this kind of appalling behaviour (or indeed that certain races are inclined to more productive behaviour).

There are myriad factors for the appalling levels of criminality and gang violence in 'black' communities. Most obviously economic and educational under-achievement, and the according break-down of families and communities.

These unfortunately are also problems which affect other communities, but without the same levels of violence or gang culture emanating. One must reach the conclusion that the 'gangsta' culture, so celebrated by hip-hop music and US-culture does have a negative and influencing effect on these communities.

It is embarrassing; promoting ignorance, misogny and the pursuit of bling at all costs. Ironically it is the most base worship of capitalism whilst at the same time promoting a lifestyle which would exclude any followers from obtaining, by orthodox means, the very baubles and possessions it so celebrates.

One of the greatest obstacles is the fact that mainstream white society remains untouched by these grubby goings-on and therefore does not possess the inclination to tackle the problem seriously. We can't be bothered - let them kill each other as long as no-one innocent gets killed - sad, but that's the reality.

There are parallels with the West's inconsistent and half-hearted response to the problems in Africa, but that's another story.

The problems we are seeing today are the conequence of a long term cultural change (that's trivially, and tautologously true). It's not something that will be imporved by pumping more education or more welfare support into the lower end of society. Blair had this totally wrong. It just makes the problem worse.

The problem is not essentially racial. It' a consequence of low verbal ability, and that's genetic. It is not addressable via education, or money.

We are producing too many children of lower cognitive ability and less children of higher cognitive ability, in a technologically advanced culture which requires more births from the group which is currently producing far too few (because those females are genetically smart enough to *see* the long term costs to having larger families (i.e they can project forward the personal demands on themselves, so they limit their family size). We are also seeing more children being born to those who can't foresee the costs.

As a consequence we have an ever deteriorating mean cognitive ability in our country, it is shifting the mean of the cognitive ability disribution to the left and dumbing down society. We have a shrunken top tail and an expanded bottom tail. Crime rises as a consequence. It is as simple as that.

Education won't correct this, as one can't make silk purses out of sows' ears, all one will do is frustrate and annoy those it is lavished upon.

This will only change by changing differential fertility, which requires social changes most can not envisage.

Only the Orthodox Jews and Muslims buck the trend, and they are competing for hegemony.

The rest are making themselves extinct, and are getting too daft to see it.

I see such kids in greenford where I live, if only they had the right parents to guide them, its not their fault. I have made friends with one of those kids, asking him to do me favours to help my out with my kid when i go out and boosting his ego and self confidence and telling him how lovely he would look if he had a suit on and sat in an office with a lovely job, coz nobody is better than anybody and if others can ork then so can he. i made him a cv and trained him for interview and now he works for JD sports. Those kids need advice and love and a good mother and father to give them a home. They are only human..

its no proven point tht all gun crime and stabbings are commited by black people so no need to be blaming black people all the time.

That was a powerful insight into the black youth of Hackney. The lack of communication however, is highlighted by the fact that we couldn't understand what was being said. Could we have a rerun with subtitles?

i think all wat was said true from all views. from pierre to peter to all of the views. the most structured was pierre & peter. they spoke truth and realisim. i think more views from both peter & pierre should be viewed in all the upcoming series. i like the way possitivity and negativity was out putted.

Not part of the debate, but something that should be pointed out: the filming took place in Manor House (London Borough of Harringey) and Finsbury Park (London Borough of Islington). Not all Hackney kids.

Watching the report tonight was like looking at TV footage of American East-coast ghetto kids in the 80's. Poor kids who've been failed by their parents and educators coupled with a severe lack of decent male role-models are just some of the reasons. Mimicing inane 'gangsta' lifestyles and the pursuit of easy money where respec' and rep' is everything. Another sad example of the dismal failure of multicultarism in the UK and Europe. It could be funny if it wasnt so serious.

this film was not at all representative of what it is liking living in manor house- highly selective

I watched the item having been lead to believe that this was about Hackney gang culture. Without wishing to diss the brothers and sistes, this was filmed on the verge of Hackney - Manor House - a million miles away from the desperation of areas a couple of miles down the road. Shots of Finsbury Park and discussion of Tottenham/Wood Green. THis was a soft item, made with safety in mind and no cutting edge.
There is trouble out there but this item showed wannabees and offered no insight into the consequences of the huge inequalities afflicting society

It’s really sad that the media concentrates on the negativity and stereotypes of young black people when there many young black people doing well. Not selling drugs and getting pregnant. It’s a shame that your mini documentary gives all young black youths a negative image. I have a close friend who is from the area where teens were murdered this year. He’s at university with myself and will graduate this year, with first honours.
It shows that not everyone on these estates are incapable, ignorant, violent and badly brought up.
He isnt my only example I have many black friends who have overcome poverty, deprivation and rasicm and are on route to becoming very succesful.
It is really important for these black people to go back into their community and prove that success can be achieved. I feel that our greatest role model for black British boys is Sir Alan’s first apprentice; Tim Campbell. It would be great if he had more publicity.

Hackney is the governments problem, there excuse for housing, a block of flats is pathetic, if maybe housing had been thought through thoroughly and persons to live in one area kept to a minimum, problems wouldnt be so grand. Even though it is a major problem in Hackney, it is not the only problem, gun and knife crimes are happening in all major towns, with more and more people trying to ''Fit'' in with the gangs and try and look cool, the younger generation are taking more and more knives as they go out with their friends as their mothers are scaring them greatly of the dangers of the outside world, and the problems are emphasized by extended news coverage and everyone trying to impress their friends and show of infront of them, which is where happy slapping, and gang beatings is escalating from.

