UK rioters were nothing more than pathetically failing people

The ferret runs one way. Than back the other. Hence the phrase “reverse ferret” - coined to describe a sudden reversal in a political view. Which is exactly what we’re now seeing about the recent riots.

A week ago, in the wake of the odious attack on a hotel housing migrants in Rotherham, it was suggested that the Far Right was on the march, and that Britain was on the verge of a white working class revolt.

Today, during the aftermath of advertised Far Right protests that never happened, it is argued that the Far Right is a paper tiger. And that those who rioted are criminals - no more and no less. And that when the hot weather cools, the riots will run out of steam.

It may well be that the disturbances will ease off. And as those hauled up in front of the courts are named and shamed, it’s becoming evident that most of those sentenced aren’t neo-nazi masterminds but pathetically failing people.

But the fundamentals that drove the riots haven’t gone away. The first of these is that there will always be a violent minority of stupid and wicked people. In the past, their means of communication were limited.

Now, however, there is Elon Musk’s X, which is taking an absolutist approach to free speech. Then there is Tik Tok, which essentially is controlled by the Chinese state. Then there are WhatsApp groups and Telegram and other social media outlets.

All these are used by many of us in ways that make our lives better. They are also exploited by criminals and extremists to keep them one step ahead of the police and security services.

Inevitably, our enemies want to exploit this anything goes social media culture. Russian bots organised by the Putin regime push disinformation. Putin has placed a bet on western multi-ethnic societies failing. He seeks to stir up one group against the other.

And there’s a lot of raw material for him exploit. Last week, in response to the criminal violence in Rotherham and elsewhere, masked gangs of Muslims roamed the streets to counter the threat to their mosques.

More broadly, last month’s general election suggested that voting is, in some places, taking place along communal lines, with Indian-origin Hindus voting Conservative and Pakistan-origin Muslim supporting Labour - or, in many cases, pro-Palestinian “independents”.

The Conservatives sought to counter the arrival of illegal migrants by small boat through its Rwanda scheme. Labour is scrapping the plan and has no workable alternative.

Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, has ordered the Home Office to find homes of multiple occupancy, family properties, former care homes and student accommodation in which to accommodate them. This will go down very badly, especially given the housing shortage.

To many on the right, the driving cause of our problems is mass migration. To their equivalents on the left, urban deprivation. Both have a point, and it’s a statement of the obvious that government must strive to cut both.

And get a move on in doing so, though both will take time. What can be done immediately is what successive governments have failed to do - namely, avoid the trap of two-tier policing.

The police have a hard job at the best of times. But their public order response in recent years has been uncertain. They went in hard against a vigil for Sarah Everard, who was murdered by a police officer. And soft against the Black Lives Matter demonstrators.

Pro-Palestinian marches have been disfigured by anti-semitic placards and slogans. The police argue that changes in the law are needed to enable crackdowns. Politicians tend to say that the police could do more now, without further legislation.

Whatever your view, the lesson of the last week for politicians is that criminality can be seen off if the police act swiftly, decisively, impartially - and in sufficient number.