Toronto Star: Britain cleggs its way to destruction

“Tory scum!” shouted 50,000 young people as they roared through the streets of London last Thursday. They knew they couldn’t let the new Conservative coalition government price them out of a university education. There was nothing to do but riot.

And with that, the British got their bulldog back. The French had never lost theirs, and it was hard to see them battle the relatively mild hardships Nicolas Sarkozy is proposing while Brits sat back mumbling “Oi be drinkin’ zoider” as they were told street lights would be turned off this winter and hospitalization for the violently insane be made voluntary.

“But I’m feeling stabby,” the patient says, quietly.

It has been appalling watching the smug smooth Tories — David Cameron’s face looks like a peeled hard-boiled egg — twinned with Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat boy/leader. On riot day, Clegg was exposed in the House of Commons as the assistant bully who’ll mop up bloodstains for the leader as he poses at the Seoul G20.

It was a relatively polite riot, given that the police genuinely didn’t expect the students to show up at Tory headquarters — I do wonder why — and the plate glass windows folded like fabric and protesters raced through the building. The police were unable to stomp the kids, strip them naked, shackle them and deny them food and toilets, as the Toronto police freely did during the G20 demonstrations. It was terrific stuff. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/890192--mallick-britain-cleggs-its-way-to-destruction