If something isnt put into action soon by all parties of the government kicking up a fuss, none of these problems are going to go away, their continuous statistics is bull, we wont action not words.

Interesting little film about the environment in Hackney...

I work with the same kind of ''challenging'' young people in one of the richest boroughs in London and am becoming quite frustrated about the way that we're living within an extremely reproductive society. Where a great deal of the young population in London are categorized and labeled because of social inheritance, excluded from the system and society, by not living up the standards of efficiency and qualification that is demanded. Especially children, are instilled with fear through exclusion from school, to maintain reports and figures.

Maintaining and preserving balance within society, making sure, there are enough people to occupy the jobs, nobody else wants, whilst establishing more employment to take care of the ‘’incompetent’’, as a way of safeguarding a positive perspective, through manipulated numbers and statistics. Ensuring, the rich are, met with consideration and approval, whilst the poor are, assorted and met with, sanction and distance, leaving them to fend for themselves, in poverty, having to find a living, providing under funded foster care or falling into criminal activities, if not both!

Improving these low standards, should be through the public sector. But civil servants have acquired a feeling of helplessness, through bureaucracy, constant change, procedure, legislation and regulations, leaving the employee frustrated and powerless in a struggle keep up with too many family case loads and accountable documentation. Time only to concentrate on the worst case scenarios. Working in overcrowded offices, under conditions that wouldn’t be considered a healthy or an inspirational work environment. Which only motives a constant rotation.

The overwhelming amount of legislation and procedure, doesn’t help, and has instilled a lack of trust and fear of allocation, leaving the worker feeling unsupported and self-protective, distancing themselves from the environment they work in, left numb.

Increasing and decreasing inequality's of living standards by reducing the resource distribution in the public sector, seems to be an expected and a fairly accepted process, leaving both family’s, employees and society as a whole, worse off.

The film shown was both relevant and disturbing, in one of the richest society’s in the world.. and the borough doing the usual agumentation through statistics..

Don't want to post here about blame or pretend I have solutions.

Striking film.

Interesting to see a side of my neighbourhood I almost never encounter. I've lived in the Manor House / Turnpike Lane area for nearly 5 years. Shop only in the locals shops. Drink mainly in the local pubs. Hang out in the local cafes. The kids from the school featured in the film (Greig City Academy) walk home down my street every afternoon. I've never had any trouble.

Partly I want to correct the impression - that the neighbourhoods featured are seriously dangerous and out of control. Not in my experience. Perhaps if I was a young black guy I'd think differently.

What does this say? That it is possible to live in a bubble? That we live parallel lives? This is usually talked about as a bad thing. But is it? Better that we couldn't even live in the same areas?

When will the so common and handy phrase between teenagers"I carry a knife for my own protection"end? isn't that the police job?

See every where these are just kids(colour is regardless)doin what everyone does tryin to find a cause (post codes). They dont under stand that Hackney is what they make it. And dont think all Hackney is that bad it is quite a pleasant part of London in most places. These kids dont know poverty Ive been Mexico, China and many other 3rd worlds thats where poverty is. And its because of tax payers like the majority of us whoprovide to keep this country with what many people in others dream of

Free Education
Free Health Care
Many forms of Benifits
Freedom
The Vote

I feel sickend by those who claim they have no choice and just abuse everything thats given to them. And its not just black on black its all youths in every part of London and England. And why this guys friends are getting out of HMP for 'Attempted Murder' is even more of a suprise that is compete and utter crap those boys are talking about. There just making stuff sound worser than it really is to look hard on the Â鶹ԼÅÄ.

And that other guy talkin about its all right to deal drugs to a certain age group mug! I wonder how he would feel if someone was dealing Crack to his mum just so they can pick up some more apparel to go with there stupid image if there so much poverty why is it they can afford the clothes that are sold on Oxford Street and other High Street retailers you woudnt catch them in Oxfam now would you

And if you dont want trouble dont go to other areas with a big shirt thats says Hackney all over it your gonna get hurt because they assume your there for one thing trouble

I know what im talkin about dont try telling me different that Piere was right about one thing they dont know the meaning of the word Ghetto.

The Â鶹ԼÅÄ makes it worse and those kids just made Tony Blair look 100% correct by their stupid braggin

the post above said it all, I have been thinking the same for years, its Darwin in reverse
If the goverment devised a program that would turn the general population into window lickers, the left and right would go crazy, and they would be right to do so
but what we see today. the intelligent males and females have smaller and smaller familes while idiots tend to have larger familes
and the intelligent get to pay the increased costs of crime, welfare ect

Is there a black person alive today in London, who does not want to be a rap star

do ye know what i mean
do ya get me
init

If you don't Front, you don't have to Back

From watching this item what appears so strongly to me is that these kids are all fighting so much to put on a big show, a brave face, they want to APPEAR to be big and strong and tough and that they are King of their piece of over populated turf. They have so much invested in Self Image, to Be Some One, to stand out... And that all leads to having to backup the Image they are trying to project.

When you have to back up a created image of superiority it never ends, it just escalates endlessly, to where? To killing each other for Face, for Appearances, to appear to be THE MAN! whatever...

