There are widespread riots in London. This is not a good sign that my view that social disorder will not be major is correct. Decades ago in the English Parliament, Enoch Powell talked about the lack of assimilation of many British citizens. Since the citizens he spoke of were black, he was accused of being racist.
Christian Odone, a blogger for the Telegraph, had this to say:
Broadcasters and talking heads want a narrative that props up liberal myths. They want to talk of the spirit of community that has been broken by hard economic times. They want to shoe-horn the people of Tottenham into the heroic mould of London’s East Enders who stood shoulder to shoulder during the Blitz: this, they think, will prove to the public that we are right about the cruelty of the Coalition’s cuts. But listen to eyewitnesses in Tottenham and Enfield and they are telling a different story. It is one that stars criminals, not “community.
The riots are well spread throughout London. Click on the Google map link here to see how widespread they are.
No doubt the British government is taking the needed steps to assure the peace? Well, no, they are not:
The Home Secretary appeared to rule out sending water cannon or the Army onto the streets of the capital, despite a third night of violence. Speaking on Sky News, she said that police intelligence and the support of local communities would help quell the disturbances. “The way we police in Britain is not through use of water cannon,” she said. “The way we police in Britain is through consent of communities.”
I doubt that criminals will give their consent to be arrested. This is about wide-screen "tellies," not poverty. As Lord Melbourne said, "The whole duty of government is to prevent crime and to preserve contracts.” Britain is failing that duty. Hopefully this will not spread.