She put forward a theory which, those of us that have actually shot at something in anger, will realise is very plausible. Time will tell what actually happened.

Keep sitting in your armchair.

Wow, remind me never to run into you Mr Angry.

And so, what are you - not in your armchair; on high alert; waiting for some action, cowboy?

Tell me, oh wise one, what legal authority would you have used to achieve this? When would you have done this? I am sure that you are aware the RIM have opposed such tactics in other jurisdictions in the past.

Do you honestly believe that Cameron was incapable of providing instructions via phone? Do you honestly believe that seeing any policitian actually on the street would have prevented the mob continuing with its actions? Do you believe that Cameron would have had a greater impact than King Canute did?

The benefit of hindsight. What do you mean by tougher? Hit them on the head with a baton, push them over, shoot them? One wonders what armchair experts like you would be saying now if they did.

I don't doubt for a minute that he is doing so. But, once again, what would you have done to resolve the financial crisis? Please be as specific as possible.

What is hard punishment? Are you arguing that only middle aged and old people should go to jail? If the troublemakers are not to be sent to jail (assuming they are convicted) what would you do with them?

Smacks of this to me:

Thank you for that.

I am not critizing those that, I suspect, did their best to ensure that as much property as possible was protected, within the legal framework within which they operate.

totally disagree. We've lived in a rougher part of Manchester and saw all the workshy scumbags ever day that were rioting now and looting and thinking it's their right to take from the rich. Money doesn't grow on trees and you won't become rich by sitting on your bum and living off the taxpayers money. I was talking to my friends and family in Manchester, Birmingham and the Midlands and they all said it was a lot of white scallies taking what not was theirs. It's about time that the government get a bit tougher and actually takes their benefits and council houses. There are loads of families out there that genuinly need help and not just take advantage of the system. Most of the time your live is what you make of it and whinig and moaning won't help and being the "minority" and maybe sometimes being a bit forgotten doesn't justify breaking the law, destroying other peoples properties and possesions and definitely won't help to be liked more. So rant over

But then what do you do? It's not as though they're likely to get jobs or that anyone would want to hire them even if they were willing to work for a living.

I think the UK gets the policing it deserves these days.

* No coppers out there fancy ending up like PC Keith Blakelock. I wouldn't have gone up against an angry mob - just me and one or two colleagues, to save some tv's and mobile phones. Not anymore - you saw how mindless and violent they were. Maybe it's good I no longer do that job - it's thankless at the best of times.

* Many coppers nowadays, while vastly outnumbered in those early days, will have been reluctant to approach, defend, hit out at anything and anybody for fear of mis-judging their actions, strength or timing by a nano-second, and having the country, media and courts dissect their every action with the wonder of hindsight and from the comfort of that ever-popular armchair. It was probably deemed by management, knowing resources they had available, that it was better to sit back, watch, photograph and then round up offenders later.

* At any time on any given day, I'd guess that only about a quarter (maybe a third) of police officers are available for actual policing.
I mean, they get days off now, and can book holiday with their families, and sit at desks filling in a ton of reports and accountability forms. It's taken three days to round up numbers, cancel leave (for those that didn't bugger off camping in the Dordogne) and dig out more senior officers from HQ.

If they are robust now, it is apparently too late - and if they are robust now, they are bullies.

Hey ho. My tuppence worth.

When at the outset people launch straight into using pejorative terms it completely discredits the argument and shows their position to be simply ill-informed and unthoughtful prattle. And I would argue, that positions such as these are a major contributing factor in the dumbing-down and disconnection of the wider discourse within and about British society.

I say kick them out and leave the UK for the hardworking immigrants.

There is one comma in that rant and it is in the wrong place.

Country. Dogs. Going.

No such place as wrong placed commas. Punctuation is simply style and yes, I'm very stylish.

Something else to read on the issue:


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14496461

Basically it says the British are still not as goot at rioting as the French.

But I think the water cannon is a bigger deterrent in France as we all know they don't liked to be washed.

I don't know. Given the police tactic of kettling, these recent riots have been quite clever. Small groups - in and out of phone shops before plod turns up. That's some smart thinking by the chavs.

And yet you frequent The Keg.