Riots

The August riots have left a firm imprint on our collective conscience. With such drastic and unexpected events, it is easy to get swept along with the inevitable tide of media commentary and politicking, and for decisions to be made without a thorough analysis of their consequences. At times like this, as we try to understand and review policy in light of such devastating events, it is essential that we turn to evidence.

Now that the glass is being swept up, the courts are doing their work, politicians have had their say, and the media circus has moved on, it is a good time to take stock of the events of last week.

Reading much of commentary over the past week on the riots, it's hard not to see a kind of mass catharsis – a feeling that at last, we have a big news hook to talk about big moral issues. The exact causes of the looting might be disputed, but most people seem to agree that, as a society, we're reaping what we've sown. The crisis has brought a sense of new freedom to discuss rights and wrongs.

In some ways, that's surprising – because most people have long had a very clear grasp of social problems.