Porter Ponders: Where are we, as a society, heading?

Nobody can support the actions of rioters in the last couple of weeks, or ever. But once again we are heading, as a regretful, Labour voter said in my shop, to an ‘Orwellian society at speed’. Another chipped in, the speed of Usain Bolt, though I am not sure about that analogy. Last week a Judge has said anyone watching a riot or posting images will now be classed as a rioter, arrested and delt with at speed. Two Tier Kier must be in his element, though I do wonder about the logic of instant trails, convictions and imprisoning folks while the main court system is in crisis.

Where are our priorities? A twelve-year-old boy in court for throwing items at police while the cowardly murderer of three innocent little girls at a dance class won’t appear until next year. Add to that the number of victims and family and friends of victims of murders, rapists, child sexual abusers, drug dealers, stalkers and many other heinous criminals are on hold due to the backlog, as the Tories explained, caused by Covid restrictions and overcrowding in prisons.

Am I missing something? Or are we on a one-way ticket to total control of our freedoms. I have said over the years of writing this column, that the government, Tory at the time, might as well brick up our front doors and post food parcels now and then. I am still amazed that PM Starmer thinks he can bully the population with threats and saying people who disagree are Far Right and, hinting, an enemy of the state.

Then there were the 100 ‘riots’ last week. Again, I am confused, the media were allowed to publicize all 100 events, the telegraph stating they had the exact locations of these Right-Wing protests, AKA riots. Guess what, hardly any were attended, but many ‘locals’ turned out to counter protest the non-protest protests. I happened to drive through Swinley, Wigans alleged trigger point, and saw a few folks hanging around, most looked like innocent observers, though now that may mean rioters!

Where these a ploy by the Far Right to scaremonger the British people and government or were they, my thinking, fake information from the authorities to get folks out to protest, many with very similar placards around the country, then Kier could say we have won this war on division with the public support, which he pretty much did.

Now if I was in government and I had intel telling me about one hundred planned protests, I would keep it quiet, tell the police to be on standby, but not throw it all over the media. I know I am late to this, but I feel that the BBC and to a lesser extent SKY News are complicit to the wishes of the government of the time. We talk about, even mock, Russia TV news, but have we already entered that rabbit hole?

Meanwhile, in Wigan, yet again some numpty or numpties have decided to attack the speed cameras, the one in Whelly a few weeks back and another two this weekend, do these idiots and those who ‘support’ them not realise that these are paid for by taxpayers money. My solution, when convicted get them to pay for a replacement even if on benefits.