Tottenham riot exposes police failings

THE Metropolitan police faces severe criticism for failing for control a shocking night of violence in North London, which has seen many homes and businesses destroyed by violent gangs.  Around 300 people battled police in Tottenham, which saw looters break windows and steal from businesses in the area.  A bus was also set on fire, as were two police cars, flats and shops, including a large Carpet Right department store.  Today, the carnage on the streets of Tottenham shows the full implications of last night’s rioting, which Downing Street has called “totally unacceptable.”

     Scotland Yard; still trying to defuse the severe criticism it has taken for the phone hacking scandal confirmed that 26 policeman were hurt in the trouble and 42 people have been arrested for a variety of offences.  However, many local residents will feel that the police have not covered themselves in any glory once again. 

BURNT: The remains of a police car before it was attacked last night

      The trouble began in the area on Thursday night, when a father of four, Mark Duggan was shot dead by police near Tottenham Hale tube station.  It was believed that Duggan had possession of a gun at the time.  Tension was rising in the community and yesterday, a peaceful demonstration outside Tottenham police station took place involving family and friends of Duggan.  Approximately 150 people marched in the protest.  However, as darkness fell, the disorder began, with two police cars parked not far away from the station on Forster Road set alight by angry protestors that seemed only interested in causing chaos.  The carnage spread onto the corner of Brook Street and Tottenham High Road, where the Carpet Right shop was smashed into, looted, and then set on fire.  So too was a double-decker bus.  An Aldi supermarket was also torched and burnt to the ground by the angry mob.   

     Today in Tottenham Hale Retail Park, Sky News has caught sensational footage of at least five, possibly more people looting the JD Sports shop in broad daylight, taking trainers and bags of clothing at their disposal, with remarkably, no police.  Eyewitnesses are reported to have seen laptops and televisions taken from a nearby PC World shop too.  Despite all these blunders by the Metropolitan police, Home Office secretary Theresa May continues to back the under-fire force;

    “I condemn utterly the violence in Tottenham last night.  Such disregard for public safety and property will not be tolerated and the Metropolitan Police have my full support in restoring order.”

Adrian Hanstock, a commissioner for the police said; “The death of Mark Duggan was absolutely regrettable.  A peaceful demonstration was hijacked by a small number of a criminal element that used the event for their own gain.  We kept a dignified presence at the vigil.  Our preparation was in place and the contingence we had needed to be proportionate to the levels of concern we had in the community.”

FIRE: Shops were targeted, including an Aldi supermarket

     An enquiry into last night’s trouble has already begun and it will be interesting to see what evidence is found.  Although the actions of the rioters last night can’t be condemned and the violence is utterly disgraceful – to wreck people’s homes and businesses in totally unacceptable, the failings to control the possibility of trouble, especially in such a hostile community over the past 48 hours staggers even myself.  Fingers crossed this is the last of the trouble in Tottenham, though I fear more might come.  

The end for the News of the World

By Simon Wright (News and personal piece)

CLOSURE: The final edition of the paper will be on Sunday

AFTER 168 years of exposing celebrities, shaming politicians and campaigning for better human rights, this Sunday will see the final ever edition of the News of the World.  Rupert Murdoch has taken the controversial decision to axe the newspaper, in a desperate bid to bury the phone hacking scandal which has dominated news headlines across the world this week.  Some 200 journalists have lost their jobs as a result of the decision taken by News International at its Wapping headquarters, but chief executive of the company, Rebekah Brooks – who was editor of the paper during the scandal, has remarkably held onto her job.  This morning, Andy Coulson – another former editor of the tabloid paper and former press aide in David Cameron’s coalition government was arrested for his role in the phone hacking, as well as allegations into payment to members of the Metropolitan Police.

     The News of the World has come under significant fire for the phone hacking of famous celebrities and politicians already this year.  Film star Sienna Miller, former deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, PR guru Max Clifford and TalkSport radio host Andy Gray were amongst the victims.  Some of these disputes were being settled with significant compensation packages.  However, the twisted events of the last week have led to the downfall of the biggest selling newspaper in the UK. 

