UK Riots: George Orwell's 1984 Comes to Life

The UK is now a nation where surveillance, propaganda, and thought policing reign supreme.

Seventy-five years ago, Eric Arthur Blair, known by his pen name George Orwell, released 1984, a dystopian novel that has since become a blueprint for the dangers of unchecked government power. Set in Airstrip One, the country once known as Britain, 1984 introduces readers to a world ruled by the omnipresent Party, led by the mysterious figure of Big Brother, where the population is under constant surveillance and subjected to relentless propaganda.

Orwell’s work was not merely fiction; it was a dire warning. His portrayal of Oceania — a society where truth is what the Party declares it to be, and where dissent is met with brutal repression — resonates now more than ever. Orwell wrote 1984 not just to entertain, but to awaken his readers to the perilous path humanity could take. In his own words:

Though his prediction was set in the year 1984, it seems that the totalitarian future he envisioned is coming to life today, especially in the United Kingdom. As social unrest spreads throughout the nation, the newly elected Starmer government has responded with measures that seem lifted directly from Orwell’s dystopia.

A Politically Correct Powder Keg

The past decade in the UK has seen a disturbing rise in crime, coinciding with mass migration. However, attempts to discuss the connection between these trends have often been met with accusations of racism. Many UK citizens have been raising concerns about grooming gangs that operate with near impunity, only to find their voices drowned out by the demands of political correctness. 

Even former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak acknowledged that victims of grooming gangs were ignored due to fears of appearing racist. This reluctance to confront criminality in certain communities has led to a two-tier justice system, where some are allowed to operate outside the law, while others face its full wrath.

In 1984, Orwell describes a society where uncomfortable truths are suppressed and replaced by the Party’s convenient lies. This is eerily similar to the UK’s current predicament, where the truth about grooming gangs has been buried to protect the image of multiculturalism. Orwell’s concept of “doublethink” — the ability to hold two contradictory beliefs at the same time — seems to be alive and well in modern Britain. The authorities seem to believe that they can maintain social cohesion by turning a blind eye to certain crimes, even as they acknowledge the damage this causes.

A 2014 investigation revealed that 1,400 children were abused by Pakistani grooming gangs in Rotherham, with British police deliberately ignoring the issue. An independent review noted:

“Several councillors interviewed believed that by opening up these issues they could be 'giving oxygen' to racist perspectives that might in turn attract extremist political groups and threaten community cohesion.”

This two-tier approach to justice has created a cultural powder keg, waiting to be ignited by a spark.