The Contrarian: History Predicts A Riot
There is nothing new or exceptional about the recent English riots and they will have little long-term impact, argues Tim Stanley.
Most of the British press treated the August riots as a historical aberration: something to be blamed on government policies, or even the weather. We associate mob violence more with the French than we do ourselves. But, in fact, sporadic civil disobedience has a long tradition in British history. We are a far more demonstrative and brutal a people than we would like to admit.
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