If Marcus was right we`d expect Scandanavia to be the leading hotspot for urban riots . I don`t really think so ...

i meant "no need to make up figures"

I take it from the response that very few if none of these posters have had either their homes or businesses destroyed in the recent riots.

This is the problem with liberals : all theory with NO empathy for victims!

Which public?

@Attrition47

It seems that it is the Sun's readership. Mostly. I will draw my own conclusions.

Winkley

There you go thinking you have read my life story!

I wonder if you would be so sympathetic if you or your family were among the victims?

8910steven

Are you making out that liberals are more intelligent that right wingers?
If so you are typical of liberals with this superiority complex who think they have all the answers...but in practise they are limp wristed and useless (like Nick Clegg!!)

@A. Cole
I feel terribly sad for those people whose lives have been shattered by these riots. And this is perfectly compatible with worrying about the causes of the riots and about the knee-jerk response of those who wish to see some for of revenge related justice.

How does $200 million in damage compare to that which has been done by the bankers and politicians?

The speed at which these events happened, hardly gave time to have a lengthy debate on jurisprudence.

The woman is no longer in prison, but still has a criminal record and will have to do 75 hours of community service. (hopes she likes orange)
She ended up with some hand me down, rioted goods; a pair of shorts. She knew they were from the riots. (a bit like harbouring stolen goods). So, yes, this is probably common sense, that she was released from prison, but still has loads of community service to do and has a criminal record. Her sentence, not her conviction was quashed.

The idea of inciting riots, encouraging criminal damage and violence, is a tricky one. But we can see how would be rioters were trying to fool police and basically bring the public safety net of policing, fire protection etc down. So yes, this deserves harsh sentencing, as it is a threat to the state or crown, practically treason.

Does setting fire to a government dockyard, still carry the death penalty? But you know what i mean. Threatening the fabric that upholds social cohesion and safety, such as the police and emergency services, is by far the worse thing. As it is basically anarchy.

This is what the serious rioters were trying to do. Overturn the police and government.

No doubt plenty of people that took a few goods, with no intention to harm the police, shops or other people, or indeed incite a riot, will be treated differently from those trying to bring the system down.

If everybody was inciting riots on facebook every day. Where would the police go? Which would they take seriously? It would be impossible. But the police and government would be the first to get the blame.
So releasing the woman was right. Putting the two blokes in for incitement is right too. It's a warning to others. Seems to have worked too, so far.

Attrition47
21 August 2011 at 00:06
Which public? Perhaps the law abiding, honest and hard working public!!

Fresh Orchids
'Fascist' magistrates handing down 6 months for handling stolen SHORTS have got it wrong. It's only what 81 per cent of the public demand!! didn't you bother reading the article?

The political-left are doing themselves a tremendous amount of damage allying themselves with this criminal outrage....

Thats funny, I'm a member of the public and I don't.
I believe the riots' were caused by a small group of politically motivated agitators and anarchists and yobs, who hi-jacked a perfectly legitimate peace protest against a police shooting.
But some very naive and innocent and foolish young people got caught up in the events.
We have to be seen to be fair. 4 years for posting on facebook, when facists from right left and centre have been doing it all along and getting away with it is ridiculous.
Taking a bottle of water and getting hammered, when everyone knows rioting can be thirsty buisiness is wrong.
We must go after the real criminals and looters not the idiots that get caught up in eventsor just happen to be passing wondering what all the trouble is about.

disproportionate to what, other burglaries? or other cases of assault and arson, all iunstances these criminals took part in activicty where they new police resourses were stretched ,so they had less chance of being caught, if so the public are right.

The public favour disproportionate riot sentence's. Surprise surprise.
Suzanne: spot on when you said fascism could tear through this country in a heart beat. Asked yourself a question WHY!! sorry. I will tell you WHY!! BECAUSE OF PILLOUCK'S. Like you!!

Dear NS ; We really do need to do something to clean up the comments section under NS articles ; all these hysterical ,gormless rants from right wing trolls have so coarsened the quality of discussion it`s become a complete waste of time . How about toughening up the maths question a bit ; instead of asking what`s 7 x 2 why not ask what`s the square root of 289 or something ? That should get rid of most of them ...

@ Richard Albright ;Well I wouldn`t call phrases like`Look here dickhead ` or screaming `BECAUSE OF PILLOCKS LIKE YOU `at people contributions to free and open debate ; quite the opposite they make any sensible discussion completely impossible .Which incidentally is why you wouldn`t be allowed to use such language in Parliament for example . Nor would I exactly call the sado-masochistic fantasies of the likes of B Small `contributions to debate ` .

I think that would probably cause a riot ...

8910steven: The political-left have used name calling and abuse as a form of political censorship for many years now. To close down debate on immigration, the left screams racism, making sensible discussion completely impossible. The same is true, with so-called man-made global warming. 'Denialists' Europe 'Little Englanders' and so forth.

B.SMALL: I'm with you on this one, i'm also a product of the left. But unlike 8910steven: I've seen the errors of my ways. In the real world. I never meet the lefts useful idiots, you know the type. Kev Livingstone, Harriet Harman and that ghastly Diane Abbott. All those i meet are disgusted and revolted by falling standards is just about everything. So this 'rag' can't understand why 85% of folks want 'zero tolerance' It's just goes to show the moral bankruptcy of whats remains of the political-left.

mcquade: The left is losing. This financial crash has not turned out to be a social-democratic launch-pad many expected. In Britain and beyond, it's the fiscal conservatives that are winning the argument. The political-left are void of any credible alternative.

PS I hear the government is intending to close down 2,500,000 prisons

LZ: Who's running away with everything that was ours? LZ. When you popped out from your mother, and attached yourself to her tit, What did you actually own? Politicians left/right are all playing catch-up with the fast changing mood of public opinion. The public don't just want justice, many want revenge. It's a very human reaction.

With the riots and sentencing I have to say that for the first time in my life I actually think Michael Howard has a point! This time the so called "Bleeding heart liberals" have got it wrong.
http://bit.ly/pWZ9TU

"coalition's plan to close 2,500 prisons"

*face palm*

Yep. Good one. Great research!!!

Caution! 81% of the public DO NOT favour such sentences, but 81% OF THOSE SURVEYED do. You cannot necessarily generalise from a sample, so please do not engage in such tabloid standards of journalism.

well that once again proves the vast majority of the public are either stupid or totally under control of the media

Some of the comments on this blog are quite simply stupid and short-sighted. David, you truly are blinkered by your liberal doctrine if you actually believe what you typed there.

The people have had enough not just of politicians from all three main political party's but of the whole liberal ideology they all frankly share. They want their rights and freedoms back; they want lower taxes; they want hope; and they want to be safe; they want a future were we can all prosper.

People are beginning to wake up to how much the government takes off them in taxes. 40% tax really equals nearly 80% tax when you include NI, VAT, duties and council and stealth taxes are rightfully included.

Nearly 80% of everything a good proportion of the population earns goes to the government to support this ridiculous social welfare model we have found ourselves with.

We've all seen what that tax buys. We've all seen the value for money we've received.

100 years ago we were the biggest and most successful economy on the planet. Now we are ranked 6th and will continue to slip so that before the end of this century we will be a second-world nation something like Argentina. Is this what you want?

Its the same across most of Europe. We simply cannot compete with the failed European social welfare project weighing down our economy. At this rate we are all doomed.

We need a new way. A libertarian way. We need a Ron Paul type character not tainted by the same failed party politics we've seen for generations in the UK to stand up and take us in a completely different direction.

10% tax anyone?