Portrait of the underclass?

The rioting and looting in London and elsewhere have unleashed a tidal wave of opinions in the media. Just about everyone is blaming "social problems", but of course what that term means depends where you are on the political spectrum. Over on the loony right, Melanie Philips thinks that the problem is absentee fathers. Prime Minister David Cameron says the problem is a "complete lack of responsibility. People allowed to feel that the world owes them something, that their rights outweigh their responsibilities, and their actions do not have consequences".

Then there's the admirable Camila Batmanghelidjh, who trended on Twitter throughout Tuesday thanks to a thoughtful article in The Independent. Ms. B (I'm not going to spell that out again!) runs a remarkable drop-in and help centre for kids in Peckham, one of the areas hit by looting on Monday evening. Her view is that society has neglected its poorer young people, leaving them resentful and anomic, so that they see rioting as an opportunity for revenge.

Well, maybe. The first riot-related cases have started to appear in court. Here's an extract from a piece in Wednesday's Telegraph:

"Alexis Bailey, 31, from Battersea, south London, who was arrested in Richer Sounds in Southend Road, Croydon, pleaded guilty to burglary with intent to steal.

The 31-year-old, who, the court heard, works full-time in a primary school in Stockwell and lives with his parents, was given bail but must adhere to a curfew.

.....Student David Attoh, 18, from Retreat Place, Hackney, was caught on August 8 in Hackney, with two Burberry t-shirts.

Attoh, who the court heard has completed an ICT B-Tech at Hackney Community College and was due to have an interview for an apprenticeship on Tuesday, admitted theft by finding.

The student, who was fined £150, had been receiving Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) while completing his B-Tech, but over the summer was supported by his mother, the court heard.

.....One man who denied his charge was 19-year-old Adam Ozdas, from Hindrey Road, Hackney, who is accused of receiving stolen goods.

He was stopped by police in Clarence Road, Hackney, and found to be in possession of a large bottle of Southern Comfort, a large number of National Lottery scratchcards, tobacco, £90 in cash, and confectionery, the court heard.

Ozdas, who, the court heard, is due to start a college course in September, pleaded not guilty and was granted conditional bail to appear again next month".

A teaching assistant; a student/would-be apprentice; a student about to start college. These may not be typical examples -- they are taken from the Torygraph, after all -- but they certainly don't, on the face of it, support Ms. B's thesis.

A good number of (mostly male) writers have offered an alternative explanation that may well be closer to the truth than anything based on sociology: rioting is fun, if you think you can get away with it. The best piece on these lines is by Kevin Sampson in Wednesday's Guardian. If this argument is right, the trouble will be ended by arresting a lot of people (thus changing the odds of getting away with it) and by sheer boredom. A good downpour or two would probably help, too.