Just seen a Chav running off with armfuls of Chicken Tikka Masala. I think he got confused when his mates said they were raiding Currys.

*get coat*

As a primary school teacher appears in court charged with looting:

I am so nicking that

And rusty has joined the rioters.

That’s the idiot I mentioned here: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=14408&start=90#p215530

He wasn’t described as a teacher when I watched the news broadcast. He’ll be signing on soon. Do they still do voluntary unemployment deductions?

Not if these people have their way

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-14474429

Fixed.

I don't think social problems had anything to do with this - it was just opportunism by some to steal things. Look at the people who've been to court so far - a daughter of a company director, a primary school worker, a scaffolder, a postman, A-level students - hardly people with social problems.

I bet the majority were "career criminals" who are too dim-witted to see past the end of their trainers, and will never account to much, but who's fault is that? You can't force people to learn, and what company is going to employ someone with the intelligence of a traffic cone?

The root cause of this is the "nanny state" we've had for the past umpteen years, where these people got everything from the State, and now all these benefits are being cut back, they're beginning to realize that they're not going to be able to afford their iPhones and snazzy trainers, and it's about time. I don't work hard so some lazy slob can sit at home all day with his PS3 and 50" plasma telly.

Bring back national service and knock some sense into them.

Opportunism was a part but not the whole story.

I think some aspects were down to social issues, some down to kids who have had no discipline, others were crimes of opportunity and others still career criminals. A majority though, well the commonality is stupidity. I think it got particularly out of hand because there weren't enough police in the right areas doing anything about it.

Cameron seems to want to turn attention away from the lack of police response as he won't commit to not cutting police numbers. Many have already gone, civilian staff mainly, who were the ones who predominantly occupy roles in Intelligence and other backroom support areas.

If they'd been on the scene quick enough, in enough numbers and actually did something other than watch the looting and record for later prosecution then it may not have got so out of hand.

The biggest kettling of people I saw was the kettling of a group of people who had gone on the streets to protect their area.

Nice one. Took me a second or two to spot that.

One thing that just struck me - nothing happened in Cardiff or Edinburgh or Glasgow.....I wonder why?

It didn't happen in enough places for you? Personally I'm very glad it's all quietening down now.

As someone who's been in the middle of it all I wouldn't wish it on anyone. I've even had the little c***s in my back garden

Because it's always raining in those places? Seems to have been every time I've been to them.

In reality, Christ knows. It didn't happen in Newcastle or Sheffield or Exeter or Southampton either even though there are just as many poor people there as in Liverpool or Manchester.

This is why i think anyone saying 'well the reason is THIS' can't be right. There patently isn't just one reason. There are a number of reasons, all working together in semi-random ways. They're like.. (gets physics geeky) all the various factors are waves with different frequencies. Put them all together and in some places the waves reinforce each other and you get a peak, so you get a riot. In other places they don't, so you don't.

Jon