      The trouble started when it emerged that the mobile phone of murdered teenager Milly Dowler in 2002 had been hacked into by rogue journalists.  As the days rolled on, more scandals emerged.  Also targeted were the parents of murdered Soham schoolgirls, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman and victims of the 7/7 terrorist attacks in London – on the eve of the sixth anniversary.  The final death knell was when it emerged that some families of servicemen who fought for the country in Afghanistan, but never came home also had their phones and voicemails listened into.  Police have confirmed that they have had 4,000 complaints of mobile phones being targeted and the scandal is likely to cost News International £120million.  Media regulator OFCOM is investigating News International’s other businesses, including fellow newspapers under the branch; The Sun and The Times.  It also throws the proposed takeover of BSkyB into severe doubt, with culture secretary Jeremy Hunt forced to delay the go-ahead for the bid until September at the earliest.

QUESTIONS: Murdoch has decided to keep his chief executive

     Murdoch was reeling yesterday.  For a man who loves making news, he looked scared as he desperately tried to escape questions from pressing journalists on a golf course in Idaho, USA.  It seems though that under fire Brooks will keep her job as chief executive of the organisation, despite the cost of many other innocent positions.  Labour leader Ed Miliband, who has criticised David Cameron for his handling of the situation all week, is furious that Brooks still has a job, despite her knowledge of such illegal journalism practices.  He told the Daily Mirror;

     “It’s clearly people power that has forced this decision.  It’s the result of the revulsion that people felt at what happened at the News of the World.  The one person who seems to be staying in her job in chief executive Rebekah Brooks who was the editor at the time Milly Dowler’s phone was hacked.  I don’t think News International can hope to start to move on while she remains in place.” 

     The lawyer for the Dowler family, Mark Lewis is also saddened that those responsible are still in higher positions; “It’s sad that people will end up losing their jobs, but those responsible are still there.”  Current chairman of News International James Murdoch was interviewed by ITN’s political editor Tom Bradby last night.  He gave his full backing to Brooks and insisted he had no choice to announce the pulling of the plug for the paper;

     “The good things the News of the World does has been sullied by behaviour that was wrong.  Indeed, if recent allegations are true, it was inhuman and has no place in our company.  The News of the World is in the business of holding others to account, but it failed when it came to itself.”

     Celebrities have used Twitter to express their views on the newspaper’s axing today.  Singer George Michael said; "Today is a fantastic day for Britain.  These beliefs are in no way an excuse for any of my behaviour in recent times.  I was happy to do my time, because I was so ashamed.  But... I believe every individual, whether privileged or the average citizen, deserves the law.  And many of us rich or poor have been denied it by News International.  You gotta have faith in Karma.  Today it's very real. And I hope the families of Milly Dowler and all the others who died...."

     Former editor of the Daily Mirror Piers Morgan lamented the move, although he did slam their actions; “Shocked and saddened by closure of the News of the World.  Scandals of past week indefensible, but has been a great British newspaper."

     Founded in October 1843, the News of the World has an annual circulation of 3million readers today, despite the powers of 24-hour rolling news, social networking sites and the radical growth of the internet.  It is famous for its hard-hitting interviews and massive investigations that send celebrities into a pit of shame.  Some of its most famous moments included the undercover sting that exposed Sven-Goran Eriksson into agreeing to take over as Aston Villa manager in January 2006.  Eriksson, contracted to England at the time announced his departure after the 2006 World Cup finals just days following the ‘fake sheikh’ investigation.  It has also revealed Prince Harry’s experimentation with drink and drugs in 2002 and the spot-fixing involving Pakistan cricketers during last summer’s test series in England.  Unsurprisingly, the News of the World has also had to fight many libel cases.  England footballers Ashley Cole and Wayne Rooney have received damages out of court for sleazy stories that made the front page headlines, whilst former FIA president Max Mosley used an invasion of privacy into allegations regarding his private life in March 2008.  Mosley won £60,000 in damages, but lost the battle to change privacy laws in the UK only two months ago.  The News of the World has been underneath Rupert Murdoch’s News International banner since 1969.

