Sense of proportion over riots in England

Mayhem on the streets of England's cities

Maybe I was too quick to judge David Cameron. I've just had lunch so maybe my sugar levels were out of whack and I was not prepared to give the benefit of the doubt or whatever. But I still think talk of fightbacks is not good. If he is thinking of getting to grips with the moral bankruptcy in Britain I'll give him my backing. However, this is no back to basics business. It must be a proper understanding that greed and lack of integrity have been dominating factors in British life for far too long. We have greedy people in all walks of life. We have liars, cheats and thieves, many of whom have been running the country in past times. Little wonder the "mindless" rioters see their chance. Are corporate tax dodgers any better for Britain than hooded rioters?

If we are all in this together, then it includes the wretched rioters as well. Just locking them up in Wandsworth Jail isn't going to help. That place is deemed low on the list for rehabilitation skills. David Cameron says, "There are pockets of our society that are not just broken, but are frankly sick. It is a complete lack of responsibility in parts of our society, people allowed to feel the world owes them something, that their rights outweigh their responsibilities and their actions do not have consequences. Well, they do have consequences." With that I agree. However, sickness needs curing. Many would favour euthanasia as a cure, but those are just heat-of-the-moment sentiments. Responsibilities, YES. Positive actions, YES. But a definite NO to combative talk leading nowhere.

I'm shifting gear nicely now in my sixties. I don't want to go into my seventies and eighties and still see society with those pockets of deprivation as a growing cancer in our midst. Way back in the seventies I canvassed for the Conservatives in the Birmingham Ladywood by-election (1977). Promises from all the candidates including our own John Quentin Davies who seemed utterly detached from the squalor around him. Probably he's now better off with ermine and his New Labour friends. Somehow I found myself with him in the stairwell of a depressing tower block of council flats canvassing grumpy disillusioned Brummies. Only their votes were sought, not their opinions. However, I ventured along a high balcony walkway and came across a young black boy. His eyes showed signs of weariness but his hopes and aspirations were crystal clear. He wanted to do good at school and leave the area. He was the complete opposite of mindless. He was bright and clever but stuck in a so-called deprived area. I sometimes wonder how it all worked out for him.

It's all very well talking of robust action but we need positive action. These riots didn't really surprise me. Maybe in their intensity but not in their happening. The only people who can create positive change by making the laws work are politicians. Let them all come together on this and cure those parts that are "frankly sick".

Posted in: David Cameron,London Riots 2011,social deprivation,social mobility