In the 1930’s Prime Minister Baldwin and Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain wanted to keep the peace and not provoke Adolf Hitler or the German Third Reich in any way. Neville Chamberlain is famous for his “Peace in our time” speech on the eve of returning home from Germany in 1938 with the Fuhrer’s signature on a piece of paper after they had agreed to the Munich Accords.
Fear of the mob pure and simple made Chamberlain and his predecessor follow and appeasement policy. Not only would they be kicked out of office if Hitler declared war on them, not only would their party suffer if the army had to be mobilized, the jobless populace, still not recovered from the Great War, might start to riot. It was the very sort of situation that made the upper classes quake in their boots.
n December of 2010 student protestors attacked a Rolls Royce carrying Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, and Prince Charles. These rioters smashed windows and splashed paint on the car. Even worse, they were chanting, “Off with their heads!” In March more than 200 peopled were arrested for criminal activities, violence, and other offenses as they protested government austerity measures enacted by David Cameron’s government.
So can you blame the government for planning for high security during the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton? Britain was already on a severe threat level due to anticipated terrorist attacks. This only heightened the feeling of unease.
Scotland Yard arrested only 50 people for disturbing the peace, theft, an drunk and disorderly conduct on the wedding day in central London. There were no major incidents. But the feeling was that they ducked it this time. One of these days soon their number may be up.
