Gangs with bombs

[Broliv]

They're not bombs, more like a crap fireworks. But yes i agree with the person who said before that the media is very manipulative and selective in their chosen stories. I know people who live round there and as they tell me its a small minority who are out of control. Not a Belfast style feud which required army intervention, 'peace' walls and a hell of a lot of blood shed. which is the line being portrayed by the sensationalists.

Getting rid of the hoods off clothing won't stop the problem tho. It's more complicated than just banging these idiots up and taking away their identity. Its a endemic with society. They are encouraged to act like that, not just through song lyrics and media portayal but through the social and welfare system.

[brian daley]

So, there will be no resolution to this problem? Like the politicians we will tell people what should be done and then end up doing nothing.. This has been a problem that has grown over the years,not something that suddenly appeared. And yes, I agree with most of the sentiments that have been expressed, but the duty of a citizen is not just understand the problem,our duty is to do something about it.. You might state that the clothing of an individual is not the cause of the problem,and you would be right ,but it is a big part of the problem because of the anonimity it provides the wearer. That is one small step, parental responsibility is another step, bad parents should have their welfare cut.Outrageous you might say,but people have to be made responsible for the actions of their offspring. Zero tolerance is another step,the slightest bit of rowdiness or vandalism should be pounced on;and while these steps are being taken the schools should teach children respect,eliminate bullying and encourage children to be good citizens. The drug barons who control the hearts and minds of the lost generation should be traced ,arrested and sentenced to prison terms that would act as some kind of deterrent. Children have got to have good role models and have to be given hope , the poverty of aspiration leads to despair.

P.S. If anyone thinks that bullying cannot be eliminated then they should get in touch with Manor High School,Friar Park Road, Wednesbury,West Midlands.
The steps I have mentioned were measures initiated 6 years ago; then it was a Blackboard Jungle on a sink estate,now , it is a school so changed that last year it won the Ofsted award for the massive advancement in all areas. No hoodies or designer fashions ,no scruffiness, no bullying,result ,children ,even 6th formers ,who enjoy education and are earning academic reward. They are a shining example of what the real results of determined effort all round can be.

[Paddy]

Well putting my sociology on the back burner. When we buried me Mam we drove from Page Moss to Norris Green in the cortege. The BBC would have us believe that the Moss is engaged in all out war with Dovecot. Kids play to the gallery there is reason to believe that BBC journalists set up their program to amplify the situation. Then we had the exhibitionist murder of an Asian shopkeeper in Huyton. Whilst driving over to Norris Green I was thinking about the Norris Green I knew as a lad. You really had to be able to account for yourself if you called the odds. It was strictly one on one. St Theresa?s had a very good boxing club and the notion of restrictive territorialism was not about. Drugs we can assume have played a major part in the decline of morals and values. So now sky has come up with new sensationalism about the dreaded hoodies. Remember being a hoodie is just another label. The term mugger appeared overnight in this country to be used as the label for street robbery. The mugger in the popular mind of the public was invariably black. So hoodies it seems are quite often white unemployed who fight territorial wars on housing estates. Well the emergence of bombs is moral panic stuff. Terrorists, insurgent?s revolutionaries, fight for a cause wrongly or rightly. People who throw improvised bangers are normally backward. And to finish, reading some of the verbal that has recently emerged from our erstwhile hoodies ?backward? really is the buzz word.

[LondonBeatlesFan]

I often wish there were more balance in the media. I was enjoying myself last week in Liverpool when the news about Rhys Jones' killer came on. I watched it and thought I must be in a different city. As usual, we only get to see the bad things about Liverpool; things which are happening in every city in the land. In London, we never got to see much about the wonderful things which were happening during this special year of culture in Liverpool. No wonder so many people have a horrible image of Liverpool in their mind. I wish they would visit and see how it is for themselves.