Rule of the mob v rule of law

The descent of yesterday's tuition fees protest into the occupation of private property, extensive criminal damage to that property and numerous violent incidents - including the dropping of a fire extinguisher from a rooftop towards police officers below, which could well have resulted in a murder charge - wasn't perhaps the biggest surprise in recent history, but once again the incident demonstrates that the thin line between the rule of law and the rule of the mob is often close to being breached.

Older readers in particular may notice that these latter words echo Margaret Thatcher's during the highly fraught miners' strike of the 1980s, and back then I would have been more sympathetic to the cause of the euphemistically described direct action approach demonstrated yesterday. However, since then I've come to more appreciate the value of an ordered society and the role that the rule of law plays in this, and in particular the egregious effect that violence and intimidation has on this.

Of course, peaceful protest is entirely legitimate - although whether even orderly demonstrations ever achieve much is a moot point - but numerous protesters who have been interviewed in the wake of yesterday's events in essence say that, unfortunate as these things are, when push comes to shove they've no choice because the proposed changes to tuition fees are unfair and direct action is the only chance they have of making an impact.

Again this is a moot point - and it should be hoped that the unacceptable aspect of yesterday's protests have no effect on policy - but life is unfair and we don't always get what we want, and the answer isn't violence protest.

We all know that democracy in this country isn't perfect and can be substantially improved upon, but the coalition government isn't the Communist Party of China and Conservative Party HQ isn't Tiananmen Square, and it was appropriate that yesterday's news bulletins juxtaposed footage of the London events with David Cameron's visit to China.

Unfortunately the events of yesterday seem likely to be repeated in the next few years as the harsh financial conditions continue to take their toll on the economy generally and on public spending in particular, but ultimately the rule of the mob achieves nothing, and although there are possible targets more likely to elicit widespread support than Tory Party HQ, the principles at stake are far greater than yesterday's broken windows.