I find David Starkey an interesting man in many ways and admire his perspective on today’s events. I love hearing his “but of course, we have seen all this before …” routine.
I am not with him on his love affair with the monarchy. In almost all other respects he is largely in agreement with me. <ahem>.
He sounds far too posh which makes him an easy target, but the man is right!
White is the new Black
Starkey was correct when he made his comments recently on Newsnight about “white is the new black”. He started to explain the phrase, in great detail, but was shouted down by Owen Jones (author of “Chavs”) and a black Guardian columnist. She just could not give up being black and see that his analysis was indeed correct.
The studio discussion was about the riots and what caused them. Starkey agreed with “someone” who said they were simply “shopping with violence” – (I do admire that turn of phrase) which was absolutely spot on. But, oh dear me, the other two speakers went off on a PC liberal tabloid level rant about joblessness, social deprivation etc.
Those arguments are completely valid of course, if we could usefully employ the nation’s young men (and ba dis I include da noo waaeet bloods ‘oo also want da bling and da threds innit*1) then the country would be a happier place.
Starkey’s argument
Starkey’s point was a simple one, the Jamaican black, rap, drug, gangsta culture has been absorbed by white disaffected youth, male and female. This new, and very powerful, social grouping has replaced the family with the gang culture and has even provided a new language to learn – so they all sound da same wevver dey live in Liverpool, Nottingham, Birmingham or London – innit.
I believe that what they are saying is “we really want to belong, but we can’t” 🙁
David Starkey was putting forward an analysis which might provide the tools for an eventual solution. But thinking is apparently not allowed.
Dave Cameron is doing his normal PR thing – loads of fluff – very well presented of course – in true Blairite tradition – but no substance – very little long term thought and, of course, no money to actually resolve the problem.
If there is a criticism of Starkey to be made – it is that he was not clear enough / clever enough to put his point over in a very highly charged studio discussion with emotions running very high. The chair was not strong enough either and allowed the PC rant to overcome Starkey’s pertinent analysis.
My suggestions for a possible solution?
- We have to find real jobs, in the cities initially, for our young people.
- I suggest food production colleges growing the stuff we currently import from Holland, Spain, Africa and Italy.
- We use Hydroponics – develop brown field sites using Dutch greenhouse technology etc.
- The cost is huge and I advocate leaving the EU to allow us control our food supply.
- Leaving the EU would pay for that investment and keep the police that we are about to lose.
- discuss …
*1 :- “and by this I include the white young crack cocaine users, employed or not, who are obsessed with consumerism on a false mission to replace simple happiness by consuming ever more shiny new things”