J Rodolfo

You are confusing demonstrations and pure bloody minded spiteful damage, why was Charlie Gilmour wearing latex gloves while tossing a piece of concrete in the air. He well knew what he was doing and now he's paying for.

Hey, Penny, why aren't you out reporting on the protests in London right now? Not quite middle-class, white and safe enough for you?

Britain feels one of the most lightly policed countries anywhere in the western world. I lived in London for 25 years. I would not feel able to ask a cop for directions in New York where I live. The idea that the UK is an oppressive police state is risible. While we are talking taxation and democracy if you live abroad from the UK after 10 years you lose your right to vote (even if you pay taxes on property.) Taxation without representation? Will you be campaigning against that Penny?

The right to protest doesn't include the right to assault or inconvenience other people, or to damage property.

The EDL is a special case. Their protests about Muslim immigrants face violent counter-protests from left-wingers. Most protestors don't face that. If you stand outside McDonald's waving a banner with an anti-fast food message, McDonald's won't hire someone to come round and beat you up.

If you are involved in a protest that becomes violent or disorderly, you should immediately dissociate yourself from it and follow instructions from police. Then you are very unlikely to face police brutality.

These consumer riots will probably lead to the shutting up of the estates and localities from which these juniors ( juvenile delinquents - too Goon Show ) originate.
A more hermetically closed ghetto - where innocent and guilty will be confined as long as is necessary.
Just what the Tories were hoping for. A united ethnic front against the black and white young underclass.
Rap? This will be more than a rap on the knuckles. The gloves are off and the police are more than ever needed by their Tory masters.
Of course Tessie and Dave are concerned about the endless overtime - but it's worth the price of re-election. Come down hard is the advice of good old Kelvin. No excuses - harder!
Haven't seen hide nor hair of Mr Softy - Kenny Clarke. Must be renting holiday homes for the influx of all these new prison inmates.

Consequences, dear boy!

Gotcha Suckers

You know the haters are losing the debate when they start putting up the spam. Great piece - For myself i think that the state of police/liberties/preferntial treatment is getting to the stage of the 80s with the special patrol groups being set an agenda as a matter of policy.
Yes the EDL have got lifetime bans - but thats in part because people campaigned for them, put pressure to get them and more importantly - they make it sound like the Judge has actually done something.

The police aren't knocking on doors of students who were protesting last December,they're trying to find ones they believe commited assaults and violence last December.
Regarding the finstphen lennon got for a public order offence, it's different sort of Public order offence that Marbles was found guilty of, Marbles was lucky he wasn't found guilty of Common assault.
Sgt Smellie was found to have acted in self defence of whacking Nicola fisher,ever heard of innocent till proeven guilty, or do you have a problem with that,
Yes yousaw Jody micntye beong dragged out of his wheel, chair a, crowd was surging twords him and he was told to move for his own safety, he refused ,locked the breaks of his wheel chair ,they had to drag him off for his safety, thr Police/IpCC inquiry found they had acted rightly, Mcintryre didn't appeal the finding, as For stephenson being disgraced, What's that got to do with anything, I could say your a disgrace as you refer to people who disagree with you as "C**ts"
You keep repeating that one protester was gihting for his,life, It's gone from you alleging he was hit by a truncheon, Now It could have been a police charge, No comment of him bieng hit by antoher protester, or that Alfie meadows is currently up on A violent disorder charge,And ys it's 9 months ago since the studnet portest and the police are still invstigating them,

Do you feel as it's took so long that charges should be dropped, Grow Up!
Frank fernie throwing poles at Police was A prank was it and becasue he missed,it shouldn't be illegal, So attempted murder shouldn't be illegal should it ,afterall those people don't sucseed in what they're trying to do.
Th head of the Daily Telegraphand a couple of Combat 18 memebers were imprisoned for having explosives they were going to use for terror, so It's not only left wingers who get prison snetences, Regarding the Sun and co. it's only just broke and the inquiry is still on going and Glen Mcuire went to prison too.
Of course the Home office advices polcie on how to do things, even with Independence,the police have to follow the law it's what the laws there for.
Charlie gilmour was drunk ,wow well in that case the shouldn't have been sent to prison as that's a good defence for his actions.

You flatter yourself Ms Penny, they were probably worried you would drown when your flyers got wet.

Jonnie Marbles did what he did not as a protest but to try and rescue his stuttering comic career by attackng an eighty year old.

You forget yet again that Charlie Glimour is a friend of yours and yes he really did deserve his sentence and when he gets out people like you will arrange yet another job for the boy.

You really do descend into childish fantasy too often, lets find some real victims instead of your friends.

I'll never forget finding Bristol and yes even Stokes Croft still standing after your excited headline "The Battle of Stokes Croft-Last night Bristol was on Fire."

You really need to grow up and get a grip.

