the riots in britain revisited-some more small steps

i have written on this site and elsewhere about the rush to judgement by the press,the political elite and others in theiir rush to judgement and condemnation matched only by vicious and vengeful and idealogically driven lack of analysis.i have countered that a real explanation will not be soundbites,simplistic or easy and it is likely to be complex.

i "chipped in"with a couple of thoughts about what the riots were and were not,because the left runs a risk of posing an explanation in terms of crude,simplistic and outdated explanations in a parody of those explanatory failures of the right.

there is however some positive progress.the united states edition of socialist worker includes a brilliant and illuminating piece by mike marquesee who is an american who has lived in and has substantial knowledge and experience of the british left and the wider social landscape.the"organised rage"website,not only has a striking and incisive name but has recently included a video piece from youtube which it describes as the proverbial views of the"man on the clapham omnibus"-which used to be the way sensible,ordinary opinion was referred to by judges in courts and used as kind of measuring stick or barometer of opinion.as it happens it is in the best sense all of that.i might differ with details but the man in the video has a far better and more measured insight then those who think they know better and pose as if they are better