In any case Labour have tried everything for the best part of 30 years to unseat Hughes without success. This seat will be interesting however when he eventually retires (sometime in the 2020s).

But does anybody in the real world believe anything other than that the cause of the riots is the gross social inequality in the United Kingdom. together with appalling lack of social conscience? And how can the rioters be condemned when immorality and even criminality seems from the media to be rife in the financial world, in sections of the press, in the largest police force and, yes, amongst politicians?.

And the response of the Government appears to pander to the right in terrms of punitive criminal sentences combined with further vindictive action such as withdrawing benefits, throwing people out of council houses and preventing them from getting jobs. This is totally against the findings of sensible criminological research. It simply isn’t possible to punish thousands of rioters with jail sentences. And kicking people in the teeth for emotional self gratification simply means that those unlucky enough to be caught and made an example of have nothing to lose.

All the research is that most rioters are ordinary people caught up in emotive crowd situations where they act without thinking. Of course, there may be calculating agitators behind the scenes – who may well not be caught anyway.That is a different matter. But “ordinary” rioters are not going to think of the long-term official consequences, which therefore lack deterrent value.

So the bottom line is that the reaction to recent events in Britain should be democratic political action to change the economic policy that encourages inequality and exaccerbates it through right-wing “Cuts”. These are policies that have repeatedly failed before, for instance in the 1920s, 1930s and 1980s. Further, because the government is a Coalition it has no manifesto mandate for these policies. Indeed, the naive Camoeron/Osborne line was rejected in that the Tories failed to win an overall majority.

Not least, it is blatantly obviously that Clegg and Alexander economic liberalism is incompatible with social liberalism. This is shown by the illiberal reaction of Coalition ministers to combat unrest through knee-jerk authoritarianism.

Now, if we are to condemn violence, there must be democratic ways of making these points. And, whilst few people seem to be noticing it, the key group are the Liberal Democrat backbenchers, notably including the MP for this seat. LibDem backbenchers, and some of their ministers, could force the Government to take notice. They need to recognise that Clegg, with his public school background and excessive links to the international establishment, along with Danny Alexander who seems to have no real ideological roots, are a liability to the Liberal Democrat future.

If LIbDem backbenchers sit on their backsides instead of voting against a failed Government, oridnary people will even more than they are doing now wonder what is the point of our politician, particularly given their other recent failings. The result is that they may either turn directly to violence or to parties on the fringe of democracy, such as those that appear to see opportunity in backing vigilante groups supposedly restoring law and order when police numbers are inadequate (but vigilantism is no way the rule of law).

The psephological implication is that the Liberal Democrats can either regain their position by taking independent action now to distance themselves from an already failed government or find themsleves overtaken as the United Kingdom (particularly England) degenerates into Weimar style politics – which following this week is all too likely.

My feeling is that this week is a critical moment for the Liberal Democrats and in particular that part of the Liberal Democrat party of which Simon Hughes is seen as a leading representative. But my suspicion is that the Liberal Democrats last opportunity may now go without them even noticing it.

If LIberal Democrats do not have the ability and indeed guts to react to current events, many, most, people will not care much if it leads to further decline in their party; but they will care deeply if it means the erosion of British democracy, which is already in a more parlous state than most people care to notice.

Lab 1754
LD 554
Con 86
TUSC 63
Green 46

Lab +7.8%
LD +3.2%
Con -5.1%
Green -4.3%
TUSC +2.5%

This, combined with it being one of the poorest areas, makes it one of the most ugly places in urban Britain.

The last government started a massive redevelopment of the area, no doubt under the influence of Harriet Harman, and some of the massive housing blocks are now empty awaiting demolition.

Not sure whether the change in government and funding cuts mean that the programme will still go ahead.