The riots were just one indication that behind the appearance of Olympic triumph London is becoming a more divided place. Plus the best of the week's London coverage in the Guardian
The riots have been and maybe gone - at least for now. But what they revealed hasn't gone away. Figures showing that a large majority of those charged in London so far have previous convictions further confirms the ingrained existence of young, criminal subcultures in parts of the capital. Government statistics I've just begun exploring suggest significant correlations between high levels of teenagers, deprivation and parts of town where disturbances took place. It will take more than good policing to fix this.
The gulf between this picture of concentrated youthful disconnection from the capital's mainstream and the triumphant, globalist Londonism of the coming Olympics is as worrying as it is dramatic. Such contrasts are both symptoms of a city malfunctioning and indicators of continuing trouble. This may not take the form of explosive events that hog the media's gaze, but will be there nonetheless, churning and festering mostly below the general public's radar, and, as a result, going largely ignored.
London must not ignore them. The latest employment data reveal our deepening jobs crisis. Too many London families live in overcrowded homes, and too many London children in live in poverty. All such circumstances can only nourish the anger and alienation that too often make a life of criminality seem logical, acceptable and far more rewarding than being a good citizen. It is, perhaps, no coincidence that civil unrest in big cities has often occurred at precisely the time when those cities' leaders are proclaiming their success to the wider world. They talk of London coming together. Instead, it is coming apart.
The Guardian on London
London transport fares to rise 7% next year
Is Boris trying hard enough to hold down fares?
New Met chief Bernard Hogan-Howe promises 'war on crime'
New Met commissioner face a multi-headed monster of a job
Top Met officer announces retirement days after Hogan-Howe's appointment
New Met commissioner says stop and search must be used in smarter way
New Met commissioner outlines plan to concentrate on 'total policing'
Hogan-Howe: Superbernard, stop and search
Westfield: uplifting or a vision of hell?
Westfield is welcome in Stratford ? but not at the expense of local retailers
The gold shop coining it at Westfield Stratford City
Grimsville, UK: the cockroach-filled city also known as London
Detroit and the downside of Olympic city ambition
London housing crisis: a Labour response
Beauty and poignancy at the Mayor's Thames Festival
David Walliams swims 140 miles down the River Thames - video
London blogosphere
If you don't already known East London Lines, it is a news site run by the media department of Goldsmiths College. As its name suggests, it covers the territory served by the sparkling and still-new East London extension. Its excellent coverage of proposed parliamentary constituency boundary changes is here.
Coming up
The week-long London Design Festival begins on Friday. On Thursday, Mayor Johnson will grace a public meeting at the Secombe Theatre in Sutton. The subject will be community safety. You can get a ticket here. I'll be getting around town and telling you all about it here.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/sep/16/metropolitan-lines-blogpost
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