The Riot in tottenham tonight reminds me of the one there 25 years ago, the day afterwards Margaret Thatcher said that the police would have unlimited supplies if they wanted them at the Tory party conference,

there was a 17 month police presence of the estate and a climate of fear as 5000 P.Cs a day stayed there,
The Daily Star had a racist headline of which they were lucky not to be prosecuted for and the Daily Mail and the Mirror both had headlines saying send the army in heavy and for them to show No remorse

When Bernie Grant first stood for parliament in Tottenham in 1987,Both Labour M.P.s Frank Field and Michael Cox told people to vote for the SDP candidate there ,as did 2 Labour lords and he had a 10% swing against him.

The Tories introduced the 1986 Public order act and the 1996 police act, As well as after winning the 1987 election, the Poll tax ,the part privatisation of the NHS ,the destruction of the education system and it became acceptable to see people sleeping homeless in cardboard city

welcome to police state britain. we have had years of endless cctv and surveillance and now most of us can see that the battleground is looming and a class war inevitable. its blatantly obvious that its been put in place to protect THEM from US. and if some mentions al CIAeda, freedom and its there to protect us, i will vomit.

there is a shadow government, they do pull the strings and they like to remain anonymous. the police and intelligence services are there to look after the big bosses, not us peasants

@John P Reid

Yes, an investigation by the police found the actions of the police to be in line with the policies of the police.

I'd love to hear what you have to say about last nights antics Penny. I swear to god, if you say it's because of social immobility or a cry for help, I'm going to choke on my own laughter. I watched 7 youths (alright, I'll say it and be accurate being that race supposedly kicked all this off; 7 black youths) loot 2 mobile phone shops last night. There was no political message, no confrontation with the police, they just looted and drove away in nicer cars than I own. How do you explain these actions Laurie.

@jacobRichardson,no actually the IPCC gave the police all the inforation and Mcintyre didn't appeal it,

Oh come on Stuart, Socialists aren't plastic. Being the leader of the Socialists I can assure you that we're quite often rubbery and drunk, with a touch of troll like creepy crawliness. Not plastic in the slightest.

Hi Danielle! Your leader is here!

Miss Penny: So when did it become acceptable to physically attack someone in their 8Os?

Changed your tune about Charlie Gilmour, I see.

Laurie Penny: The lady IS for turning.

Yeah Laurie.

Why aren't you out on the street? A little too real for you, is it? Not a children's crusade?

Sadly, the rioters have had to do without nutso Charlie Gilmour this time as well.

When are you going to give more of your money to placate the yoofs? Very soon?

Spud; 'I wasn't there'

Bullshit. You peddled down on your pushy to Brighton beach with your high powered camera lens with a few mates and took photos of Laurie's lovely ankles and calfs. Don't deny it. I was there and I saw you doing it.

Papers are one thing, but is Rupert Murdoch not entitled to own his own body, anarchists?

I want a state to protect me. Anarchy means we all get pied in the face whenever some random is popular enough with everybody to get away with it.

Charlie Manson would have a field day if he lived in a commune.

Hang on...

Here's one for you: If the EDL turned up at the offices of the New Statesman, stormed past the police, smashed the building up, and then started throwing heavy stuff down at the staff below, would Miss Penny want the police to arrest them?

Here's another one: The EDL hold a mass protest in Trafalgar Square. After smashing up several parts of London, they then attack a car carrying Tony Benn and Shami Chakrabarti. I am sure Miss Penny will again insist that any prison sentence for the perpertrators is extortionate and a politcal attack on legitimate dissent.

@J.H. Whilst your commitment to thought experiments is admirable, the fact is that, even at the most conservative estimates, over 50,000 people turned out to the student demos, whereas the EDL are lucky if they can summon 1500 pissed up thugs to their performances.

I offer no defence of violence which may have occurred during the day or after, but don't make spurious comparisons.

FA Rosa PArks lived in Cultrual apartied, we don't in the U.K

Karen Police have had to pay 11% of their wage to their pension, that's going up by 3.2%, they are on a 2 year pay freeze, and The last governemnt broke arbitration by not giving them 0.9% of the pay rise they were due,Many polcie who joined in the 90's after the Major Government took away housing allwance were on such A low wage that they had to leave before teh Gov't gave them a 9% pay rise in 2000, Police have to do such awkward shifts that their cost of living is high, Many police today start on £25,000 and also their must have been specilas at the Student demo ,who work for free.

I can't help but feel your views on Marbles sentence would be different were one of the EDL to commit a premeditated assault against an "anarchist" or a "hippy".

I'd wager they were both, Mr Divine.

I hope Labour are watching and learning a lesson. This is what happens when you spend thirteen years running riot through civil liberties and tooling up the police with powers and weaponry and bravado and god knows what else, and then inevitably, like all governments, have to hand the whole shebang over to the other side. All politicians should be statutorily required to write an essay on the theme of "Would I like my worst political enemy to have access to this?" before they pass any law or make any concession to the police.