Dalrymple on the Cheerleaders of Social Collapse

GOOD GRIEF, PEOPLE.

2011 In News Photographs

Here is a collection of striking images.  Be warned, though: a few are gruesome.

A Look Back: 45 Memorable Images of 2011

A picture says a thousand words.

2011 Retrospective in Lego

News stories reproduced in glorious Lego!

Dalrymple on the UK Riots

A few thoughts in retrospect.  

Bill Bratton is New UK Crime Adviser

In the aftermath of the riots, David Cameron has asked Bill Bratton (he of New York and Los Angeles crime-fighting fame) to help with law enforcement.  Bratton said that criminals currently emboldened by lax policing and light sentences need to fear the cops again.  I do hope Bratton works his magic before the usual political suspects hamstring his efforts.

FYI: Social Media Cuts Both Ways, Scumbag

There's been a lot of talk about how the UK rioters used social media.  Well, social media cuts both ways.  Check out this absolutely glorious tweet by the Greater Manchester Police. You're nicked!  Besides, never waste sympathy on stupid criminals (dirtbag du jour).

Quote of the Day: Delingpole on London Riot Commentary

More from the ever-readable James Delingpole:

But I surely can’t be the only Londoner for whom it sticks, ever so slightly, in the craw to be told by a Chicago-born professor of sociology and his Dutch sociologist wife in the New York Times is that the riots are kind of our fault ...

By the way, this is the NY Times piece in question.  The usual suspects blame the usual suspects.  Ho-hum, though still annoying.  Anyhoo, do read Delingpole's response -- and indeed Delingpole in general.

London Appalling: Rioters Ignore Bookstores

A bit of analysis that contains, among other things, the HuffPo's hand-wringing blather and one British author's hilarious tweet.  Look, if you were a looter, would you rather go for consumer electronics or paperback novels?  Which has more resale value?  Um, duh?  I doubt your average hooded thug would pass by a plasma TV in favor of an armful of Dickens.

London Appalling: Liberty, Property Rights, and Self-Defense

Here's a perspective, though it just might be summed up by the quote from John Adams at the very end.  There is something deeply perverse about denying free people to right to defend themselves and their property, homes, and businesses.  UPDATE: I had to read this twice because at first I couldn't believe it -- a modern Brit is thinking about the right of private citizens to bear arms!

James Delingpole Asks a Question

It's simple ... and simply devastating.

Nerd Analysis: Prof. Drezner on the World Cracking Up

Daniel Drezner, professor of international politics at Tufts University, wonders if we're repeating 1931 with a pretty pessimistic round-up of news.  May I offer some wry humor to go along with that?  Here's a sign that wouldn't be out of place on the road to serfdom.

Doom in the mirror is closer than it appears.

London Appalling: 2 Thoughts and A Broom

Here are two interesting reads from the UK: a thoughtful leftist argues that the welfare state is to blame, while an editorialist insists that the only solution is a bigger welfare state.

Amid all the broken glass, looting, arson, and violence, though, there's a sign of hope.  The cleanup effort's begun, and the broom and brush are becoming signs of resistance to the riots. (Check out the charming photo.)  A note: in contrast to the riotous young people, a large number of cleanup volunteers are also young people.  So be careful when reading editorials saying that England is doomed and its future in the ditch.  I think what we are seeing, though, is the brutally clear delineation of two divergent paths, between the productive and the destructive.

UPDATE 1: Thoughts on the rise of an antisocial subculture.  I've heard folks use the term "feral youths."  This can't be good.  Recall also what Theodore Dalrymple said back during the March education riots.

UPDATE 2: Some German newspaper comments on the London riots.

UPDATE 3: Thanks to Dignified Rant for the link.  Do see what he has to say too: "The barbarians are sacking the cities."  It's like the 5th century AD all over again.

London Appalling: Riots Spreading

What the hell is going on over in London and the UK?  Is this the same city that I love?  Good grief -- it's like Jekyll and Hyde.  Is this PM David Cameron's "Falklands moment"?  It's time to see what he's made of.  I don't envy him rushing back from his Italian vacation to see London in flames as thugs run amok in its streets.  This isn't "freedom of expression" and peaceful assembly. This is criminal behavior and the willful, wanton destruction of other people's property and businesses.  Anyone else remember the Riot Act of 1714?  UPDATE: The chaos has spread to Nottingham.  Perhaps they could use a good sheriff.