Anti-Terrorist Police threaten 12-year-old kid

[gothic_hobbit]

It's all part of the great big plan.

 

Listen to this old segment from George HW Bush :

 

 

Welcome to the NEW WORLD ORDER

[Emasher]

I feel I should point out that Libertarianism encompasses more than just the social aspect of the relationship the citizen has with the state. One of the defining ideals of 'Libertarians' (if not the ideal) is the belief in a market based economy with little to no social welfarism. The increase in fees for students is exactly the kind of thing that a self professed 'Libertarian' would advocate. That said I agree completely with the sentiment.

 

A little pedantic I know but hey :P. According to Noam Chomsky the word didn't always mean what it does now, but free marketeers sort of appropriated it and began using it in that way. I have a feeling it's also a slightly American definition.

 

As for the story, shit is messed up. I honestly thought the Tories would be more socially libertarian than Labour, but apparently not. This type of thing seems to have become far too common place.

 

I'm aware of that. I was more talking about social issues, but I'm not exactly against certain libertarian economic ideas (not all of them though).

 

Regardless, a real libertarian might disagree with the students (I thought this case was about a community centre though), but they wouldn't have anything against them protesting.

[The fish]

It's nice to see so many people on here being involved in, and understanding, political discussion. When I get round to setting up my new political party (to, amongst other things, steal votes that would have previously gone to the Liberal Democrats), I'll make this an early port of call for recruits.

 

Who's with me!

...

[The Bard]

Problem is you've assumed the discourse isn't going to change.

 

Changes do come, though. They usually come as a result of violence. The suffragettes knew it and we now celebrate their courage. The French Revolution, the Stone Wall riots, the Poll Tax riots - not only did they work but we now celebrate them all.

 

And anyway, what's the alternative? Just sit there and get shafted constantly? I'd rather give them Hell.

 

Not to mention that getting riled up is a necessary part of the current (in fact any) discourse.

 

Yeah, but the discourse isn't going to change for something as comparitively insubstantial as a bunch of disenfranchised students getting pissy at a education fee hike. Chair gave the example of Lui Xiaobo, a man who spoke out against an autocracy where a person's rights and privelliges are dwarfed by his duties to the state, where the law will cudgel you remorselessly for stepping out of line. We are not blind... in the present we are more connected to the world than ever and are capable of seeing that within our wider context, we have it really fucking well off. And of course, one's own happiness is always informed by one's context. Hilariously, nobody outside of a very small minority is going to want to risk jail time or personal injury for one of the things that marks this country out as being privelliged. Its a psychological issue. As long as our personal comfort and health isn't challenged in a fundamental way, there's nothing that can move us to act in the way that is needed to sway a discourse to our advantage.

 

What I do think, is that this government is using the recession as an excuse to instate policies that are more in line with their world view rather than an entirely necessary result of being in a bad way financially.

[LegoMan1031]

Is it not possible this story has been blown out of proportion!? Lets remember that it is a 12 year old boy this story has come from and he may have extended the truth for attention.

 

Obviously the police did turn up there, in the police press release they stated it was the school liason officer that attended (which every school has and is normal) and so would not be the anti-terror group which was mentioned)

 

There was probably no need for the police to speak to him about this anyway but i would think that the words actually used were not threatening like he mentioned.

 

The police may have just wanted to point out that it would not be tolorated if it got out of hand, and what i mean by this is that if kids have seen what has been happening in London on TV and in newpapers then they might think it is 'cool' to do the same. Although a letter to parents or something mentioned in a assembly would have made more sense rather than just speaking with the 'organiser'.

 

For all we know he may have been threatening something on fb which he has decided to not tell the papers which would have warranted the police speaking to him!