London Riots: Shop-owners defend their businesses in east London - video | UK news | guardian.co.uk.

So far, the only 'community' to emerge with credit from the London riots is that of the Turkish shopowners who banded together to defend their businesses from the thieving mob. Despite the weaselly attempts of the Guardian's reporter to get them to self-incriminate or make racist remarks they quietly stood their ground, commenting mildly that 'there are not enough police' and 'they can't do nothing about it.' Many are saying that. Only they chose to act. Good on them.
 

Meanwhile, while amused by the panicky left calling for water-cannons (presumably so they can cry 'police brutality' later) Inspector Gadget is on the scene as part of the emergency support drafted in from country forces. He reports watching a branch of Mothercare burn and informs us 'we don't need the army; we need the order to charge.'

Many people are becoming very angry that we refuse to move our lines and baton charge the rioters. I have run around like a blue arsed fly trying to understand why we are being ordered to stay static; the only explanation I can find is that Gold Command are concerned about the sensitivity of the target group.

Despite all the evidence before their eyes of how little pandering to 'community leaders' has achieved, the Met's leadership is more afraid to hurt criminals from ethnic minorities than it is concerned to protect the lives, limbs and livelihoods of Londoners. If you are genuinely concerned about racism, gentlemen, stop doing it. Because your stance is racist. Not holding certain ethnic groups to the same standards of behaviour is racist. If Dr Martin Luther King were here to comment, that is precisely what he would say. So cut it out right now and let your men do their job.

Pace the tedious thought-free commentators who are bollocking on about social exclusion and poverty, we are dealing with groups of people who have been encouraged by the political establishment to believe themselves above the law. They have been taught, over and again, by the courts that the consequences of real crimes against person and property are trivial. Any punishment will be minor and softened by lots of 'social work' from people who imply that it's all the fault of honest, decent people who are trying to pay their own way through life; not of the entitlement-drugged, parasitical criminal himself.

Vigorous defence of life and property is what the police are for. In a libertarian society, they would not have lost public support by being made to enforce politicians' ideas for social change. In a libertarian society, they would not have to ask if any social or ethnic group enjoyed the protection of those in power before they dared to enforce the law. Meanwhile, in the 'social democrat' society we have now, the same old endlessly opposing, blinkered, views are 'confirmed' by the riots. Different sides of the political debate jostle to use the suffering of those losing their homes and businesses to justify their old ideas.

In the end, I predict that the saddest thing about these events will be that nothing is learned from them.