Politics

British riots are not a new phenomenon. They were regular occurrences throughout history and usually the spark that lit the tinder was a sense of grievance that the authorities were refusing to deal with. In our century, governments have better technological means to stay attuned to public opinion. But the recent outbreaks of violent protest have taken government and parliament by surprise, and the rioting and looting may not have reached its peak. Far-right political militants have undoubtedly helped to instigate the troubles on our streets, and the question arises: are they employing a model of far-left activism that led to the Bolshevik seizure of power Russia in October 1917?

Images of thugs causing mayhem on Britain’s streets has brought back painful memories of the football hooligans of the 1970s and 1980s. Back then, ‘firms’ of shaven-headed white men regularly went on the rampage, in and around railway stations, town centres and football grounds. Shops were looted, police officers and their horses were pelted with beer cans, and highly organised gangs did battle. Many of those involved did not even bother to attend the football matches. We’ve seen something similar in the days since the murder of three children at a Taylor Swift dance class in Southport last week. Groups of mostly white men, uncannily similar in their appearance, clothing and tattoos to the firm members of the

Balaclavas were once the preserve of bank robbers and members of the IRA, but this week they were worn by thugs who clashed with police. During riots across England, protestors concealed their faces as they threw projectiles and smashed up shops. Balaclavas were also worn during anti-immigration protests against a proposed asylum site in Coolock, Dublin, last month. The sight of criminals wearing face coverings is a terrifying one – and Ireland has responded with a proposal to ban balaclavas at protests. It’s a shame it took so long. Balaclavas were worn during anti-immigration protests in Dublin Ireland’s embattled justice minister, Helen McEntee, is weighing up draft legislation which ‘intends

As the country saw more violent riots last night, Tory leadership hopefuls have taken to the airwaves to condemn, er, Nigel Farage. The Reform UK leader posted a letter to Twitter on Monday morning on the weekend’s disorder, hitting out at ‘the impression of two-tier policing’ in the UK. Farage pointed to differences in the ‘soft’ police response to Black Lives Matter protestors in 2020 compared with how forces had handled rioters. The MP for Clacton concluded: We must have a more honest debate about these vital issues [like immigration] and give people the confidence that there are political solutions that are relevant to them. A recall of parliament would

Scotland’s exam results day has been something of a disaster this year. An already stressful time for anxious pupils has been made worse after hundreds of students across the country received blank email templates instead of their grades – a gaffe which the Scottish Qualifications Authority is scrambling to fix – while a flailing Scottish government struggles to explain why the poverty-related attainment looks worse, and wider, than ever. The bad news for Scottish students doesn’t end there. 2024’s national exam results don’t just demonstrate that the gap has widened; today’s figures have almost all eclipsed pre-pandemic levels. The overall pass rate for National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher exam