We've all seen the images from the riots in England: burning cars, buses and shops; 'feral' youth rampaging across high streets, breaking into shops and stealing anything they can get their hands on; policemen and women struggling to catch offenders who are more mobile and tech-savvy than they are; a grandmother courageously railing against the nihilism of the rioters; an Asian student being mugged even as his muggers pretend to help him; a heartbroken father calling for peace between communities at risk of racial war. British society is engaged in its deepest examination of conscience in a while.
