Just over a week after the riots ended in the capital, visiting Leeds United fans had a few things to say to their London-based West Ham opponents in light of recent events. The Championship league match ended 2-2.
Just over a week after the riots ended in the capital, visiting Leeds United fans had a few things to say to their London-based West Ham opponents in light of recent events. The Championship league match ended 2-2.
Articles Worth Reading
Aug. 18th, 2011 11:20 pmTuition 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.
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.
Some men are not as guilty as others
Aug. 15th, 2011 09:45 amA 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.
Heightened state of alert
Aug. 13th, 2011 01:00 amA week ago if I heard police sirens in the distance I might've wondered momentarily about what was happening, but I probably wouldn't have checked to see if anybody had tweeted about it. How things have changed. In the past hour I've heard three sets of police sirens in the distance and each time I've checked on twitter to see if anybody else has written about them as well. Nothing yet and hope it stays that way. Nighty night peeps!
Commit the crime, do the (maximum) time?
Aug. 12th, 2011 02:25 amFrom 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.

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 ]
- Mon, 12:32: RT @MyCoffeeStopUK: Girl comes out of Enfield job centre, bragging on her phone, 'oh my boyfriend went looting last night, we got a new ...
- Mon, 19:35: Tottenham riots: before and after pictures http://t.co/azIK6mI via @guardian
- Mon, 20:07: Pictures of scenes in Hackney earlier this afternoon - http://t.co/l9ZdxOD #londonriots #hackney #flickr
- Mon, 20:16: RT @BenParfitt: RT @Mikestoke: This flyer suggesting organized violence is probably the scariest development yet http://bit.ly/oZ9qzs #l ...
- Mon, 20:19: RT @Londonist: National Rail announce train delays due to 'civil unrest' http://bit.ly/nILt3w
- Mon, 20:29: RT @BenParfitt: Pictures of the #birmingham riots http://bit.ly/rmkHim
- Mon, 20:31: RT @organised: I bet you some hipsterpreneur is silkscreening "I survived the London riots" T-Shirts at this precise moment. #londonriots
- Mon, 20:57: RT @suttonnick: Tuesday's Morning Star front page - "Johnson fiddles as London burns" #tomorrowspaperstoday #Londonriots http://twitpic. ...
- Mon, 22:11: RT @alexispetridis: This is fucking brilliant, not to mention totally ballsy. You tell 'em, Mrs: http://www.twitvid.com/4JTZH (via@Garet ...
- Mon, 22:59: RT @_JamesR: Horrifying. A picture of a woman jumping out of the window of a burning building in Surrey St. http://t.co/rNYJVjK #LondonRiots
Spare a thought for the Feds
Aug. 9th, 2011 05:00 am
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!
It's The Social Medjah Wot Did It
Aug. 9th, 2011 04:30 am
Clever work with the yellow ribbon-like line representing The River Thames that flows through London. [Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/foamar/6023629167/in/photostream/]
- Sun, 16:46: What's the point of Manchester City if all that money doesn't actually do something useful and beat that other team in matches like these...
- Sun, 16:55: Tottenham: Never do anything when you are in a temper, for you will do everything wrong. http://t.co/CnO1Irv via @lucyinglis
- Sun, 18:19: RT @SPH1984: Tottenham riots: Police in Enfield lock-down amid Twitter riot rumours - http://t.co/PoyoAPs #Enfield
- Sun, 18:30: For those thinking something is happening in Enfield Town. This was at 3pm. Nothing now. Alot of police. http://t.co/E3sE9oo via @twitpic
- Sun, 18:31: Great. My neighbourhood (Enfield Town) is trending for all the wrong reasons in the UK. Police lock-down. Twittosphere gone barking.
- Sun, 18:45: http://fro.gy/1b0wh "Police running away from rioters in Enfield. Terrifying. http://yfrog.com/kirejuyj"
- Sun, 18:46: http://fro.gy/1b0wo "Riot police have arrived but looks like all rioters have got away- way too late although this has been in the …
- Sun, 19:08: RT @imSANAhi: So someone smashed up the window of HMV and jacked the display. #enfieldtown http://t.co/N7Wtsc7
- Sun, 19:22: http://fro.gy/1b103 "So someone smashed up the window of HMV and jacked the display. #enfieldtown http://yfrog.com/h7t48vcj"
- Sun, 19:23: http://fro.gy/1b105 "Another smashed up police car. #enfieldtown http://yfrog.com/kks3biqj"