The reason behind much of the crime in the first world is unemployment. The UK throws it's hands up to a 20% youth unemployment figure but you can add another 10%+ for the kids in other programs designed to give the perception of further training but are designed primarily to defray the figures. Why so many youth unemployed....free trade, globalization and the dismantling of tariff barriers. Most of our society ills come from this alone.

UK RIOTS: LOOTERS NOW ISSUING LEAFLETS TO SCARE PEOPLE FROM COMING FORWARD
http://21stcenturywire.com/2011/08/09/new-trend-in-uk-riots-looters-now-issuing-leaflets-to-scare-people-from-coming-forward/

The leaflet in question isn't coming from "Looters" it's one commonly circulated by so called "Anarchists" and other Leftist groups, the text has been around for years, notice it refers to "demos" not riots.
The leaflet is not designed to intimidate people into silence, it's a guide on avoiding arrest written for "activists" who've been involved in violent or illegal protests. I was given similar material around the time of the S11 protests and further back there was the same type of information being handed out by the Student Union when I was at Uni in the 1980's.
As anyone who's ever been involved in "street politics" knows these "Anarchist" and "Hard Left" groups are riddled with cops, provocateurs and other "Actors", in some cases the cops run the groups outright or place informers within to direct them, same deal with the "Nazis".

that's right Pericles. Let's not mention it and it will go away.

Enoch Powell was right.

Another poster made an interesting point in response to the 'Bear' article. As well as the hooligan element, there is a growing fed- upness with government bail outs of the big end of town while the middle classes and poor have to wear the new austerity measures.

Arjay also makes a good point along those lines, the hooligans are an easy target, and while I don't in any way excuse their actions, the impact of white collar crime and unethical dealings in business also have impacts long felt.

'there is a growing fed- upness with government bail outs of the big end of town while the middle classes and poor have to wear the new austerity measures. '

Once when I was young and naive I would have said a similar thing.

What is your alternative pelican? Let the Big end of town collapse, unemployment skyrocket, the tax base shrivel and the welfare bill skyrocket. Sounds like a plan!

Sure, the big end of town suddenly become socialists when it all goes pear shaped due to too much cocaine, and it gives me such a chuckle to see the market worshipers come with hat in hand to the government, but the poor will cop it regardless, because they started out poor. A little secret though, welfare comes from taxes. When nobody is paying taxes...

As to the riots, well, as with any mass shootings, riots, natural disasters, all with a barrow to push (pelicans anti capitalism included) will identify a cause that fits in neatly with their agenda. Ask formersnag and it's feminazis, ask others and it's muslims, ask other and it's secularism.

Pericles is proven right once again.

As a former long term resident of London, I'd say the people who I used to buy my drugs off have many and varied motives.

There's the thugs, the opportunists, the angry marginalised yoof, the people looking for a cause or meaning, the ones who have hated the police for years and feel more emboldened in the current climate, those who are bored and feel like this is all so exciting.

Anyone who has been young knows how intoxicating it is to band together against a common enemy.

It's all very Tyler Durden

We have no Great War, no Great Depression. Our great war is a spiritual war. Our great depression is our lives.

We've all been raised on myspace to believe one day we could become popular, sexy, and super cool. But we won't. And we're slowly learning that fact. And we're very, very bitchy about it.

Just blame Twitter and Facebook.

Houellebecq,
Enjoyed reading your POV.