Asylum system a long way from crisis
If the media could stop seeing asylum as a peculiarly UK problem, there might be more chance we could participate in international solutions, says Matt Cavanagh.
Good Society
China hails Cameron’s look at instant messaging crackdown
Chinese Communists have praised the Prime Minister for investigating whether clampdowns on instant messaging and other social media can be introduced.
New York Times slam Cameron, Liberal Democrats over riots reaction
The New York Times, America’s newspaper of record has attacked David Cameron for his reaction to the riots.
Choosing short sentences over community service for looters will increase reoffending
Short sentences are not effective and magistrates should concentrate on community service for many of the rioters
How to build a cross-party consensus on responding to the riots
The most promising area for cross-party consensus, is what to do about the small minority of chaotic families in which children do grow up with little sense of right and wrong,
The fragmented society: How irresponsibility and inequality feed off each other
It is a false chocie to between blaming the riots on inequality or moral irresponsbility – in a fragmented society, the two fuel each other
Water cannons are “useless”, require specialised training and we only have six
The Prime Minister’s decision to put water cannon ‘on the table’ may be popular – but they are ill-suited to dealing with looting, and have the potential to make things far worse
Cameron “ignorant or disingenuous” on frontline police cuts
In the Commons today, David Cameron reiterated his claim that cuts to police budgets would not affect front-line officers. But the facts do not support him.
Riots – the view from the devolved nations
The riots have been greeted with alarm, division in Scotland and criticism of cuts in Wales
Evicting council tenants will cause more problems
Rushed and ill-judged policy changes, in particular evicting council house tenants involved in thr rioting, may lead to more problems