Monday 5 April 2010

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes...

Both Leg-Iron and Dick Puddlecote have made excellent lists of all those things in the 80s that are so much missed when compared to our current shambles (arising from NuLab's terribly unfortunate faux pas with the poster).

Well, I'd like to add another:
The Metropolitan Police said: "We were called to some disorder in Brick Lane.

"There was a crowd of 2,000 people. The organisers could not ensure the safety of the public and decided to close the event.

"Police had not been notified in advance of the numbers expected to attend. The organisers were spoken to by police."
I used to go to sales all the time in the late 70s and early 80s, first with my parents or grandparents, later on with my friends. All the old cliches - long queues, people sleeping out overnight, grannies going all hand to hand combat over the last knocked down china teaset - those, I remember.

But I can't quite put my finger on the police ever needing to be notified in advance. Or people willing to create 'disorder' for cheap t-shirts and trainers.

W. T. F..?

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Primarily caused by the same ethnic group(s) who staged riots at the opening of a new Ikea in Edmonton, which included a stabbing too I recall and a sale to mark the opening of Primark's 'Flagship' (?) Oxford Street store. I should think most of these DNA wasters were actually born in the UK too.

JuliaM said...

I thought that might be the case - I remember the Ikea one well, the footage was on all the news - but the video in the linked story seemed to show a more mixed crowd.

Chuckles said...

'Film footage apparently taken at the event and posted on YouTube shows police officers wrestling on the ground with people'

Obviously plod was annoyed that they were being beaten to the best bargains, which is why they shut it down?

'But I can't quite put my finger on the police ever needing to be notified in advance'

You know, we should come up with a catchy phrase for this. Perhaps something like, 'the freeborn English going about their lawful business'?

JuliaM said...

"Obviously plod was annoyed that they were being beaten to the best bargains, which is why they shut it down?"

Most annoying bit was the little sod jumping up on the car and strutting around and the feeble grap at his ankles made by one cop.

Just take the little sod's legs out with your baton! It's not like a bit of brain damage should he land on his head would radically affect his IQ, is it?

Chuckles said...

Where's Delroy Smellie when you need him?

Laban said...

I blogged the Primark Pandemonium.

JuliaM said...

"I blogged the Primark Pandemonium."

Ah, yes. 2008. Funny, I remember the Ikea one so much more vividly.