Hey, I read the Daily Mail every day, on line at least, and the Guardian and a whole range of news sources. It is possible to read something with a critical eye, but of course there are those who will swallow what they are spoon fed by the mainstream, particularly the tabloid media. Ho Hum.
I can understand why folks are tempted to call it "mindless thuggery" or insist they are "just plain criminals," in hopes that by labelling and "banishing" them, the problem will go away. It won't. And, they weren't born as fully formed greedy, violent monsters. It's also tempting to write it off as the parents' fault, but surely parents here know that at you can't control everything that influences a child 24/7 and have less control as they get older.
No, I don't think the rioters and looters were "politically motivated" in the way most of us would think. They aren't affiliated to a political party or movement, but there is a political context to the violent acts they are carrying out, which is slightly different.
The truth that's hardest to swallow is that not only are they having an impact on our communities, on our society, but they are actually part of our communities, our societies, no matter how much we detest what they are doing. Going for the lock-them-up-and-throw-away-the-key approach will get one tranche of them off the street, but if we don't take a hard look at the wider context of what's happening, I suspect there will be yet another crop of young people prepared to do the same next time round.