What is happening to our country?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail....aith-men-died-us.html

What has happened to our society when even our War Memorials are treated with such disrespect.

Some of these these memorials have stood untouched for over 90 years, and it is only just recently they have been defaced in such a way.

[DTCwordfan]

They solved the Shergar kidnap too. The owners got a message from the IRA, grossly on the horse's front left leg. "Send £IR 5 million, or this horse never races again...."

[andy-hughes]

AOG, I am unsure of your age, but i know you are among the more senior of our community.

For the average person though, the wars are history, and have no personal connection. You'd need to be in your mid-eighties to have seen active service in WWII, so for a generation, this is an abstract concept, as is the respect and memory of those who served and died.

For them, the concept of a memorial is not valid compared with easy scrap metal there for the taking - sad I know, but true.

I would hasten to add that I only ofer this as an explanation - certainly not as a justification.

[rov1100]

Maybe these thieves had a poor upbringing and were rejects of society. If they were given a financial bonus for trying to get a job, give them a knighthood and they could compare themselves with other members of society who achieve status and wealth for very little input.

[cockneygirl]

Most of our problems are caused by too much immigration, we are getting the dregs of these countries

[boxtops]

That's a very sweeping statement, cockneygirl - lead was being stripped and sold well before immigration rose to its current levels.

[Kromovaracun]

"so for a generation, this is an abstract concept, as is the respect and memory of those who served and died."

You're generalising massively here - in fact you're generalising to the point of inaccuracy. We don't know if the people who take the metal - or those who are willing to buy it - are young, or belonging to one particular generation. I find it very hard to believe that every generation who didn't directly serve in WW2/National Service are imbued with an inherent disrespect for war dead. Now, evidently somebody is or else this wouldn't be happening, but that's more or less stating the obvious.

For the sake of accuracy I think we need to try and hone it down a bit more, though I admit to being at a bit of a loss as to how exactly to do that....

[cockneygirl]

agree boxtops but not so much as now, in fact not so much of anything as now

[DrFilth]

don't think people will find many oldies climbing up on church roofs to nick some lead
if they have trouble carrying a shopping bag what chance have they got carrying a sack of scrap iron

[Kromovaracun]

But everybody under, say, 60 isn't 'a generation' - it's multiple. And would, if I'm not mistaken, include the vast majority of the UK population who don't go around stealing memorial plaques. I'm just trying to say I have a problem with the idea that not fighting in the war = disrespect for war dead, because evidence to the contrary is everywhere. This doesn't deny that somebody disrespects them, I just think we need to be more specific than Andy's argument because it's so broad a generalisation as to be meaningless.

[naomi24]

^^ Absolutely right.

[anotheoldgit]

Agreed Kromo, good post.

[DTCwordfan]

I don't think they really give a monkey's toss.

Who are they - yes there are some yobbo groups involved, probably in "collection" activities but with some of the quantities disappearing, organised crime has to be doing it, or using the yobbos in some raids as front men.

It really is no wonder with the prices involved for the "rewards" as per a previous contribution of mine - the issue is there must be some pretty huge smelters involved and hence why I say organised crime. Figures in Lead alone are thought to be >£50 mln. Then there are the large building raids in Lincoln, Cambridge, Oxford, Chester and all the rest - that must take some careful organisation so as not to get caught.

However, get the smelters and perhaps....... I do not think that these professional groups give a toss about respect to the dead, or indeed the living - wit the bridge safety railings going last week between Peterborough and Spalding....

It's not only here - the US has been hard hit too - more copper from aircon and signalling units though I understand there was an audacious lead theft from the National Cathedral in DC. Perhaps there is a hidden benefit to having the protestors outside St Pauls in deterring the metal thieves?

Talking about possible thefts for ABers, how about Eros in Picadilly Circus (isn't that copper) and how about the winged Pegasus in front of BuckPal - that's gold gilted I believe.