This is all fed by the culture we live in, the news stories reported, the films shown, the music and the musicians, The whole Tu Pac/Biggie Smalls face off (not very recent I know but a good example of this thing), the companies that market the products to these kids...

We're all products of our culture and our culture a result of our engagement with it... Culture changes and actively engaging with a culture, a set of ideas, of held beliefs is the best way to begin to make changes...

It's so simple and yet so complex, there is no easy answer and no quick fix to these social issues...

But the strongest feeling I get from watching this is that if everybody colletively stepped down from the Front that they are projecting the whole situation would settle down so much. But that would take so much renunciation from so many people that it's just seems like it's not going to happen any time soon.

What is called for is a new culture to emerge spontaneously... Then the problems can be dealt with collectively and inline with the greater good of the group

Sounds quite hopeful?? I am!

I moved to the UK 3 years ago and for whatever reason initially ended up in Berkshire. One day I thought if I have to listen to a bunch of fat,white, 50 year olds talk about how fast their BMWs can do 0-60 mph I'll slit my wrists (and I am fat white and 50!).So I moved to Hackney. I realise the borough has its' problems and am aware of them. But when I walk out on the street I feel part of a great multicultural society and am not living in a distant memory of what many people think Britain is, or should be. I'd rather live with real people, albeit struggling to find their place in a changing Britain, than hang out with the arrogant city bankers at the bars in Canary Wharf (and yes I was one of them too). Believe me the odd distant gun shot is infinitely preferable to the incessant drone of self obsessed young (and old) turks talking about trite subjects more suited to Big Brother. I am not making light of the problems in Hackney. They exist. But, the world is changing and I would rather confront these changes, both good and bad, and challenge myself to become part of an evolving society rather than move to The Costwolds.

BROKEN SOCIETY?

I worked in a Youth justice Team which later became a Youth Offending team in SE London from 1992 - 2005, I resigned in disgust at the lack of investment this socially excluded community was getting .The problems highlighted have been allowed to escalate by successive governments. We have a Youth Justice Board that reflects our politicians - it is far removed from the problems in inner city areas and pays little heed until something serious happens eg Damilola Taylor.
If you look around there is much central government funding available in an endeavour to address these problems.Unfortunately rather like the proverbial shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted it is too little too late.
I worked in Peckham with this community long before the regeneration that took place after Damilola's death. The only inner city area to take the problem seriously is Manchester who have had a multi agency programme addressing the isssue of youth gang cuturesince 2001. London never wanted to listen .Southwark should and could have pioneered such a programme but this was stone walled by service management and other middle managers who had no empathy for the needs of our community.
The answer lies in all the old familier places be it parenting poverty or the self fulfilling prophecy. As far as role models are concerned where are they for our Black Youth?.Atleast in my time Civil rights was a key issue ,King Xand ali were always on the tv.What do thekids have now ? Hip hop /gangsta rap?Whose
fault is that? what has the effect of it been?Kidson the street emulating the Bloods and Cryps.

It needs a proactive approach from politicians and Senior Managers. I link the two together because if you scratch the surface you will find that evidence shows a blatant lack of accountability and passion to put this right from both politicions and the deluded senior YOT staff I had the misfortune to work with
who place a greater emphasis on their other businesses or the make of car they drive.

Given the right investment
and people in authority who are willing to listen the problem as we know it now need not have escalated to the level it is now at.

God Help the indigenous people of Britain.
The death throws can be heard for miles, all in languages only heard elsewhere in the World.

I live in Hackney and work as a teaching assistant in nearby Bow supporting kids with special educational needs at a secondary school for a couple of years now. The work has granted me a more detailed perspective on some of the conditions facing inner city youth, and having just seen the film on Hackney youth, I felt it could be of interest to share some views in light of my experience.
I accept that the supposed premise of the report was to offer an account as told by the youth themselves, but I felt a huge amount of context was omitted (some which could have been sourced from the youths themselves), potentially exacerbating existing impressions of these trends in youth as wholly inexplicable, and irrational.
The existence of gangs propouds the conditions which create them. 'Well natured' Boys (I am not biased nor gullible to their accounts - there are plenty of 'badly natured' boys I work with too), tell me how they need to join gangs in order to stay safe; any youth walking around on their own are potential targets for violence. A 12 year old boy, protecting his 6 year old brother from being physically bullied by another boy finds 22 others set upon him (most who joined in for fun) and returns home with knife wounds on his hands.
An aggresive machistic bravado, is the most readily available and plausibly effective way of surviving the effects of the same attitude within their social environment. The rules and values we attempt to cultivate, are empty, even a hindrance outside of the school walls.
As for the callous dispensation of violence and the drastic emotional rewiring which renders violent acts as comical; this can be seen as another facet of the same problem. If such dispositions are seen to lead to success, they accquire prestige. This sets up a "currency value" for certain behaviours (much in the same way as items or trends in fashion become status symbols, thereby themselves becoming aids and props to success). Like any other "currency" its ability to attract rests on its accessibility, and established presence (namely how many partake in it). In other words: the more of it there is the stronger and more meaningful its allure, especially when put ialongside a context where youth are estranged from other approved avenues to success perceiveing them unavailable, and indeed according to the view of the emerging paradigm, undesirable.
Restoring youth clubs and activities is a way forward but alas not a straight forward a solution either. In this violence accrediting climate, it could be hard to interest the youth in unrelated matters, and furthermore the challenges of such work (and salaries provided), will make it hard to find workers.
There is a note of futility in these blogs; none can do justice to the complexity of the matter nor likely bear influence. It is only because of my personal experience and strong emotions on the subject that I decided to give it a go. Whatever the case, if these problems aren't addressed, current issues will pale in significance when compared to the challenges faced by the said generation's own children.

