It’s easy to blame without thinking deeper, there’s a shadow-side to affluence which must be acknowledged and brought out into the open.
This is a relevant interview on radio 5 by Richard Bacon of the admirable Camila Batmanghelidjh who founded the Charity Kids Company … ‘These kids have got no hope. They’ve got nothing to lose.’
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00jpw1j
I tried to create a link to this interview on my face book page and it was taken off instantly, so I try via wordpress, indirectly.
It’s voices like Camila’s that social engineers would do well listening to.
Course of Mirrors 
Unfortunately I can’t listen to that here I do like that woman. However, my heart has been very saddened at the pictures we have seen. I have always defended the rights of anyone to protest against whatever they see as injustice and I have watched in horror the violence perpetrated against demonstrators but I am left feeling hopeless by the sight of young people looting and burning their own towns and I think it it has to acknowledged that they are not protesting now they are simply exploding as if their lives have been like balloons under too much pressure and now they have popped. What a sad, sad day this seems to be. This anger has obviously been bubbling away and to my mind everyone here is a victim even those of us who can only sit and watch as a so called civilised society appears to crumble before our very eyes.
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My son and many of his friends live in London, the scene is quite terrifying, with helicopters in the sky and sirens sounding. I hope this doesn’t turn into a tit for tat with the authorities, which would escalate the situation. Punishment alone is not the answer. Some constructive proposals are needed in the wake of this senseless destruction. Shame you can’t listen to radio 5, but there’s also a piece in the Independent where Camila comments: http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/camila-batmanghelidjh-caring-costs-ndash-but-so-do-riots-2333991.html
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