MY VIEW

My symphony is with those affected by the disgusting practices

Although the celebrity phone hacking scandal is totally the wrong way to go, the cynics would say that to be famous, you are going to get negative headlines and therefore, these sort of practices.  However, once bereaved families are targeted, it becomes totally indefensible and inexcusable.  The practices are sick and I can’t believe that some rogue journalists would stoop so low to get a story.  Clearly there was no news in the world!  I am very saddened by the whole issue and of course, I have every symphony with the families of Milly Dowler, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, the 7/7 victims and families who have lost their loved ones at war.  For their families to basically go through the whole nightmare in the public eye once again is really sad. 

     I am not saddened by the closure of the News of the World.  Frankly, I felt the paper was full of unproven gossip and garbage.  I already boycotted The Sun anyways, due my anger over their coverage of the 1989 Hillsborough football stadium disaster.  Who I do feel sorry for are the innocent journalists, who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own.  However, Rebekah Brooks keeps hers.  It is unbelievable that she can still be backed by News International, especially after being the editor while Milly Dowler’s phone was being hacked into.  How can she sleep at night!  If she had any decent piece of soul in her body then she should do the honourable thing and resign.

     I do hope the BSkyB takeover doesn’t go through either.  Murdoch did introduce the concept of 24-hour rolling news into the UK and has revolutionised English football with the Sky Sports Premiership deal.  Great things for sure, but I don’t think it would be in the audience’s interest for a rogue media organisation to own BSkyB, no matter how viable and profitable it is. 

     Will people miss the News of the World?  Honestly, I don’t think so.  The Today newspaper was the last major paper to get the chop and that was owned by Murdoch in November 1995.  No-one remembers it today.  Rumours are already flying around that The Sun on Sunday will be launched, so it will probably just be same stories, and similar angles with different name.

     If there is a winner this week, it has to be Ed Miliband.  The Labour leader has really managed to show some steel and determination to push for change in the British press industry this week.  Miliband has put David Cameron under pressure and for me; the Prime Minister has not been convincing enough.  If Andy Coulson is charged by police, it puts David Cameron in a very difficult and stressful position.

     Ultimately, one of the main losers will be those studying journalism at colleges and universities.  The Press Complaints Commission code needs a total rework and the new restrictions and ratifications that will come into force will just make the job for journalists even tougher.  Fewer jobs will be around and if any budding journalism student had commonsense, don’t work for Rupert Murdoch!  He doesn’t care about people’s feelings; he’s only after money and that’s all he’s ever thought about.  So, he is the male version of Janine Malloy from EastEnders then!

     It has been a sad and damaging week for the British press industry.  The phone hacking scandal has dragged the reputation of many names in media through the mud and there are many losers in this.  The story won’t go away and is going to drag on for the rest of the year, especially with enquiries and investigations likely to continue.  If News International can ditch a newspaper and think it will solve the problems, they are seriously mistaken!

One more message; RESIGN REBEKAH! YOU’RE A DISGRACE! 

TV classics - The Bill

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

ITV started the eighties with a bit of a drama crisis.  Popular programmes Minder and The Sweeney had been consigned to the history books, so it fell to Thames Television to produce a selection of one-offs to try and launch a new show.  They all failed bar one.  1983 saw the airing of a police drama called Woodentop and ITV were for once impressed.  They commissioned for it to return the following year as The Bill.

     The Bill’s humble beginnings were a basic half-hour show, dealing with general issues in the fictional Sun Hill branch of the Metropolitan Police.  Although not cutting edge as many drama shows that ITV showed at the time, it paid off and soon translated into a twice weekly show.  Eventually, the episodes grew into an hour and it was also very lucky to be one of the few shows to survive on ITV after Thames lost its regional broadcasting franchise.

