[lighthouse]

Something has happened - first we get a News of the World Journalist admitting to his "Rock Star Breakfast" - after his big, big, big Boss has been brought to Media Justice and the Paper ceases trading - then we have the largest ever Drugs Bust in Holland where 3Million £ of Cocaine is siezed and its Suppliers arrested. All of this makes much of what has ever happened before either look like Posturing or a Skirmish.........but the Writing has been on the Wall for quite a long time.

Here - I have seen a Town grow to twice the Size it was 12 Years ago - where 1000s of People have moved here who don't have Parents from here - or a Succession of Grandparents going back to some distant time. Until as recently as the 90s it was still the parochial little Town once described as "The largest Cul De Sac in Britain" - where you did have the old Networks of People who were the Continuation of Generations from when Edward Teach plied the Seas, or there were Hamlets called West Hill and a Toll Booth existed on what was where the Well to do's of Bristol had their 'Rural Retreats' - or when they made Nails, opened the Power Stations and began importing Phosperous.

In that Time - and in recent Decades - there were the Lifestylists who lived as they did and no-one really noticed - or it involved People they knew or were related to. This became part of everyday Life - right up until the 90s. Then we began getting the Influx of People. 100s - a 1000 - now 1000s from every Part of Britain and the World who aren't part of that Culture. They might even have moved from Areas where there might have been Lifestylists doing something similar. This means that there is now a Group of People who won't feel any 'Loyalties' to old Mates, or Relatives, have no Memories of a Trip here and a Spliff there. What this implies is that if you are one of the local Lifestylists with a - erm - 'Tradition' of Lifestylism going back to some dim Time in the 1970s-90s these People won't like it particularly. They might begin to ask why it's like that - why these People have been doing what they do for as long as they have. They might start getting anxious about some of it and begin to report it. This isn't some Network of "Snitches", or even a Minority of People flexing their Muscles. It's a huge Influx of People with their Contacts, their Associations, and their Opinions who might not subscribe to a "Oh well, it's been happening for Years so how can it be wrong" or "What can I do about it?". They will do rather a lot and have a very substantial Lobby to do so.

They aren't Naive either - particularly if they are from an Inner City or Urban Environment where they'd have seen Things as bad - maybe even worse - than what they might see here, so if you're smoking Spliff in a Public Area don't think they won't notice - while somewhere getting Visitors all Hours of the Day is like the worst kept Secret in Town. This is one of the Positives of recent Years where a natural Process of social Checks and Balances begins to happen and not the almost duplicitous Attitude you might get from People who publicly disagree with it - but actually endorse it........and I've met quite a few of those.

If this is what is happening across the Country - and even Areas of our Economy now - then it will be more effective than any amount of Subterfuge and Narcopolicing has ever been. Even high powered Media People have finally been brought to justice without even being busted.

[Paquadez]

[pyritechips]

Originally Posted by Paquadez

Ditto.

[lighthouse]

What I mean is how - until the late 90s a Group of People might have been doing 'Something' and others would see them and say "Oh, that's Whassname and Thingymajig doing 'something'" - like they've seen it every day and has almost become as regular as going to the Shops. Now - as the Town has almost doubled in Size since 2000 - People who have moved here since will see same Group of People and not see it as regular as those who might before. They just see a Group of People doing 'something' - and regard it as they might any Group of People doing the same thing................and not as charitably. It isn't anyones Mates or People they might have known for Years this time! It's People who have moved here in the last few Years!

As for the News of the World Story - the Admission by one of its Workers that he regularly used Cocaine means that the Industry will have to clean its Act up. As an almost incessant Succession of Scandals emerge from the Street of Shame those in it must be looking for and confronting anything else that gives them a bad Press - if you'll excuse the Expression.

Would he have 'fessed up' at all had his Boss not been brought to Book? Probably not and what has just happened is unprecedented in the Industry as its most powerful Mogul is finally made accountable - thus so is anyone who worked for him. This time the Industry is accountable to the People - and not the other way around!

...............And it isn't just Drugs either - any other criminal Activity will be regarded similarly........while 300 Million £s of Nose Ningle - and that's before it's been cut and bulked with Detergent, Asprin, Sweetner etc - being siezed is a lot of Crime removed from the Street.

As for small Towns that are now no longer small - you can't get a Handle on People - either through Intimidation or some old Loyalty - you don't know - and who don't know you - and probably wouldn't want to. Similarly, you don't know who they know! I figured this out a very long time ago - while any Networks Media People might have established in those Environments are also now kept in Check!

The Days of Mafia Media are coming to an end!

[Cookiegal]

But what are you presenting for debate lighthouse? It should be clearly defined and laid out in the intial post.

[lighthouse]

That.........

1) The Migration of People has presented a Defence against Activity that was previously unchecked.

2) The recent Drugs Raid in Holland has tackled a Problem at a Level never seen before.

3) People in an Industry that became rotten with Sleaze - including Drug use - have finally been routed.

4) That the Accountability Process has now extended into Communities not necessarily via any Law Enforcement - but by societal Phenomena like what has happened here in recent Years.

None of this is before time too as we have seen any other Initiatives from the Law to Politics fail at every turn! The Media particularly is in for quite a Shock as they've played Starsky and Hutch for Years - creating Huggy Bears everywhere - who are now obsolete!

[Rockn]

If you think this is the end of government being controlled by drug cartels or other influences you are sadly mistaken. As long as there are countries run by greedy people looking for an easy buck it will never end. Although I don't really get the point of this post as a debateable issue.

[Cookiegal]

Originally Posted by lighthouse

That.........

1) The Migration of People has presented a Defence against Activity that was previously unchecked.

2) The recent Drugs Raid in Holland has tackled a Problem at a Level never seen before.

3) People in an Industry that became rotten with Sleaze - including Drug use - have finally been routed.

4) That the Accountability Process has now extended into Communities not necessarily via any Law Enforcement - but by societal Phenomena like what has happened here in recent Years.

None of this is before time too as we have seen any other Initiatives from the Law to Politics fail at every turn! The Media particularly is in for quite a Shock as they've played Starsky and Hutch for Years - creating Huggy Bears everywhere - who are now obsolete!

Debate threads generally should only present one issue or topic for debate. But what I see here are four "statements" but no clear questions presented for debate. Upon review we don't see that this thread has merit as a serious debate thread and therefore we have removed the "Debate" tag.