I switched over to Â鶹ԼÅÄ2 this evening expecting to see Newsnight but instead I saw, apparently, a comedy sketch from the 'Catherine Tate Show'. Innit, bro? D'yer know wat a mean? Shockingly, it transpires that this piece of visual garbage is Newsnight's serious attempt at portraying the everyday lives of black youths in Hackney!!
Please tell me that this woeful item is a "fictional, dramatic performance by the 'Hackney Street Co-operative' as part of their Summer festival of Youth", or, "An introductory course for students learning English as a foreign language", or, "Hackney borstal's modern day interpretation of 'Lord of the Flies'". Otherwise, I would cringe with embarrassment and shame to think for one moment that these misfits were real.
It saddens me no end to think that there are these youngsters who 1) have clearly rejected the advantages of formal education from a very early age, 2) have had little, if any, positive and responsible guidance from parents, 3) have developed feral behaviour patterns, and, 4) acquired social mores and moral codes more akin to 'shoot-em-up' games than a civilised society.
As responsible adults it is our duty to intervene at an early stage in these children's lives and also to intervene in the negligent behaviour of the responsible adults. We rightly condemn parents who neglect to care for the health of their children by stuffing them, from birth, with obesity-causing amounts of fatty foods. We should have the same attitude when it comes to parents neglecting the moral and social health of their children.
If we, as a responsible society, intervened at an early stage with these problem families perhaps we wouldn't be reaping the whirlwind of all this gun crime and violence on our streets.

It's all Blair's fault? I don't think so. Thatcher started the spiralling inner city decline we see today, but 10 years of New Labour has dampened peoples' collective memory.

As a 40 year old white man who now lives in hertfordshire, tonights film made me nostalgiac of my youth in North London. I think less has changed than people think, only media awareness has increased. Whilst I have to admit that the blight of gun crime is undeniable, this is a progression from what was always inherent. When I was 18 CS gas (smuggled from france) was the weapon of choice, things regressed to the use of knives and then progressed to guns. It is far easier to shoot someone (whether intentionally or not) than stab them. The flood of guns, or more importantly ammuniton, were a fall-out of the break down of the soviet union and the flood of the weapons it yielded.

Anyone that grew up with or observing Black male culture cannot deny it was and is obsessed with machismo, something that has not necessarily been addressed. Boys shoot each other for the slightest of reasons nowadays. Without wanting to sound flippant, in my day someone would 'wet you' (cut you with a knife) or gas you if you dissed them. Now they'll shoot you..

Until recently one of my oldest friends worked within the community of Hornsey & Turnpike Lane. He won his right to do so by being a 'Bad Boy' of old, but even he had to lament that things had gotten out of hand and boys he was mentoring were sporting guns as par for the course. He phoned me not so long ago to report that one of them had been shot in the face for dissing the 'wrong brother'.

Most of my associates of old now have families of their own and despite peoples' automatic assumption that it is absent Fathers that are to blame, it's a far too simplistic view. Yes it's a factor, but not the underlying cause.

The cause is elusive, but I would stress that boys & young men are and have always been predisposed to mischief, the problem arises when the proverbial bar is raised. What we witness today is just that, not just that of the inner city experience, but nation wide. Perhaps the media has a charge to be answered in that it has glorified a Gang Culture that may or may not have existed previously, taking it's cue from the deep seated problems of the U.S. and creating a Frankenstein of youth that wants to keep up with it's televised cultural neighbours.

I fear for our youth, but I also have faith. I have faith that every generation has the ability to be wiser than it's predecessor. Perhaps I am blinkered, but with my children I will do my best to mold good, empowered citizens that choose to change rather than complain, something sadly I cannot say about my own generation.

In the words of Rage against the Machine, "We need to take the power back".

All adults have a responsibility to guide, nurture and correct the transgressions of youth, not simply complain that it is the responsibility of the state. We are the state, let us act as such and remember our own youth.

I am not for one moment pushing the 'Hug a Hoody' approach of that man Cameron, but whoever advised him may have been onto something.

I pray we never return to the riotous, dark days of the 80's. Things have been worse...

As a rastaman i am fed up with them youths and their behaviour.
Every black man and black woman has to hold their hands up and accept the problems are their and they are real.

As black people we are always quick to say we don't have them problems and it is just the media that is fabricating the stories with the usual stereotypes.

Here this! We fought for freedom, won it now we are going to lose it again because we are all in a battle but unfortunately we don't realise what empowerment means.

One of the youthman said the government don't care about black people because they are living on council estates.

That youth don't know about no dogs, no irish and no blacks.
That's right, we had know where to live now we do, it is almost as if we don't a place to call home.

Everytime we as black people fight for we rights, everytime we win, we have turned on each other and started to kill each other.

