That Bloke In The Big Smoke

Tuition fees are making law conversion courses less attractive by Alex Alridge | The Guardian [18 August 2011]
From a selfish perspective this is good news because I could do with less competition in the race to securing a training contract, but generally speaking it would be a sad state of affairs if it were at all true.

It is David Cameron who is 'twisting and misrepresenting' human rights by Benjamin Ward | The Guardian [17 August 2011]
The UK already has a British Bill of Rights. It's called the Human Rights Act. Like seriously, end of.

Who are the real looters – rioters or MPs? by John Harris | The Guardian [18 August 2011]
I made a similar argument a few days ago. The author provides better examples and finishes it off with a fantastic suggestion from a letter to the editor. Worth a read for that alone.

India's Selective Rage Over Corruption by Manu Joseph | The New York Times [18 August 2011]
The odd thing about corruption in India is that everybody takes part in it (not always by choice) yet there is no dearth of moral posturing from its worst offenders. For many, some forms of corruption are worse than others.

Kaushik Basu Says Make Bribe Giving Legal (in India) by Subhadip Sircar | The Wall Street Journal [30 March 2011]
A fascinating proposal from the government's chief economic advisor. At present the law punishes the bribe giver and bribe taker, but he argues that for "harassment bribes", only the bribe taker should be punished.

A few days ago I wrote about Nicholas Robinson, a twenty-three year-old electrical engineering student from south London who was sentenced to six months in prison because he stole a crate of water worth £3.50 from a Lidl store in Brixton. He had no previous convictions but the magistrate handed him the maximum penalty for his part in the "chaos". However it is worth noting that following the parliamentary expenses scandal in which hundreds of MPs were named and shamed by the Telegraph, none of the parliamentarians that have been convicted so far, received more than a sixteen month prison sentence. Indeed two of the criminals that were sentenced for twelve months made false accounting claims of £11200 and £6000 each. It seems patently unfair that an individual with no criminal record and whose only role in the riots was to pick up a crate of water, received half the sentence of a parliamentarian who had hoodwinked the British taxpayer for a much larger amount and over the course of several years. Perhaps you disagree with me. Either way, it's worth thinking about.

From the Guardian live blog:

A student has today been jailed for six months for looting a £3.50 case of water from Lidl in Brixton, which seems to support the analysis provided by the Guardian datablog that magistrates appear to be taking a hard line with those convicted of riot-related offences.

Nicholas Robinson, 23, was walking back from his girlfriend's house in Brixton in the early hours of Monday morning when he saw the store on Acre Lane being looted.

Camberwell magistrates court heard the electrical engineering student took the opportunity to go in and help himself to a case of water because he was "thirsty".

But when the police came in, at around 2.40am, he discarded the bottles and attempted to flee the scene. He was caught and arrested by officers at the scene.

PA reports that there were gasps from the public gallery as district judge Alan Baldwin handed down the maximum penalty he could to Robinson, who has no previous convictions, for his part in the "chaos".

The judge said: "The burglary of commercial premises in circumstances such as this, where substantial and serious public disorder is or has taken place is commonly known as looting."

Robinson, of Borough, south London, had pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a charge of burglary.

He claimed it was an "opportunistic" crime, and he only went in when he saw the store unsecure and wanted a drink.

Robinson will have to spend three months in prison before being released on licence.

On the other hand an eighteen year-old IT student reportedly walked free from Highbury Magistrates’ Court after admitting stealing Burberry T-shirts. David Attoh from Hackney in East London said outside court that the judge had handed him a £100 fine but supposedly waived it after hearing he had spent two days in custody. This lack of consistency in dispensing justice for similar crimes does not paint the rule of law in the best light.

The community coming together at Clapham Common to clean-up after the mess left behind by the looting scumbags. I believe the brooms were being thrown in the air to cheer the last firemen leaving the area.

[ Source: http://yfrog.com/gzmurasj ]

As looters and rioters smashed up shops, looted and fought with police in Camden Town, Philippa Morgan-Walker, 25 and her husband, Jonny Walker, 31, made tea for the police who were protecting their street. Some of the officers had been on duty for more than 30 hours. And they're using a riot shield as a tray! [Taken at 00:38 on Tue 9 Aug 2011], Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pixel-eight/6024429000/in/photostream/.

There's also a clean-up of various parts of the city and other affected areas across England being organised on Facebook. It's amazing how events like these galvanise communities into action. Keep safe and stay positive!

As I type this at least four neighbourhoods have faced fires today, to go with the fire in Brixton last night and the fires in Tottenham on Friday night. Is this the city that's going to host the Olympics this time next year?