BEAT: The coppers outside Sun Hill police station

     Some of the most popular figures to grace Sun Hill were either usually around for a long time or memorable for deadly deeds.  Characters such as June Ackland (Trudie Goodwin), Bob Cryer (Eric Richard) and Tony Stamp (Graham Cole) were often at the height of the gripping storylines that the show was common for.  In the late nineties/early Noughties, the dodgiest copper was no doubt Don Beech (Billy Murray), who set up a secret second life by running a corrupt business and when unmasked, resulted in the death of a fellow officer.  He soon disappeared to Australia but was eventually tracked down and justice was done.

     The turn of the 21^st century saw The Bill make the move into the dark side.  It had covered typical crime stories but now it felt it was ready to tackle more extreme plots.  This was best represented in 2002 with a constant vendetta battle with gangs in the area.  First, veteran Derek Conway (Ben Roberts) was killed when his car was blown up in a petrol attack.  Then the same people responsible for this crime came back weeks later in a petrol bomb attack that exposed Des Taviner (Paul Usher) as a corrupt cop.  Sun Hill erupted in a fireball and the lives of another six officers were lost.

     As the years passed, darker storylines were introduced and several characters paid with their insurances, and most of the recruits were killed off soap stars including Lucy Speed, Ali Bastian and Todd Carty.  Although two live episodes in 2003 and 2005 respectively garnered much praise, the new attitude alienated viewers and ratings declined very sharply.  Surprisingly, ITV didn’t even seem to care about it.

     Eventually, ITV did announce that autumn 2009 would bring a major shakeup, reducing the programme to once a week and move it into the post-watershed slot at 9pm.  Granted, most of the issues raised now were certainly not suited to the 8pm slot but what ITV didn’t get right was the new style of it all.  The new dramatic format took the edge away that it had been famous for and also the famous theme tune was ditched by something that seemed to written more for a funeral.

     Truly the decline of The Bill was now indeed complete.  As ratings shredded even further, ITV had engineered its own downfall so it decided to engineer its death and the police drama quietly slipped away in August 2010.  It was a sad but rather timely demise for a show that had gotten ahead of its time.

     The Bill though did change the conception of drama programmes on ITV.  It made the risks that worked first but then, the repetitive uses of these meant the public got bored and criticised it for its lack of faith.  It will though be always remembered for the quality it delivered.

Pension strike action take place

THOUSANDS of people went on strike yesterday against the coalition government’s controversial public sector reforms over work pensions.  It might not be the end of the industrial action either, with the unions warning of further action if the government don’t back down on their policies.

UNITED: Strike action and peaceful protests were the order of the day

     Yesterday, thousands of schools were shut across England and Wales, with passport control at airports, courts and driving test centres also being significantly affected.  Earlier in the week, around 750,000 people were thought to be striking, with the figure thought to be much lower on the actual day.  600,000 is the estimated amount, with some 20,000 disgruntled workers protesting in the streets of London.  Despite this, the unions insist that it was a success in the biggest day of strike action taken in Britain for five years.

     The other pleasing significance was that in towns and cities across the country, the protests were in good spirit.  Although a small minority of people were arrested in London and Brighton for criminal damage and harming the peace, it was good to see peaceful protests, which sadly didn’t happen with the angry demonstrations following the rise in tuition fees in November and December.  However, the unions will be annoyed by Downing Street’s admission that the disruption of these strikes was ‘minimal.’

     Both have sides to this argument.  The government pointed out to statistics released from the Cabinet Office, which suggested that not even 20 per cent of the civil service workforce went on strike.  In return, the PCS Union, which runs the police and border/immigration department, said that 84 per cent of its staff went onto the picket lines, with the Metropolitan Police being forced to draft people in from other areas.

