Cameron and Miliband blame bankers for riots

[pescao]

Source: Telegraph

By James Kirkup, Political Correspondent 6:08PM BST 15 Aug 2011

David Cameron, the Prime Minister, and Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, both said that the behaviour of people in prominent positions and well-paid jobs had helped set the moral climate for the disturbances

....

Speaking in Oxfordshire, Mr Cameron said that many people had helped create the conditions that led to the riots.

"Moral decline and bad behaviour is not limited to a few of the poorest parts of our society,” Mr Cameron said.

"In the banking crisis, with MPs’ expenses, in the phone hacking scandal, we have seen some of the worst cases of greed, irresponsibility and entitlement.

...

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/8702923/Cameron-and-Miliband-blame-bankers-for-riots.htm

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just stating the obvious...

[fishbulb703]

1. Didn't Russel Brand say the exact same thing a few days ago?

[DCKit]

2. Hmmm. What do they call flip-flops in GB?

Man, David Cameron sure changed his tune over the past week. Guess he was afraid Miliband was going to clean his clock over this issue if he didn't get on the right side of it.

[DallasNE]

3. Funny

But I thought the police killing of a citizen and then lying about the circumstances was what started it all off. Perhaps some rage based on these other things contributed to it becoming so widespread but the first spark was clearly the police killing and coverup lies.

[daleo]

11. Fires need sparks

But they also need fuel and oxygen.

I think alienation and hopelessness at the bottom of society provided the fuel and criminal behavior at the top of society provided the oxygen.

[closeupready]

4. The moral tone in society is ALWAYS set at the top, so on that measure,

they are correct.

[mazzarro]

5. Wish the US political leaders would have the spine to make same statement here

The bankers are essentially immune to criticism and thus they have the fearlessness to fight against the minimal financial reform that has been reluctantly put in place because of their greed and fraud.

[Merlot]

10. These riots happened 6 months after austerity measures were implemented

It's my understanding that a lot of the youth were cut out of trade schools and job programs and felt like they had no future.

camron is just picking an easy target in the bankers.

[Downwinder]

6. entered in error.

[sabrina 1]

7. What happened? Just days ago he

was saying something entirely different? Maybe he's finally getting it, although a bit late. The whole system is corrupt, and he helped it along by hanging out with Murdoch and hiring one of his former corrupt employees, now accused in the hacking scandal.

It's stunning how the Murdoch Empire appeared to have control over the British Govt and its Police Depts. How does a Tabloid Corp get that kind of control if members of Parliament don't facilitate it?

I think he will be gone anyhow, before too long. Is there anyone in Britain who is not tainted by Murdoch though, to take his place? I can think of only one person and he's not likely to become PM.

[aquart]

9. Milliband was making him look like an idiot.

[GliderGuider]

8. This is nothing but rhetorical window-dressing.

It's unlikely to indicate any substantive change in policy or tone. Davey-boy knows he has to say something like this to try and retain some credibility, since his links to Murdoch have been laid bare. Cameron is on the side of the bankers through and through. He doesn't want a job at a local takeaway when he leaves politics, he wants a bank directorship. So the chip-shop owners get a few words, and the bankers get his undivided attention.