Robert Jenrick calls out society's sickness – will others have courage to follow?

OPINION

There is a plague of shoplifting. One in three of us has had our phone stolen. Cyclists jump red lights and give a finger to anyone who objects. Bike theft is out of control. And, most exasperatingly, one in 25 journeys on London’s Tube system aren’t paid for. These criminals just barge through the gates or jump over them. It’s so common that it’s almost unremarkable. To his credit, Robert Jenrick took on these Tube fare dodgers in a video released today on X.

Catching them red-handed and bypassing the station staff who just stand there, Jenrick shoves a camera and microphone in these dodgers’ faces and risks physical injury while challenging them why they think it acceptable to rip off the rest of us. Some of them tell him to “f*** off”. One threatened him with a knife. Others refuse to say anything, horrified no doubt that someone has finally called them out.

But there’s no mystery as to why people steal and dodge fares. It is the logical conclusion to our insidious lefty culture of victimhood and virtue-signalling. Far too many politicians, commentators and celebrities excuse law-breaking.

Just look at the criminals who throw orange paint over priceless paintings at the National Gallery, and who block the M25 causing millions of pounds’ worth of economic damage and stop hundreds of thousands of people going about their lawful business, like getting to hospital appointments, attending funerals of loved ones or travelling to Heathrow to go on a holiday they’ve saved up for all their lives?

Ahh, but they’re not really criminals at all, proclaim the stupendously idiotic lefty virtue-signallers. Their cause is just, so they are campaigners, not lawbreakers. We should admire them, not send them to prison. They are heroes.

The police should indeed give them cups of tea. And if they are arrested, and go to court, the judge should darn well appreciate their heroism and give them nothing more than a ticking off and congratulate them for bravery. That’s how and why we’ve got to the lawless Britain that the rest of us have to suffer in silence.

There is only one way out of this. And that is for the rest of us, the silent, law-abiding, decent majority to speak up. We need to call out the thieves, fare-dodgers and road-blockers.

As a nation we have become cowed, passive and intimidated by the growing number of criminals whose increasing boldness depends on the rest of society being weak.

Enough. Well done Robert Jenrick. You’ve shown the way. Now, it’s up to our Government to have the courage to follow and restore Britain to the high-trust society some of us can still remember.