     Prime Minister David Cameron has described the strikes as ‘wrong,’ and the leader of the opposition, Ed Miliband is in agreement over this.  However, Miliband has accused the government of ‘wreckless behaviour,’ which led to a fiery showdown between the pair in Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday morning.  Brendan Barber, General Secretary of the TUC told Sky News that he hoped this sort of action doesn’t have to happen again;

“I’m a firm believer of negotiations and as I’ve said, I hope we’re going to be able to resolve this through negotiations – without the need for further industrial action.”

     It was schools, who were significantly affected by the walkouts yesterday, with nearly 5,000 schools partially closed and another 5,069 totally shut in England.  Three teaching unions staged strike action, which left Education Secretary Michael Gove unimpressed.  He said at the House of Commons that the planned walkout was “unnecessary, premature and disruptive.  This strike, at this time, will not help out schools.”

     It is difficult to judge if there were any winners, if there were any yesterday.  However, don’t be surprised if there’s more action to come and for more disruption, as this is an issue for the government that simply isn’t going to go away.

News of the World makes public apology over phone scandal

PRESSURE: The News of the World is set for a challenging time

THE NEWS OF THE WORLD has officially apologised to those celebrities caught up in the phone-hacking scandal that has dogged the newspaper for the last year.  News International, who owns the News of the World look, set to payout millions of pounds in damages to celebrities including the actress Sienna Miller, disgraced football commentator Andy Gray and the former culture secretary Tessa Jowell.

     Despite the apology made in copies of today’s newspaper, many are still questioning why it has taken so long for the word ‘sorry’ to be used.  The compensation payout still doesn’t let the phone hacking story disappear, as the police continue to investigate why this happened.  On Friday, the owners released a statement confirming their guilt;

     “News International has decided to approach some civil litigants with an unreserved apology and an admission of liability in cases meeting specific criteria.  It is now apparent that our previous enquiries failed to uncover important evidence and we acknowledge our actions then were not sufficiently robust.”

     

     The world’s largest Sunday newspaper has insisted that it will deal with compensation for cases that were involved during the years 2004 and 2006.  Currently, lawyers for News International are believed to be thrashing out these deals behind the scenes.  However, the News of the World has insisted that it will fight any cases that lack any merit or creditability.  Only last week, the chief reporter and former editor of the newspaper were arrested over the allegations of phone tampering.  Both have since been released on police bail. 

     

     Former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has called for the takeover bid by News International on BSkyB to be halted during the investigation process.  An angry Prescott appeared on the topical programme 10 O’clock Live on Channel 4 on Thursday night, clearly riled by the behaviour of journalists for the newspaper;

     “It doesn’t just involve the celebrity, or the successful individual.  I’m not against investigative journalism, but what the paper seems to be saying is that if a successful individual appears in the celebrity world, they are open to phone hacking!  You connect to the family, repeat their personal messages and then sell them to the damn press!  That’s what you do for a bloody living!”

        

However, if the News of the World thinks that the overdue apology will end the matter, they can think again.  Sienna Miller is already believed to have rejected the compensation package and her lawyers are seriously considering taking the paper to court.  Alongside News International omission, and more damming evidence being revealed by the Sunday Telegraph today, the police investigation by the Metropolitan Police, which has been criticised before is likely to be placed under scrutiny again.  Shadow Welsh Secretary Peter Hain told The Andrew Marr Show this morning that the investigation must be dealt with thoroughly;

    “It is a vital that a proper investigation of this takes place.  The police must pursue this till the end.  Until recent times, they have frankly, been very tardy and have not been bringing criminal proceedings when necessary.”

     

REPAIR: Is the newspaper industry going to recover?

     There is no doubt that this is a developing story that will continue to rumble on.  With a police investigation on the march, more celebrities coming forward with possible evidence and calls for all newspaper editors to reveal if they have been sending reporters into these dodgy situations, the future of the newspaper industry could be severely damaged beyond repair. 