Time to wake from the dream and face reality because we are living Martin Luther king's dream, the only thing is that the dream is turning into a nightmare for some.

yo guys i think this is besically bull i live in northern ireland i c stuff like this all the time although we have paramiltarys and we fight with each other we fight with catholics more just look in the history of northern ireland and or gun crime is higher than englands so i just think we should all give up crimes in or own countrys its destroying or culture im only 16 and i think this is the biggest load of bull put down the guns and give up fighting a postcode is nly numbers and letters not something to lose a life over fix or ways before we destroy each other

Anyone who still insists that media has no impact on attitudes,culture and behaviour is, so deluded their attitudes belong in the Victorian age of bigotry and ignorance.
British black no longer is an identity for the youth - American culture is the only relevance in the majority of British kids.
The "race anger" brigade have a major role in the under-achievement of our kids - whether they like it or not. They breed constant apathy and mistrust of the society we are living in.
People who are schooled that they are VICTIMS behave like victims and never achieve their full potential.

Population projections for London over the next few decades show that 99% of it will be from non white British (their TFR well below replacement level, and many are leaving as well, leaving whom behind?). The largest growth will be in Tower Hamlets, where, at 11 years of age, the school population is already under 25% white British. Tower Hamlets is projected to grow by over 70% in the next 25 years, Barking-Dagenham, and Newham (Hackney's neighbour) by 45% each, and Hackney by about 22% (Black TFR is not that high, but single parent families are high frequency). By comparison, over in Richmond-Upon-Thames and Kensington-Chelsea population growth will be under 5%.

When one factors in educational attainment by ethnic group, the Chinese and Jews (1/2 percent of the population each at 11 years of age) are at the top, with the Indians close behind. But the Indians are nearly half the size of the Muslim South Asian cohort, and the Muslim kids are near the bottom in the attainment tables, just above Black Caribbeans (Black Africans fare a bit better, coming below White British generally). The point to notice is Total Fertility Rates and educability with reference to the demands of our feminised National Curriculum and the service sector economy it selects people for (note, selects, not equips).

Genes make bodies, and thus what we are and what we can and like to do. genes are inherited, and group/family differences are sustained by gene barriers, assortive mating, cultural mores, and xenophobia. Legislation won't change that, it's just cosmetic.

I'm sure those who are prepared to follow the logic and figures set out here and in other comments (in this Newsnight blog and elsewhere in CIF, at least those threads where they have not been purged) will get the picture.

This is something to bear in mind when noises are made about alleged 'racism' and the threat of the BNP etc in Barking-Dagenham. The more inner Local Authorities are long lost I suspect. It is a matter of matching families of genes to culture. But the way things are going, there will not be enough smart people left in these areas to provide the necessary services before too long. To see the consequences of this, see Bangladesh corruption, see Nigeria, see Pakistan, see Jamaica.

Don't shoot the messenger, and note to eager critics, this analysis was not dreamt up at the keyboard overnight ;-)

Peter, Pierre & Bianca's were the best views. I Like the way they out-putted the possitivity & negativity. They should be in all of the series to this topic.

I is tinkings kalas r the root of all problemoes. Theres no brains in thier head but in their anus. Look at the vidoes for examples sum poor yoot goes the problems is more black ppl put into black communities. What a dumb tramp!! I is living in Hackney, its the crappest place to live, no recreational facilities, youth turn 2 crimes coz they r bored- solution more cctv everywhere brng back the death penalty or overthrow the government.

Gun crimes is not confined to one ethnic group. Asians are involved in gun crime aswell. Dealing in drugs etc. They want to be like black rappers. Fuurthermore many asians and balcks are going through university but when they come out they dont get the top higher paid jobs therefore turnaway and do the jobs that their parents are doing.

Anyone who believes we can solve this problem is deluded. Successive governments have ignored the problems, liberal social engineers have created these problems, and the all pervading politically correct environment means we're not even allowed to properly discuss the situation now it's started spiralling out of control. You reap what you sow! No doubt people will read this and I will be branded a 'racist' for daring to question our open-door immigration policies. Eugenics should be looked at.

the obvious way forward is for some secrious mentoring to be happening in these communities, which means mojor investment from central government and local governments because this is a natioal problem. giving these young people opportunity to develope the skills to promote themselves positivlly, like decent youth centres with the fascilities to educate our young black boys and girls. they allready have the ambition, its the trainning they need which will prepare them for future employment. stop excluding them from schools colleges because it only leaves them with one alternative prison.

im afraid i believe it is down to black culture (if you are allowed to say 'black' anymore, im unsure as i now dont have a clue what is classified as racist). i live on an estate that is not pleasant for many reasons but it is not ethnically diverse and for all the crimes that i see on a daily basis there is little gun of knife crime.this is far from conclusive evidence but does suggest at a problem.

This is not a about racism, it’s a travesty as to what is going on.
It’s all about how we have bought up our young. No matter how eloquently we argue the for and the against whether it is part of our culture, well let me shock you.
This is now part of our culture just sit back and watch our young, see how they behave, forget the young watch how the parents behave.

There is no simple remedy for this, since a whole host of issues over time have had a detrimental affect on our society.

WHO is to blame?

The consertives sewed the seeds of destruction by obliterating any economic hopes or dreams of just a simple future; a job .The youth of this era are now the parents of the youth today. This disenfranished group had to feed their wants and there desires somehow.
In order to numb life’s cruel experiences they turned to drugs and crime.

The Police have been grossly negligent in their role, just watch the report, how come a reporter gets young teenagers to talk openly about their activities. Yet the police can’t.
It’s not that they are under resourced or under any financial constraint. They are just inept at what they do the word mismanagement comes to mind.

