Cameron's response

[AtW]

£1000 per prisoner per year isn't even close to what it costs.

Idiot, I said that's what Scotland gets as a bonus - other costs picked up by England obviously.

And no, if prisoner costs 40k per year to keep in jail then something VERY wrong is going on with the cost base.

Hire Stelios to build EasyPrisons - no frills version that is light on taxpayer and hard on criminals.

[AtW]

You can use reasonable force against an attacker.

Attacker is by definition more aggressive, probably hardened criminal who is stronger and has got advantage in deciding who to attack and when.

Reasonable force is bulltulip if you can't defend yourself effectively without firearms (maybe tazer could be optional for those who can't stomach the real thing).

If half of shop owners that got looted were armed there would be a lot less riots.

[OwlHoot]

OK, what about:

"The army will take to the streets and shoot vandals and looters on sight."

Will that sort it out?

There's no chance of anything other than a soppy response, in word and deed, when Cameron & co have been bleating about President Assad trying to restore order with troops in Syria.

(Not necessarily suggesting Assad is justified in the level of violence government troops have employed - I don't know enough about the background there.)

[AtW]

There's no chance of anything other than a soppy response, in word and deed, when Cameron & co have been bleating about President Assad trying to restore order with troops in Syria.

Inappropriate comparison - people of Syria are fighting for their freedom against dictator, rather than mainly looting bookies and trying to get new trainers.

[Mich the Tester]

There's no chance of anything other than a soppy response, in word and deed, when Cameron & co have been bleating about President Assad trying to restore order with troops in Syria.

(Not necessarily suggesting Assad is justified in the level of violence government troops have employed - I don't know enough about the background there.)

I suspect the Syrian protesters have rather more to complain about than a lack of free Adidas hoodies and plasma tellies.

[HeliCraig]

We can't, the troops are all in Afghanistan.

Not all of them. I have friends who are Apache pilots who'd be more than happy to practice a spot of town night flying. That'd intimidate the perps.

[SueEllen]

The Met Police are allowed to use plastic bullets tonight.

Though I doubt anyone on the ground will get permission to use them.

[Mich the Tester]

Reasonable force is bulltulip if you can't defend yourself effectively without firearms (maybe tazer could be optional for those who can't stomach the real thing).

If half of shop owners that got looted were armed there would be a lot less riots.

Cue drum roll...

No, Mr AtW, the British people are not defending themselves with guns. Instead, they are gathering in force with broomsticks and bin bags to clear up the mess on their streets and reclaim their homes from the marauding oiks. A great army of decent citizens, making do and mending, helping each other to repair their communities, and they're doing it because...

<Land of Hope and Glory>

They're British! Not some unhappy race of oppressed people, but free, decent and fair minded people.

<mother of the free...>

They will not be beaten into submission by rascals and hooligans, they will fight litter and waste with their bare hands if need so beset them.

<how shall we extoll thee?>

I'll tell you how; by clearing up the mess and getting on with life again!

<sorry, enough of that, this is getting very very silly now>

[DimPrawn]

Is Cameron going to get out there and hug a hoodie?

BBC NEWS | Politics | Cameron defends 'hoodie' speech

[SueEllen]

AtW are you aware that even the looters have British manners?

They were queuing up to loot, and there are reports of them saying excuse me and sorry to the bystanders they walked into.

So the threat of being run over by armed police vehicles, and the threat of being beaten up by those bigger/ more in number than them is enough to get them to run away. No firearms needed.