The Light At The End Of The Tunnel
The UK riots last week produced a lot of anger, indignation and fear. Yet they also produced some of the best acts of human kindness seen in a while. As mindless looters ravaged cities across Britain, some people instead of meeting violence with violence did the opposite. Tariq Jahan lost his son during the Birmingham riots. Instead of urging police to catch the killers and bring them to justice he appealed for peace on the streets.
To lose a child is amongst one of the worst tragedies any parent can suffer. To lose a child to mindless opportunistic violence scars to the core. Police credit Mr Jahan’s actions as ‘instrumental'in calming down the streets of Birmingham. Serving as a ‘wake up call'to the community, Mr Jahan’s appeals did not fall on deaf ears. People from all over the city realised just how terrible the situation was and how lucky they all were to still be standing in one piece. Terror has many negatives but some positives as well.
To see people in Clapham answer calls to help clean up the streets in their thousands was wonderful to see. Boris Johnson’s assertion that ‘London was united'may have sounded bumbling and inadequate, but it was also wholly true. Never before had so many people offered to come together, support each other and clean up the mess the rioters had left behind. The emergency services and in particular the NHS had their hands full. Yet GPs and hospital doctors worked extra hours and some even went out to help on the streets where they could. This was hardly a sign of a broken society.
There are many young people who are bright, intelligent and hungry for opportunities to work and improve themselves and the community. Many have been set a fine example by the emergency services and have stated their intent to try and pursue careers in the police, health or fire departments. The NHS is crying out for additional support and registered general nurse jobs amongst many others are being advertised every day. So why are so few people applying?
It’s not from lack of interest. It is more the lack of funding at educational level. Now more then ever we need to be supporting the next generation and making sure that opportunities in the public services are available to them. Simply raising educational tuition and hoping that it will attract the ‘right'people is short sighted and classist. Talent can lie anywhere and with so many positive and determined young people possessing it; we cannot afford to overlook it.
The rioters from last week were a minority not a majority. We cannot ignore them. Where possible we should follow Mr Jahan’s example and appeal for calm. These people, no matter how vile they may seem on the surface, are still people. They should be punished for their crimes, but they must also be made to understand why they are being punished. Simply locking them away and throwing away the key is not the answer. We are all responsible, and with a positive unified front there is no way we can fail.
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