Blair and his cronies are equally to blame if not more so. Blair had all the opportunities to put things right this could have been a right little vote winner. But what did Blair and his cronies do, Nothing. Not even after they had been told about the growing gun culture and the degeneration of our society. Maybe we can learn from this, if we can find out were and how the guns are getting into the country, well maybe the government could use the same sources to arm our lads in Iraq since they appear to be ill equipped.

Ultimately I blame the parents.

John #63 - Look at population base rates for each of our 'ethnic' groups (including those nt covered by the 16+1 government classificationb scheme, but protected by the 1976 Race Relations Act), and look at their proportional representation in different occupations.

Suspend your current beliefs, and just look at the figures. That's how good scientists are taught to work.

John #63 - Look at population base rates for each of the UK 'ethnic' groups (including those not covered by the 16+1 government classification scheme, but protected by the 1976 Race Relations Act nonetheless), and look at their proportional representation in different occupations. Which groups play the 'race' card the most (one isn't even 'coloured'). Who are they protected from and why?

Suspend any current beliefs, and just look at the figures. That's how good scientists are taught to work.

It's really quite odd, aka significant.

Lal #69: "Ultimately I blame the parents".

Blame may be inappropriate, as, like their kids, parents did not choose their genes. It's gene expression which drives behviour rates, the environment just selects and reinforces behaviours. Genes largely determine the ability to discriminate and manage one's own behaviour, and one doesn't so much teach that through education as select and reinforce it, there is an important difference. We manage behaviour, and we have to appositely manage that of others, but we don't all have those skills. I fear we will soon have less and less of those people.

We have got to learn to stop attributing ethereal cognitive or psychological (or even socio-economic) 'causes', and to acknowledge instead that diversity is at root genetic. People are just made differently, and groups of people (families, 'races') differ too, at least in terms of frequencies of alleles.

This means that individuals (and groups/families) need to be handled/managed differently in their own and everyone else's best interests. That's just good government.

That's what we lack today - we do apprear to choose those who govern us - if only through apathy or ommission - that's the problem. That's anacho-capitalism.

Call it bad parenting if you like - but what we need is stronger government. What we've voted for over the past 30 years is alas, ever weaker government - the free market, i.e. minimal regulation.

What we see all about us today are the dismal consequences.

It's the same in bad families ;-).

Adrienne#73

I think your response is benign all races suffer anti-social behaviors. Not sure if you have been selective in your reading of my comments. But I have tried to encapsulate as much as possible in a few words.

No matter how much science you hide behind, there is no getting away from common courtesy, which majority of our youth lack today. (Not Genetic)
Common courtesy starts at home not at government level; believe it or not all races have the ability to exercise courtesy. I reiterate again what ever the short falls of the governments were there is no getting away from parents who are belligerent in their responsibilities in bring up their young.
I.e. would you not question your children if they wore dark clothing, hooded up and wore gloves in the middle off summer before leaving the house? I don’t think you need to be Darwin to interrupt this sort off dress code or decipher the genetic helix of these people to understand what they will be getting up to, no matter how in vogue their clothing is.

COMMON SENSE NEEDS TO PREVAIL!

Hillsideboy #74

The problem is that the indigenous population has a *low* TFR (1.77 is below replacenent level) *and* suffers from differential fertility too (too many at low too few at top in the ability stakes). Immigration was supposed to be a solution to that, and was presumably premised on the idea that through assimilation and education, all would be well. What I have said is that all those premises were wrong. It is our developed world culture which has done this as I see it. It has just not been helped by 'education, education, education', and because I can't believe that New Labour, and Thatcher and Major beforehand had not been alerted to the falsehood of the premises, I charge them or their backers as being culpable anarcho-capitalists.

I don't see how British citizens can be repatriated. They were born here. The only solution I can see in the long run is to reverse our Sex Equality legislation and somehow encourage females to become housewives and mothers again, especially the brighter ones.

It is because the solution via that route is a) long term and b) in the short term so hard to envisage, that I fear the future is bleak.

But I think the analysis and solution is right. We could try to mitigate the present problems by ensuring that future immigrants are more highly skilled (which New labour say they will implement, but a) it's a bit late and b) I'm not sure how they will do it. How would we attract them, where from? Other developed world countries have low TFRs too.

I keep coming back to the thorny issue that in one sense, the Muslims and Orthodox Jews have it right, they insist that their females stay out of education and the workplace, *especially* if they have ability. The Black community suffers most from poor family cohesion, but the Black community is most androgenised too. Countries like Singapore tried eugenics (that word was just coined to counter natural dysgenics, it is not sinister, although some groups who practice it make out it is so others don't compete - they will call you fascist!), i.e. cash incentives for the poorly educable to be sterilised after one or two kids, and tax incentives for graduates so they will have more. Sadly, it didn't work. The Chinese continued with a low TFR, and the Muslims carried on with above replacement level TFR. China may be faring better, but they have large population. We have to have numbers to make our economy work at all in terms of services, pensions etc.

The problem is, kids cost (emotionally and financially and smart women see that more easily), we make it too easy for the low ability members of society to have kids, and hard for higher ability. This is all wrong. Unless one intends to destabilise a culture and encourage a revolution by swelling the lower segment of society and shrinking your higher end that is.

