If you’ve ever been there….you’d know….. #northfield #birmingham

The situation currently going on here, in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Bristol does not make me ashamed to be British. These cretins, scum, chavs, terrorists or whatever you wish to name these perpetrators are the ones who should be ashamed.

What they are using as backdrop for the violence and looting is the rich/poor divide within the country. The lack of jobs, the irrelevance of the British government and what they stand for. The justification of poverty. 

These low life do not even know the meaning of poverty.

My nan, is 76.

She grew up through the Second World War in a suburb of Birmingham called Ladywood.

There, she lived in back to back houses, and because her family couldn’t all fit into the same house, she spent most of her childhood moving from neighbour to neighbour, sleeping where she could, doing housework and jobs just to pay the neighbours back for letting her sleep there, whether it be on a bed, or a chair, or the floor.

Her family were so poor, her mom, my great nan, used to have to pawn my nans clothes at the beginning of the week, to give them money until their wage came in at the end of the week where she would buy the clothes back; which then went in a vicious circle, week after week, month after month. They appreciated every little thing that was given to them, whether it be food, or clothes, or the odd toy.

THIS was poverty.

Since those days my nan has, and still does work to earn money.

for 60 years of her life she has paid taxes.

She even was made to pay extra taxes on my grandads pension after he died.

No one is grateful for what they have these days, least of all these scum burning our cities down, taking everything that society has worked for.

Poverty is not, not getting an xbox for christmas, not having the latest Nike trainers.

Today my nan went to work, after hearing of the riots starting in Birmingham, cleaning at the architects she works for. These scum will not intimidate her.

She’s lived through so much hatred, and war within the world, the soldiers who for 76 years she has watched fight, die, succeed to build a safe Britain, and for 3 hours today we watched the country burn.

I am not ashamed of being British, neither is she.

These terrorists, living amongst us all will not make us ashamed of being British and neither should they make any of you ashamed of being British.

This is me and my nan. These are the people who should inspire society.

Work and the country will too.

is the same one I had watching the Twin Towers falling.

Terrorism comes in many forms.

Oh YES!!!!!

Fuck yes.

Good luck to my little sister Lucy who is starring in Macbeth tomorrow at the Old Rep Theatre in Birmingham and she’s only 14!

Braver girl than me!!

Things I saw in brum..