‘Britain is not a broken society’ runs one viewpoint – in complete contrast to ‘ many of the preconditions for civil war exist in Britain today.’
The first stance says crime is way down from the 1990s, there are no blackouts, fewer strikes and an economy which is better than our close neighbours. “The country has serious problems but the right’s vision of it has become hysterical.”
The second complains that ‘the British state will now imprison locals over online bursts of purely rhetorical frustration, while giving rapists a rap on the wrist.’ Plus immigration that is wreaking demographic havoc, bringing in clashing traditions. Unfairness about a free water-taxi service, putting low-skilled, overwhelmingly male foreign citizens in four-star hotels. Ten million working-age inhabitants on benefits, over a million are foreign-born.’ (Lionel Shriver, now in Portugal).
David Betz, an in-vogue academic of the moment has looked at studies on social cohesion, civil war causation theory and social attitudes surveys. He argues that elite overreach ( most recently Boris Johnson’s turbo-charging of immigration against the wishes of the electorate), factional polarization (Muslim v white nationalism), a collapse in trust, economic pressures, and the perceived downgrading of the majority population in a previously homogeneous society, are all present in contemporary Britain.
Mercifully he concludes ‘Britain is unlikely to reach phase three: the offensive phase. This is when the insurgent groups are strong enough to challenge government forces.’
Two astro-influences are eye-catching on the UK chart. The first is tr Pluto in Aquarius trine the UK Uranus in Libra, through 2024/25.
Previous Pluto in an Air sign; In Libra in 1971 for a conjunction with the UK Uranus – introduction of decimal currency, the first postal workers’ strike, and the start of the Open University.
Pluto in Gemini in 1882 – the beginning of the Anglo-Egyptian War. Attempt to assassinate Queen Victoria. The Married Women’s Property Act passed, granting women the right to own property.
Nothing too outstanding. What is much more to the point is tr Uranus moving to square the UK Pluto at 2 degrees Pisces picking up from June 2026 and running to April 2027.
Looking back at previous Uranus hard aspects to that Pluto – and the record is replete with riots.
Uranus Pisces conjunct the UK Pluto: In 1919, significant social and political upheaval in the aftermath of World War I – race riots in major port cities, widespread industrial unrest, and the lingering effects of the Spanish Flu pandemic.
Uranus in Pisces 2003 – most notably just as Uranus moved into Pisces, 1.5 million turned out on the streets in London to indicate their opposition to Tony Blair’s involvement in Iraq; and there were other widespread anti-war protests.
Uranus in Gemini square the UK Pluto: In 1858 – riots in Belfast, sparked by a procession following a funeral. The clashes between Protestants and Catholics involved stone-throwing and continued for several days, leading to a strong police presence. Additionally, there were incidents of machine-breaking and wage-related unrest in Kent and Sussex during the same period.
In 1941 – intense bombing raids during the Blitz. Rationing was introduced, and conscription expanded.
Uranus Sagittarius square the UK Pluto: 1981 the Toxteth riots in inner-city Liverpool, which arose in part from long-standing tensions between the local police and the black community. They followed the Brixton riot earlier that year and were part of the 1981 England riots.
In 1897 – protests related to women’s rights and vaccinations. The Cambridge protest, fueled by opposition to women receiving university degrees, involved the public mutilation of a woman on a bicycle effigy and celebrations with confetti, fireworks, and other items.
Uranus in Virgo opposition the UK Pluto:In 1961 protests and racial tensions, but no large-scale riots. The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) organized marches, including one from Wethersfield to London.
In 1878 – the Bury and Blackburn riots, cotton mill workers’ protests over low wages, and the Bristol riots, triggered by the House of Lords rejecting the Reform Bill. The Bristol riots involved looting and burning of buildings, while the Bury and Blackburn riots saw workers attacking factories and homes.
On the basis of past experience 2026 looks to be a year when there will be social unrest and widespread demonstrations and possibly riots.
The arrests after the Palestine Action demonstration, many of them over sixty, are a nonsense and an outrage. See previous post: Palestine Action – rights and wrongs 24th June 2025.
“A phrase that is circulating in various fraught debates at the moment – “when good people fail to act, bad men take over” – seems relevant. Anger over the plight of Palestinians is more than legitimate. But the mainstream frowns, winces and does nothing creating a vacuum into which the zealots leap, carrying on the fight in often anti-social ways.”
The post UK – Uranus Pluto uprisings first appeared on Astroinform with Marjorie Orr – Star4cast.
