Cameron: A Case of Too Little, Too Late

By James North – David Cameron has returned to the UK and declared that the ‘Fightback is under way’ after a fourth night of riots across English cities.

Many people have criticised the Prime Minister and police for their unwillingness to use the heavy handed tactics needed to keep calm in the streets of several major cities. The Prime Minister himself had only just returned from a family holiday in Italy yesterday on the third night of riots.

Some people, unhappy with the levels of support given by the police are turning to vigilante style groups to deal with the problem.

The media have adopted a ‘say nothing’ approach when it comes to the ethnicity of the majority of the perpetrators of the violence. Several interviews and call in guests on discussion shows have been cut short when the issue of race has been raised.

In a poll carried out by a national newspaper it suggested that 90% of people backed the idea of using a water cannon on rioters, 78% were in favour of tear gas, 82% wanted curfews enforced and 77% wanted the army brought in to solve the escalating crisis.

The other major news and developments following yesterday’s violence:

109 people in the West Midlands have been arrested following scenes of disorder and cars were set on fire in Birmingham and Wolverhampton.

A street was sealed off as police investigated the shooting of a man in Leeds.

The Sony Centre in Enfield was set on fire in the early hours. The 20,000 square-metre building contained thousands of CDs by artists on the Sony Music label and hundreds of independent labels.

Nine youths have been arrested in Gloucester after police officers came under attack.

Three men who were aged 31, 30 and 20 have been killed as they protected a property in Birmingham.

90 people had been arrested after a police station in central Nottingham was firebombed by a gang on Tuesday evening.

Metropolitan Police have arrested 768 people in connection with the violence in London.

Merseyside Police have arrested 50 people in Liverpool in relation to disorder in the city.

A 21-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life following the fire at Reeves Furniture store in Croydon.

A 26-year-old man has died in hospital after he was found shot in a car in Croydon.

Unless the root causes are addressed and discussed then we can expect further problems in our inner city over the next few years. Communities that the government classes as integrated are in fact, when looked at closely, segregated. This in turn leads to deep community resentment especially in the younger generations.

It must be accepted that the multi-cultural experiment has failed; only then can we look sensibly at the issues and the best way to resolve the growing tensions within communities.