The weather in the streets

When, as we are seeing now in London and in other cities in the UK, public disorder develops to a degree of violence that is directed against not only symbols of authority and privilege, but against the lives and livelihoods of ordinary, unassuming people, the tendency is for the reaction to switch to pure moral disapproval. That of course is justified, but, in terms of public policy, not really helpful. (About as helpful as saying the devil is abroad tonight.) Normally people, however much greed and violence may lurk somewhere within them (and it will always lurk somewhere), do not behave in this way. They are restrained by accepted social order and social values. The question is, what has happened in our society for those restraints to have broken down and how can it be remedied.

The sight of politicians belatedly flying back from their holidays to issue stern statements of disapproval and bolster riot control measures does not inspire confidence that they have any real awareness of what is happening within our society.

"We're all in this together." Cameron says, "People should be in no doubt that we will do everything necessary to restore order to Britain's streets and make them safe for the law-abiding." Just as they are doing "everything necessary" to save the economy. When a politician says he or she is "doing everything necessary" you can be sure they do not know what to do.

Yet, when politicians are out of policy bullets for dealing with economic or social collapse (no more talk from Cameron now about our 'broken society'), they can always turn to real, plastic ones. There is public demand now for firm policing against rioters. Water canon and plastic bullets may be deployed. If they are we will soon see them used against violence in political demonstrations. And if one thing is certain it is that there will be, in this country, soon, more violent political demonstrations.

As one policewoman said guarding the burned out shell of a derelict building set on fire on Brunswick Road: "It's madness. No-one can understand it." 

And this is Gloucester, a cathedral city in the south-west with a population of less than 150,000.