Roll of shame

Back to last week's student riot in London, which neatly reminds me of one reason why I moved away from (aggressive) progressive politics. The most twisted interpretation of events probably comes via a letter in yesterday's Scotsman from Dr Carlo Morelli, a University of Dundee academic:

During the demonstration, over 5,000 students showed their determination to defend the future of education by occupying the Tory party HQ and its courtyards for several hours. The mood was good-spirited, with chants, singing and flares.

And that's the extent of his comment on what happened at Millbank. Except to praise the "magnificent show of strength". His letter was signed by 15 other academics, but this roll of shame is unfortunately not listed on the newspaper's website.

Which planet do these people inhabit? Of course, it's the ivory towers of academia, not a job of work or housing estate blighted by violence, intimidation and criminal damage. Perhaps if they worked or lived in the latter they might view last week's events differently, and they probably wouldn't be quite so cocky. Indeed, most of these cowardly people who attempt mob rule probably wouldn't say boo to a goose if they were on their own.

Runner up to Morelli is New Statesman columnist Laurie Penny (comprehensively demolished by Tom Harris in his swansong (eh?)), who compares the student rioters to the suffragettes (sic) and says:

Feeling that they no longer have a voice or a stake in the political process, that their votes are worthless if the parties who they supported instantly break their manifesto pledges, they took to the streets in their thousands and launched a furious attack on Tory HQ, smashing windows and dropping banners from the roof. Property damage, it seems, is still the last resort of citizens whose leaders prioritise the interests of private property above the interests of the people.

Take this puerility to its logical conclusion and if the democratic process doesn't provide us with what we want then we throw our toys out of the pram (or fire extinguisher off the roof) and go around destroying things. Except, presumably, Ms Penny's own property. But in the real world, you unfortunately can't neatly compartmentalize criminality for when it suits.

Edit: The two perspectives quoted above should be compared with a slightly different angle, this time from commentator and newspaper columnist Lesley Riddoch, who in last weekend's Sunday Post quoted an on-duty Met police officer who told a phone-in:

People were spitting at us, smashing bottles, hitting us with sticks and wood, throwing bricks and masonry at us. They tried to lift the visors of colleagues and poke them with sticks.

Yes, Dr Morelli, the mood clearly was "good-spirited".