The unprecedented and revolting events that occurred in London a few weeks ago have uncovered a serious malaise that is afflicting not only Great Britain’s capital but reflects a growing unease spreading across Europe as significant portions of the continent struggle to cope with a financial meltdown unseen for almost 100 years.

These riots... are a reminder... of the urgent need... to maintain a delicate economic and social balance...- Caroline Galea

The challenges that presently face European leaders are manifold.

They are not just economic and financial and saying so would be too simplistic.

The fallout from this “Great Contraction” has revealed long- standing tensions of a moral and social nature, which threaten not only the social fabric of a welfare state itself but continues to pile pressure on the individual besieged by conflicting signs of the time.

I will stick to London because it has shown the classic signs of this uneasiness as special interests and needs clash in a convoluted process that, apparently, requires a revisit of the social and economic assumptions that have guided the political process of the last 20 years.

London is a unique city and a city I happen to love: multi-faceted, multi-cultural and a principal bulwark of the financial world. It is a great, ancient city with a long and variegated history. It is a wonderful capital that is also the epitome of what constitutes a modern metropolis. It is also at the same time a city of uneven realities!

The centre is a mecca of consumerism and consumption. London caters for every whim and fancy and its reputation has attracted the rich and famous, thus turning into a tax haven for the super rich. The city has encouraged the patronage of the wealthy and the elite for obvious reasons.

Their presence has steadily increased over the years as Eastern European, Middle Eastern and Asiatic tycoons set up domicile in the more affluent parts of the capital. This has made London one of the most unequal cities in Europe and, possibly, beyond.

This disparity is eloquently portrayed in a recently-published book by a professor at Sheffield University, Daniel Dorling. In his book, Injustice, Why Social Inequality Persists, Prof. Dorling insists that the gap between the richest and the poorest is wider than it has ever been in 200 years. He likens the difference between the richest and the poorest to the recession-riddled years of the 1920s when mass unemployment and financial turmoil were the order of the day.

He is openly critical of the “greed is good years” that have continued to amplify this economic and social disparity. Prof. Dorling points out that the top 10 per cent of London residents have an average wealth of £933,563 while the poorest 10 per cent are worth an average of about £3,420. He believes this disparity afflicts the whole country going on to liken Britain to the US, Singapore and Portugal in terms of difference between the haves and the have-nots.

But underneath London’s shiny affluent exterior lurks another reality. This recession has left a significant level of collateral damage. With Britain’s economy at best stagnant, unemployment remains persistently high (eight per cent). The spectre of the 1980s-type house repossessions is slowly unfolding and homelessness is no longer the preserve of the disadvantaged. Hard hitting but necessary government cuts, coupled with the effects of the downturn, have seen the middle aged, well-salaried consultants, prosperous property developers, business analysts and bankers go bust.

Yet, the artificers of the recent riots are certainly not the latter. Many have tried to draw up an identikit of the looters who staged those violent crimes drawn as they were into the savage frenzy of mob rule. Undoubtedly, the overwhelming majority of the looters were young people. The initial reaction was to simply put all this down to gang activity, blatant opportunists and petty crime.

However, the picture that is emerging is far more complex. Clearly, Britain is suffering from a disaffected youth troubled by social exclusion, rampant consumerism and family breakdown coupled with a dearth of job opportunities and budgetary cuts. Evidently, parts of the educational system have failed these youths. Although millions of pounds have been poured into the system, illiteracy and lack of basic skills still plague London’s inner city youth. This is also evidenced in other principal British cities.

Of course, there is significant fallout from all of this. The political bickering was immediate. While the coalition government was blamed because of its savage public spending cuts, it was quickly pointed out that this generation of youths are the “Blair babies”.

This was in direct reference to the Labour years of the late 1990s and the first decade of this century that espoused a more progressive and less traditional methods of schooling. There is now talk of job creation, opportunities for young people but, mostly, a pressing need for discipline and law enforcement. Unravelling the catalysts for the London riots will be complex and complicated, to say the least.

These riots were a clarion call for the British political class. Even more so they are a reminder to political leaders everywhere of the urgent need to work hard to maintain a delicate economic and social balance in a world that is increasingly challenged by forces that marginalise the underprivileged and those who genuinely need help.

info@carolinegalea.com