Student Riots - A Thought for Thursday

My thought for Thursday is this.....

Not exactly a constructive protest

How can it be the fault of the police that they were unable to control a crowd of 50,000 angry protesters who smashed office windows, lit fires and dropped fire extinguishers from the roofs, narrowly missing the people below?

Surely the blame rests with the individuals who felt it was appropriate to behave in this way in order to protest about planned increases in university tuition fees?

Are we a country that actually wants to subsidise young people to go to university if they are the kinds of people to destroy property and threaten life?

I fully accept that not every student would do this, but for the small minority that did take part - they should be thrown out of whichever educational institution they attend on the grounds that they deserve nothing.

The simple fact is that this country has no money.  And unfortunately for those which really do wish to further their education, the actions of a few have now cast a shadow over the validity of higher education and the kinds of young people that follow that path.

It is a great shame that in a civilised society, we have to witness this kind of social breakdown on our streets.  I just hope that those responsible for the destruction and violence are brought to justice, and the the police don't end up as the scapegoat.