Rishi Sunak is on a mission to crack down on anti-social behaviour. He outlined tough plans to tackle those annoying, nuisance beggars — always on the scrounge, desperate for money. But that’s enough about Matt Hancock and Kwasi Kwarteng… who this week got royally stung by Led By Donkeys as they suggested (with straight faces) day rates of around £10k. Who needs laughing gas with these clowns?
There are some on the Left who decry any attempt to talk about anti-social behaviour and persistent neighbourhood crime as proof of a fascist state. They often don’t live in the real world. Or on a street where you wake up to broken bottles or syringes littering the pavements or where someone has taken a massive dump in your front garden. Honestly… check out the app Nextdoor if you need more convincing.
Anti-social behaviour in all its forms makes life a misery and is often worse in areas where people are already having a pretty tough time. If you’re working two jobs and are bone-crushingly tired, not getting any sleep because of your noisy neighbours is like torture and will affect your physical and mental health. We’ve all been there. I once lived in a block of flats where every Monday or Tuesday, the morons above would have a party which started at 1am and play Unbelievable by EMF on a loop. I came close to being homicidal. Luckily the only weapon I had was a broken broom.
So, I get it. I’m with Rishi on this. The question is how do you achieve it? Not by cringe gimmicks like banning laughing gas. The policy is so ridiculous it reminds me of another stunt by comedian Chris Morris on his show Brass Eye where they convinced MPs to ban a fake drug called Cake.
If you are serious about safer communities this needs real commitment and joined-up thinking across education, housing, health, social and crime policy in national and local government. Plus, a hell of a lot of resources.
Cutting the numbers of police (especially community support officers), slashing local council budgets, and axeing youth services, which is what has happened over the last 13 years, create the optimum conditions for anti-social behaviour to flourish. When the police are so stretched, they won’t even turn up if your house is broken into, do you think the local vandals give a ****?
As Tony Blair famously said, ‘tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime.’ Safer neighbourhoods are more achievable when everyone — especially young people — feel they have purpose, opportunity and something to do. Austerity, the cost-of-living crisis, poverty, destitution, addiction, and homelessness feed desperate and often scary anti-social behaviour. These problems are deep rooted and can’t be fixed overnight – they need sustained focus, expertise, and cold hard cash. But no one wants to admit that. So, we’ll cling to silly ideas about making offenders wear jumpsuits to pick up litter. Pass me the nitrous oxide.
Paul O’Grady was such a talent
What a terrible shock it was to wake up to the news that Paul O’Grady had died. He rose to fame as the formidable acid-tounged blonde bombshell drag queen Lily Savage, was a fierce campaigner for LGBTQ rights and was once arrested in full drag performing at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern in 1987 at the height of the Aids crisis.
O’Grady recalled: “I was doing the late show and, within seconds, the place was heaving with coppers all wearing gloves. I remember saying something like ‘Well, well, it looks like we’ve got help with the washing up.’”
When the desk sergeant asked for a name, she said ‘Lily Savage.’ When pressed for a proper name, she snapped ‘Lily Veronica Mae Savage.’
O’Grady broke down barriers with effortless wit, elegance and a heart of gold, becoming a much-loved TV and radio presenter, national treasure and campaigner for animal rights. RIP. I’m sure Lily, Cilla Black and Barbara Windsor are having a right cackle in the sky.