Surely not Thatcher, Major or Blair's objective....? But it could be that of their backers or enemies.

I live in Manor House, across the road from one of the two estates featured. I have never experienced any trouble in this area. The area is certainly not perfect, but from my perspective a lot of what the interviewees said was total bluff, and unfortunately was not challenged in any way by the reporters.
I felt this could have been a good report if they had more fully engaged with and challenged what they boys were claiming. Surely you realise that (tragically), many young male teenagers actually enjoy pretending they are living a videogame gangster lifestyle.

I just wanted to comment on John Coombes post:

Whether Societies spiritual base has deteriorated or not (most of the black people I know are rather devout Christians) I feel that it is more that traditional Religious/Spiritual practices and beliefs no longer cater to such a complex and diverse world we now find ourselves existing in. The complexity of our daily lives and life decisions far outstrips the choices even our parents have had to make and certainly our grandparents and ancesters further back.

We live in an age where the individuals wants and desires are far more important than a consideration of the greater good or a concern for the whole. We are generally only interested in what is (seemingly) good for us and spare little thought for those around us. And here I'm not just talking about Ghetto kids, but the great majority of people today. We have growing problems on a worldwide basis and they are getting bigger. There is a growing awareness and engagement with these problems from a grassroots level (partly thanks to programmes like this one) but what we desperately need is a new moral code, of how to care for the whole, how to do the greater good for society, on an individual by individual basis... In short we all need to develop to a higher level of understanding of our inter-related nature, and start taking collective reponsibility for the way the world is...

This is already happening in isolated but increasing pockets and there are various individuals and groups working with new and not so new theories and practices...

What is required is a wholistic, long term approach, spanning the social, spiritual, economic and political domain... Something Governments are not particularly good at...

There is big problems with gun and knife crime amongst the black community. The lack of any respect for authority, the degredation of women,the gangsta arrogance and the lack of role models all mix in together to form this culture. Nothing can be done to address this. John Denham saiod today that gun and knife crime tends to be amongst these minority groups and burglars are usually white, how does anyone know that if burglars are not generally seen. He is just trying to balance the argument but has failed.

Hugh #79: This is not an argument, it's a matter of collating and presenting empirical facts. We know what the criminogenic factors are. The problem is not one of knowledge but that of behaviour management in our free-market liberal democratic culture.

Yes, most crimes are committed by white males - that's because over 80% of the population is white. But crime is disproportionately a young male behaviour (it decreases with age, and females are a relatively minor problem). But one has to look at population base rates and proportionality by ethnic group, and Black Caribbeans are 6 to 13 times over-represented relative to their population base rates depending on the class of offence, and they are at least 6 times over-represented in the prison population.

The South Asian Muslims are *under-represented* (as are whites) relative to their population base-rates. That means the Muslims South Asians are relatively *better* behaved which is why it is so wrong to vilify - now (it may get worse if they become secular, Islam keeps young males in check).

Caribbean Blacks are also over-represented in school exclusions (mainly for violence) and in coming to the attention of psychiatric services. I've suggested one reason why this may be so (the psychiatric rate is higher here than in the West Indies which I suggest is so because they have an even harder time here adjusting to our more Western, feminised, society/economy. They have my sympathy - but that does not condone the behaviour of course.

That is that whilst the root driver is genetic (i.e. they are very male -high testosterone, AR) their problems are exacerbated because we are becoming more Service Sector (female) tilted. There is one other ethnic group which is pushing us in that direction. I fear that is the problem, the over-representation of blacks in crime is a consequence. It is not just them though. White males are a problem, just not as much of one.

Try to see it in terms of human genetic diversity and population or behaviour management. We try to find a place in society for all, but more black males suffer because of the environment their genes now find themselves in.

It is a matter of behyaviour management, The bottom line is that this may not be the best culture for them. Which should change? Should they go, or the culture change?

Double-Speak, friends, that's the language politicians and most public figures have mastered - the art of selling what is tainted and rotten and having it bought; the art of corrupting truth with half or two-thirds untruths and having it accepted; or turning an issue on its head so it appears other than it is. It is the only language spoken in WAshington DC now! Broken Society? Perhaps. But it looks more like a corpse holding on to its last breath.

What other issue to discuss? The child as affordable commodity, bought, traded, stolen and enslaved in the child brothels of Asia for the pleasure of the world's affluent traveler and business exec. Remote mountain villages in Nepal, in SE Asia, where no young teens or pre-teens are left..., shantitowns in the cities -- Delhi, Bombay, Hanoi, Bangkok, Kathmandu, where children of all ages go missing and the 'authorities' look the other way.

The trade in human organs. It is rampant between India and its neighbors. Illiterate peasants are offered a pittance and an all-expenses-paid trip to a big city in exchange for a kidney, an eye... and left to find their way home. No after-ccare, no medical support, no instructions on how to copy with the aftermath of such loss. Often donors die not long afterwards while the recipients of their stolen organs pay thousands to have their lives saved.

Agent Orange, Dioxin and the ongoing effects of the Vietnam War upon the populations near US bases in Vieitnam where these substances were mixed, packaged and loaded unto planes. A study has just been published on children being born defective to women in these areas. The US gov. wants more tests, more research, more bs. Anything but accepting responsibility and cleaning up the mess they made and left behind!

