Two riot vans outside my flat (I'm right on the highstreet above shops, joy). I can't see anything happening in Bournemouth tonight but there's police all over the place and everybody is very tense.

I'm supposed to be out tonight, I'm debating staying in to avoid the possible awfulness of getting through town on foot (you can't park on the highstreet so have to find back roads and walk) if things are bad. If I stay in - I'll be worried, if I go to my friend's house as planned - I'll be worried for my ratties!

1. Go to www.gocompare.com and top up your contents insurance.

 

2. Pack valuables that can't be replaced + ratties into a bag

 

3. go to friends house

 

4. relax and drink lots.

 

5. ???

 

6. Profit!

I don't know if you're looking deep enough into what Xen's saying. How do you think they got to be like that, and why? (and what can be done about it). Again, it's not to justify/excuse anything, it's to try and understand so that maybe things can be changed. Knee-jerk lock 'em all up type reactions are the sort of thing people say but doesn't that lead down a road to human rights on a par with China?

My business insurance covers all expensive things. The ratties will not like being in their travel-house as it is about the size of them (it's for going to the vet). I'm just going to keep an eye on things and come back home not too late, I have friends within a few minutes walk where I can crash if things do happen. I really don't think they will though, Bournemouth is very placid.

Everything I've seen suggests the stuff outside London areas has been squashed before it's really begun.

Guess it depends if you have lots of poor estranged people who hate the cops, or just a bunch of kids who want to say they were part of something.

Bournemouth itself is full of young people but everybody is very nice, the seaside makes everybody happy. There are some really rough estates around it though, some that the buses don't go to anymore and the royal mail won't deliver too - but even those aren't very bad. Although M&S in Boscombe (little-part-of-Bournemouth) has been smash-er-ed.

The job centre in Southampton was nearly set on fire today!

I need to go on a big long walk to collect my car now, as I went to an impromptu party at the weekend had to leave my car there, fail. I will witter excitedly/terrified later if shit goes down :Y

Ah, our police are now on Twitter dispelling rumours. That is good!

It must be nice to have semi-competent police. :S

What the fuck do I know, but I would tend to agree with your assessment there.

Shit is on fire in Manchester. FUCKING CUNTS.

What in tarnations is going on over there people? Get your fucking guns out and put a stop to this nonsense!

Still not the answer. If people had guns like you guys do then so would the rioters. It'd be a blood bath on both sides.

I dunno, I'd rather have a little control instead of living in fear.

You get a group of 10-20 friends armed to the ass and you'd have to really want that fucking TV.

Kinda ironic, given how it all started.

To be honest I have no idea how to react to all this apart from being embarrassed really.

Oooh apparently kicking off up the road. I can smell burning.

 

:(

You don't need guns, you just need a bunch of angry Turks.

Can't watch that at work. What do they do, beat them with legs?

And what difference does using a pipe, club, knife as opposed to a gun? The intent to hurt or kill someone doesn't go away just because you don't have a gun!

Very true, but thankfully the available "weapons" aren't as lethal.

Fire and cars kill people! I know because I saw it in a video game once!