July 04, 2008.... New Knife City.

As of July 04, 2008, 18 persons have been knifed to death in London, with many others meeting the same fate in Belfast and other parts of the UK. For some, the knife is an indispensable weapon of defence. However, this is an entirely erroneous argument, since knife fighting--according to Special Forces trainers--is not a form of duelling, but is much more akin to a determined flurry of cold steel, the victor being the one who gets their blade in first.

With a deliberate focus on London, former Mayor Ken Livingston has argued that the root of the problem lies with a hardcore of disenfranchised youth. This youth, in spite of the huge increase in availability of educational opportunities over the last 10 years, and ongoing, are so illiterate, so innumerate and so unbiddable as to be totally unemployable and totally unsuitable for employment by the armed services, where a reasonably well trained dog would be of more use. Simply take a look at the online ASVAB for the US armed services, for example. Thus, as the argument goes, this class of youth has no other option, but engage in the knifing or maiming of others. Even the dumbest dog in the street can do better.

As the arguement concludes, the straw to be grasped, yet again, is that society must be held legally and financially hostage to this class of youth, so that further social integration-cum-educational programmes can be set in train, and which will have almost zero impact on the problem.

The more effetcive approach is:

1. Insist that parents take responsibility for their children, and not the state. This is better for everybody, in the long run.

2. Instead of seeking to prevent knife crime by stop, search, seizure and charging, the police must concentrate on apprehending those responsible for actual knife crime--which is demonstrably possible--so that others do not become intimidated by, or entangled in, unjust law like was depicted in the film 'Minority Report' in which crime is prevented before it is even thought of.

3. Community leaders including those whom they lead, must be robustly confronted and simply told to get with the programme, since it is totally unacceptable that their youth can run wild behind their protection and/or a wall of silence, in order to kill or maim, at will. They will object, of course, by threatening the career politician's, political career. However, like the erroneous argument put forward by youths, that the knife is a defensive weapon, the more able politician has career opportunities outside of politics. The electorate need to know this.