There were, thank God, no riots to speak of last night. Instead there was a unity rally in Walthamstow which attracted thousands of people in a demonstration of social solidarity. Is it safe now to talk about the end of the riots? We can at least say that, for now, they are not happening, except possibly in Belfast; the foreign TV news crews are returning home; and, as some pundits have observed, the imminent return of the football season may give the rioting hooligans an alternative outlet for their energies.
It’s remarkable, isn’t it, what being banged up can do for the animal spirits? There was something quite old school about the way a man who punched a policeman was sentenced to three years without the option of bail, with other violent offenders going down for two and one and a half years. Thugs may be called mindless but few are quite so mindless as not to take on board the realities of summary justice. Indeed, it makes you realise what the state can do in the way of expediting the criminal justice system when it puts its mind to it.
