Our summer of strife is a degenerated, cracked-mirror image of the Arab Spring
Without the legitimacy, purpose or desirability of the Arab Spring, our Summer of Strife – with its much deeper roots – will be even harder to put down.
Riots
How social networking escalated rioting – and can bring it to justice
It is now widely understood that the rioting was in part driven by communications using social networking services. Police must act.
As Parliament is recalled, MPs must resist the temptation to legislate
Parliament is due to be recalled this week following the riots in London and elsewhere. But the Government must be careful not to rush to legislative solutions.
Speculation can wait: The priority is to stop the rioting
There is an understandable rush to speculation about the causes of the riots and many theories – sensible and ludicrous – are already in circulation. But speculation, as tempting as it is, is not what is needed now. What is needed now is for the disturbances to stop.
A crowd psychology analysis of the riots
The difficulty we are faced with, as a society in the context of a ‘politics of riot’, is that meaningful dialogue to address this important question is almost impossible.
The new governability crisis
From rioting to strikes, stock market runs and basic questions of the rule of law, the UK is suffering from a governability crisis.
A big society or a breached social contract?
The attempt to control drug use through the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA) has for forty years undermined trust in the criminal justice system.