Royals caught up in tuition fees violence

SHOCKED: Charles and Camilla were caught up in the riots

PRINCE Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall were lucky to escape injury, when their car was attacked by student protestors on Thursday evening.  Paint was thrown and windows were smashed by the demonstrators, as they arrived at London’s West End to watch the Royal Variety show at the London Palladium.  Clarence House soon confirmed that both were unhurt, but clearly shaken up by what had just happened.  Ten police officers were injured and around 30 protestors needed hospital treatment, on the bloodiest day of violence in the capital since the controversial Poll Tax was passed through by Margaret Thatcher’s administration in 1990.

All the trouble came on the day when the crucial vote was held on tuition fees.  After a five hour debate in the House of Commons, parliament approved the increase from 2012, which can allow higher institutions to charge student’s upto £9,000 a year to continue their studies.  Despite a late rebellion from some Liberal Democrats, the coalition majority passed by just 21 votes (323 to 302), far closer than what many anticipated.  Simon Hughes, the Deputy Leader for the Lib Dems elected to abstain from voting, whilst former leaders of the party, Charles Kennedy and Menzies Campbell were amongst those against the increase.  Crucially, the under-fire deputy leader of the coalition, Nick Clegg and Business Secretary Vince Cable, voted for the proposal to go through.

RIGHTFUL: Demonstrators turn their anger on Nick Clegg

Outside, ‘Shame on you’ was the chant used by the peaceful protestors.  Clegg’s broken promises that he made at the General Election have angered many, but there could be no excuse for the violence throughout Thursday.  Some complained about the excessive police tactics, charging at some with horses.  Once again, although they can’t take the whole blame, the Metropolitan Police lost complete control of the situation, which will fill no-one with much confidence, should Britain come under attack again from international terrorist organisations.  Nevertheless, the head of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Paul Stephenson defended his force for their actions; “The police have done as well as they could today, and we were appalled with the significant number of people who behaved very badly today.” 

INFERNO: Protesters set off a fire in Parliament Square

Most of the blame though must run with those who turned up in London, determined to cause trouble.  Whether they were students really doesn’t matter, because it still is simply unacceptable.  By the end of the evening, some were trying to smash into The Treasury and windows were smashed at The Supreme Court.  Others disembarked from parliament square, attacking Christmas shoppers in Oxford Street and smashing windows at the TopShop building on the same road.  Many just seemed intent on causing destruction; far more than those who stormed Conservative party headquarters in the first set of riots on November 10.  The Home Secretary, Theresa May was quick to condone the actions of the rioters; “What we have seen today has nothing to do with peaceful protests.”    

The attack on the Royal car must put into serious question; the amount of Royal Security present at the time.  The Duchess of Cornwall brushed off the incident afterwards; “We are both okay, and there’s a first time for everything!”  Major investigations have already been announced into the disturbing trouble.

ITN’s political editor Tom Bradby summed up the general consensus of Thursday’s events on News at Ten; “There were shocking pictures of officers being set upon and it was clear that although many came to make their point fairly, the hardcore minority became intent on causing trouble.”

The coalition government have done something many don’t like; and Nick Clegg has proven for many students, that he is a dirty, shameful liar.  However, when the Winston Churchill statue was defaced by protestors, you know just what a dark day it was for our country.  The violence was destructive, unacceptable and those responsible should be brought to justice.

However, on London’s worst day since the 7/7 attacks in 2005, some will wonder whether this is just the start of a frequent event to dominate the headlines.

Student protests turn violent in London

A GROUP of students yesterday took matters into their own hands, turning a peaceful protest into a violent bloodbath.  Milbank Tower, home to the headquarters of the Conservatives was stormed by an angry bunch of protestors, with fires lit, windows smashed and furniture damaged.  It is estimated that over £1million in damage was caused.

