Brendan O’Neill, editor of spiked online - as a follow up to this excellent article earlier in the week - has a great (IMHO) article today over at the Centre for Independent Studies.
"These are welfare-state riots - and it is a bit rich for those commentators who have been at the forefront of promoting insidious, patronising and spirit-killing welfarism in recent years to lay the blame for the riots at the doors of poverty or material desire." [Link]
Back to the first article and there is a very important point - especially with yesterday and today reports of rifts between the Police and the government - Brendan wrote "There is one more important part to this story: the reaction of the cops. Their inability to handle the riots effectively... ...demonstrates how far they have been paralysed in our era of the politics of victimhood, where virtually no police activity fails to get followed up by a complaint or a legal case."
Interesting possible solution from David Ruffley, the Conservative MP for Bury St Edmunds HERE: "Three steps that will transform our police" setting 'out how much money is wasted in the police budget and how the existing police numbers are badly used'. Hat-tip Conservative Home
The oncoming obrogation of the title? The altering of laws: the Beeb reports that the e-petition calling for rioters to lose their benefits has hit 100,000 signatures and become the first to be considered for a Commons debate and young offenders who took part in the rioting and looting that blighted Britain’s streets this week are walking free from court without facing significant penalties [DT]: something has to change.
2 comments:
I always have a smile when the Conservative party raise the idea of changes to the police force, as they were known as the party of law and order in the 1980's, but to be fair it's a different generation.
I'm like one of the posters who has commented about officers moving up through the ranks, isn't there a danger that the police force, like every other area of life, will attract people who know the theory but don't know the practical?
That said one of my personal frustrations has been the fact that you can't ask to be part of the fraud squad, you have to be seconded and again (and I know I'm bias) you get people straight out of uni with no practical experience.
Incidentally a good comment in The Times today about Mrs T, when she took power in 1979 one of the first things she did was cut benefits in real terms whilst increasing the police budget, great conspiracy theory debate there.
Tony Cameron has made a bit of a balls up this week whilst genuinely trying to do the right thing, making promises and putting a political spin on matters before talking to experts about whether his ideas were viable.
Simon Bates was right (again) given enough time we will all become right-wing!
They got a 45% payrise in teh early 80s!
Re the fast track I think you are exactly right. And now Orde et al are going to make it worse (incoming!...from a few pals of mine!) they are career civil servants, not policeman.
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