Yo! I think that Tony Blair is nicely tucked up in Downing Street getting his backside wiped by his servants! Then he has the cheek to judge people that he doesn't have a clue about! Their culture ways of thinking or even religions! The British abolished slavery and then had the bright idea to go and recruit Asian black eastern Europeans etc to come and do the jobs that they couldn't be bothered to do! My granddad came from Jamaica on a banana boat to face years of racism and persecution from the police force! Getting stopped by the police and harassed for nothing! The same for my dad’s generation! And finally I've also had a taste of the racism of the general public and the police! I have just been acquitted of resisting arrest and affray at Brighton magistrate’s court. Sussex police falsely detained me for 22 hours because I filmed my friend getting arrested for nothing. A police officer then grabbed my phone with out warning and when I attempted to ask for it back I was grabbed by that officer and then four more, a total of five including an armed officer. I have CCTV footage of the incident so if any one thinks I am being one sided with my account they can watch it and make up their own mind! Now the point I’m making in a round about way is that people judge people! Often unfairly! He talks and governs the public from a white middle class out look! How could Tony Blair ever know what it's like to be black or Asian (or just not even white) not have any thing, or any thing to live for! How could a person from a totally different world judge some one from another? This is why there are so many disengaged people out there. This society is manufacturing victims! When people can't find their way at school they are called bad! That doesn't help any thing! Then they get rewarded for being bad! Special needs and disruptive kids get taken on trips! This just reinforces their negativity even more! When do you see the people that do well getting rewarded!? When people don’t get jobs and they stray away from THE SYSTEM they start creating illegitimate funds to survive, then police come along with a big net and swoop them up! Now how does this help!? This is now giving the person a criminal record. These wonts help their career prospects, will they? So now they can’t leave the country and can’t work! So what do they do? Take drugs to take away the pain they are feeling. Because there aren’t any classes to teach you how to deal with this. Are there!? And if there aren’t any jobs how are they going to get money? Because people need to eat, don’t they? So back they go into the struggle! And then the cycle just repeats it’s self again! So if Tony Blair wants to judge any one he should judge him self and think about what it’s like to have nothing! And just a walk down the street could be your last! Just something to think about!? If you feel me hit me up on
PEACE! O-M-G!

Gangsta rap has a lot to answer for. These thugs who use knives and guns talk of disrespect being a justifiable reason for harming/ killing someone. What a load of rubbish. Very few of them will ever be eligible to be respected because gang members are unemloyable disrespectful layabouts, who like robbing, drug dealing and gang degradating females whom they treat as chattels.

The poor are the collateral damage of the victory over the religous belief of intelligent design in the accustomed family and beyond.
Although not quite the tabooed 'broken home' the confessional aggegate of them in 'Broken Society' will do,is it not time to stop the good Dr Johnson and JS Mill spinning in their graves and to confront(but genteely)the occupying foxes in sheeps'clothing liberal(sic) ideolgues and multiculturists so as to enunciate the UK as a constitutional monarchial mono faith(Christian)state pledged to safeguard the liberty of the diversity of cultural practices insofar as they are with the continuity of Britain's unifying monoculture of (qualified)tolerance, equality before the law, democratic freedoms etc.
In other words,Britain is monocultural society unless of course, one would want to 'celebrate'other jurisprudential principles in the rescinding of the old, and making of new law. Now that really would be full on multicultural,and worth its name.

Basically ye im a youth aswell. i live down manor house endz. i dont belive that young people have to carry shankz and strapz[gun] There is no need. People get killed for no particular reason cause theyy come into ''your'' endz. No one ownz no endz. no one ownz hackney or woodz or manor house. it just aint right.
I just pray that this all stops fast. because this can have a very feirce effect on black // white // asian communitys.

I feel the media is imposing to much , of this on the black community. even though it may be true , the media is bringing down the black communities as a whole, ive noticed how the media always seems to look at the down side of black communities. they never really take time to look at the true talents hidden within these communites. when the kids of the communites see all of this corrupting happening in thier estates, they tend to feel scared hence them having to "protect" themselves in the only way possible, crime. i mean if you think about it, if one was to see a black youth wearing a tracksuit with thier hood on, you're probably think his going to do something dodgey right or he just looks like a trouble maker? but not nessisarily. the media has just given the black society a bad image.

Many of those featured in the documentary have at least an ambivalent attitude to drug dealing, one guy saying that it's okay, just don't get caught. It's possibile that the root of many of the attitudes (to education, to work, to guns and crime generally) encountered here are based in, or somehow connected to drug "culture".

I don't pretend to have any answers, but I think that it's worth noting that opiates, cocaine, hashish etc were all quite legally available in Britain up to the end of the 19th century, and as recently as 1970, if you wanted heroin, you could simply obtain a prescription from a doctor.

I suppose, in a nutshell, I'm proposing that we return to a pre-prohibition society where basically, if we wan't to obtain recreational drugs, we can, totally legally, but through proper channels-ie from doctors and pharmacies.

Overnight, this would cut crime, because there would be no drug smuggling, no illegal dealers, none of the gun culture that goes along with it. As a spinoff, drug use would be much safer, because users would get access to properly manufactured products, so drug-related mortality would fall.

Prohibition of drugs ,including alcohol doesn't seem to work. 1920s America saw the sale of Alcohol outlawed, and it produced little except a massive crime wave. I believe we are experiencing the same thing today, albeit with drugs other than alcohol.

Just food for thought.