ANGER: Students turn against the coalition government

As the battle was over last night, the war between students and the coalition government has only just begun.  It is the first sign of rebellious action that has been taken since the spending review around three weeks ago.  Over 50,000 students marched through London, angry with proposals of an increase in tuition fees, from £3,290 a year to £9,000 year.  It wasn’t just tuition fees that dominated the concerns, with many cuts in education budgets and the removal of the EMA (Education Maintenance Allowance) and ALG (Adult Learning Grant) for students that attend sixth form or colleges across the country.  The march was set-up by the NUS and the UCU (University College Union).  President of the NUS, Aaron Porter was furious with those who had taken matters into their own hands; “It’s an utter disgrace.”  “Perhaps 500 or more have chosen to use disgraceful tactics to try and undermine us.”

FIERY: Fires were started by the protestors

Although no-one can condemn the students who decided to use violence to get their point across, the police have been strongly criticised for their response to the violence.  As the protestors stormed the roof of Milbank Tower, police admitted that they didn’t anticipate the trouble that was caused.  The commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Paul Stephenson has announced an enquiry into the lack of police and looked shocked when he told the media of his thoughts on the day’s events; “We didn’t expect this level of violence – but we’ve got to ask ourselves the question: Should we have anticipated this?”  For him to have even suggested this is absolutely startling.  There a load of questions for the police to answer.  Their response and pre-planned action was simply unacceptable, when trouble could easily have been predicted by many.  It shows the lack of organisation within the Metropolitan Police – you do wonder whether a pet animal could have organised it better!

Another man feeling the heat is Nick Clegg, who seemed to be the main person that the students were targeting for broken promises.  In the Liberal Democrats manifesto, Clegg promised a cutback on tuition fees and many of the Lib Dem MP’s signed pledges against increases on university fees.  Standing in for David Cameron, who is in China at the moment, Clegg got a roasting yesterday at Prime Minister Questions from the Deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman; “In April, you said it was your aim to end University tuition fees.  Can you update the house on how your plan is progressing?”

Clegg’s response was far from convincing; “This is an extraordinarily difficult issue.”

Harman went on the attack again; “In April, you said increasing tuition fees to £7,000 a year would be a disaster.  What word would you use to describe fees of £9,000?”

Clegg started to use old examples that simply didn’t awash with the main opposition.  Cameron’s suggestion in Beijing that overseas students will get a significant cut in fees, whilst domestic students get a raise just adds insult to injury.  The coalition government had a very bad day yesterday and have a lot of answers and very reasonable ones to give to win back the trust of many students.

FURY: A fire extinguisher is thrown from the Milbank Roof

There were some casualties on the ground, as students from the roof began to throw missiles, with a fire extinguisher one of the items thrown, which narrowly missed police, who were now dressed in riot gear.  Around 14 casualties were taken, with three police officers being treated in hospital.  The mayor of London, Boris Johnson was appalled by the events; “It was a quiet, peaceful, good-humoured demonstration.”  “They were fully entitled to do so, but it is very tragic that a few minorities have decided to abuse the right of protest and cause criminal damage.”  “Completely unacceptable and those who are responsible, I hope they are bought fully to justice with the law.”

Some of the troublemakers may not have been students; some could have been unemployed people or other minorities who have been affected by the spending cuts.  Police confirmed that 32 people have been arrested and hopefully, those responsible will be kicked off their courses and face the full force of the law.

TROUBLEMAKERS: Angry protesters charge into Tory HQ

The tuition fees proposal must be approved in the House of Commons and House of Lords next month.  If the £9,000 a year cap is introduced, then students will be close to facing £40,000 of debts.  Yesterday’s events are unlikely to sway the government’s thinking, but it was a day of shame and embarrassment for all parties.  A day when the coalition government came properly under-fire for the first time, a day when the students fought back – but with disgusting and shameful results, a day when the inadequacies and the lack of organisation of the Metropolitan Police were well and truly exposed, a day which bought the worst scenes of violence on British streets since the Poll Tax riots of 1990. 

In fact, yesterday was a black day for everyone, and the fear is, more is to come.