We only waved goodbye to our political leaders last week but here they are heading back to London.
Why?
Anarchic riots have broken out and, thanks to modern tweeting and the rest, the flames have quickly spread from north London round to the south, including now the unlikely location of Croydon and north again to Birmingham .Rentamob which used to take a while to assemble and therefore be reasonably easily contained has been replaced by Flashmob which is a much more difficult proposition. Incitements to violence can be signalled between groups in an instant and the reaction can be very swift as well as unpredictable. No easily detected buildup over months is needed. The security services have a new start point to look for . The "mobs", are generally quite small and do not necessarily come from the district where the action, damage and destruction takes place. They therefore have no interest in the livelihoods of the local people. They are far outnumbered by onlookers but sadly these are unwilling to risk life and limb by standing up to them. Violence and looting goes unchecked until enough police are on hand to quell it.
So far so bad.
Politically it causes an enormous dilemma to (deservedly) holidaying political leaders. The best thing they could do is to stay away and come back as refreshed as possible. However they and their advisors have a problem. Tabloid -and even allegely more up market,-media have been itching to label them as negligent and guilty of "Crisis, what crisis?" behaviour. Ever since the Royal Family were pilloried for not immediately returning to London when Princess Diana died and ended up being offsided and upstaged by damp eyed, hand wringing Tony Blair, the question for leaders has not been what they really should do(in this case stay away and deny oxygen to the troublemakers) but what they need to be seen to be doing. The Prime Minister also knows that if he doesn't return he risks the same offsiding by pictures tomorrow of Ed Miliband touring burned out buildings, shaking hands with people who have lost their homes, businesses and possessions and "feeling their pain". Cameron will be just in time as both Miliband and Harriet Harman are also heading back tonight. Ed no doubt to look serious and outstretch his palms, while Harriet nods slowly and thoughtfully.
So where now?
The original spark of the disturbances lost its relevance to them very early on. It is no excuse for the incitement and actions now taking place which leave all other then the participants worse off. Some who by sheer hard work have built up their businesses, bought their flats and improved their lives or even just managed to hang on to what they've got have seen their livelihoods destroyed in a few mindless nights.
The first thing has to be to extinguish the violence and restore law and order and security of individuals to the areas concerned and choke off any further outbreaks before they take hold. It doesn't help and probably isn't just coincidental that we are now in the long school holidays. Many of the hooded looters are still at school or college .
The second thing is when that has been done that has been done and probably large numbers arrested there will have to be a firm smack of justice and the message being that that whatever the frustrations of young lives, wanton destruction is never warranted and is quite simply a criminal act.
The third thing and much more stretching problem is how to deal with the new ability of anarchistic groups and ordinary criminal troublemakers to generate widespread disorder almost anywhere out of the blue and in a very few minutes. That's the really difficult one and it has to be a top priority in any civilised state.
A state,-and government-has to protect its people. Cameron will be determined to do so but Ed will be looking for every opportunity to portray him as failing in this duty. Ed must be longing to reach out in a moment of monumental cynicism and opportunism for the word "Cuts". That's why Dave is back tonight.
