The New York Times, America's newspaper of record has attacked David Cameron for his reaction to the riots.
The New York Times, America’s newspaper of record has attacked David Cameron for his reaction to the riots, accusing the Prime Minister of various misdeeds including hypocrisy:
“Mr. Cameron, a product of Britain’s upper classes and schools, has blamed the looting and burning on a compound of national moral decline, bad parenting and perverse inner-city subcultures.
“Would he find similar blame — this time in the culture of the well housed and well off — for Britain’s recent tabloid phone hacking scandals or the egregious abuse of expense accounts by members of Parliament?”
Cant:
“Crimes are crimes whoever commits them. And the duty of government is to protect the law-abiding, not to engage in simplistic and divisive moralizing that fails to distinguish between criminals, victims and helpless relatives and bystanders.”
Collective punishment:
“The thousands who were arrested last week for looting and for more violent crimes should face the penalties that are prescribed by law. But Mr. Cameron is not content to stop there. He talks about cutting off government benefits even to minor offenders and evicting them — and, in a repellent form of collective punishment, perhaps their families, too — from the publicly supported housing in which one of every six Britons lives.”
Authoritarianism:
“Making poor people poorer will not make them less likely to steal. Making them, or their families, homeless will not promote respect for the law. Trying to shut down the Internet in neighborhoods would be an appalling violation of civil liberties and a threat to public safety, denying vital real-time information to frightened residents.”
The newspaper then goes on to ask the Prime Minister to change direction in policy and overall philsophy:
“What Britain’s sputtering economy really needs is short-term stimulus, not more budget cutting. Unfortunately, there is no sign that Mr. Cameron has figured that out. But, at a minimum, burdens need to be more fairly shared between rich and poor — not as a reward to anyone, but because it is right.”
It also expresses disappointment in the junior coalition partner for going along with the Conservatives:
“Such draconian proposals often win public applause in the traumatized aftermath of riots. But Mr. Cameron, and his Liberal Democrat coalition partners, should know better. They risk long-term damage to Britain’s already fraying social compact.”
If the Prime Minister hoped that the actions of the last week would help rebuild Britain’s reputation in the world, they certainly have not in New York. The newspaper, whose website receives 30 million unique visitors per month, laments:
“Fair play is one traditional British value we have always admired. And one we fear is increasingly at risk.”
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