More peaceful riots in London

Happy to report that those spoilt kids who wanted to show that they are definitely part of the intellectual elite of this country and should, therefore, be subsidized by the rest of us, were out today in force and carrying posters provided by the Socialist Worker, who very kindly signed them all. Therefore, nobody can dispute the fact that the students and assorted school children were just too stupid to understand who was using them and for what purpose.

Here you can see the wonderfully peaceful behaviour by the protesters in attacking the police, burning down various objects in Parliament Square and attacking the limousine that was taking the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, who seemed to behave with suitable stiff-upper-lip decorum, on their way to an official engagement at the London Palladium. (Scroll down to see the genius standing on the bench as it burns under him. A real intellectual, I've no doubt.

The Guardian is questioning police tactics though even they seem to be going through the motions. The NUS, I believe, has expressed itself to be disappointed with the way the third peaceful demo developed. Of course, normally, people who organize demonstrations are responsible for the participants' behaviour but the word "responsible" is not one the NUS understands. Perhaps, they cannot spell it.

Meanwhile, as expected, the government won by 323 votes to 302 (narrow but not as narrow as some of the votes on various European treaties were) with Chris Huhne remaining in Cancun with Nick Clegg's blessing. Better than the embarrassment of a Cabinet Minister abstaining on a government policy vote?

ConHome has a live blog (though, obviously, this is now an archival live blog) of the debate with a list of those who abstained or voted against. Tim Montgomerie agrees with the "liar Clegg" meme and rather gleefully assumes that the man is finished. I wouldn't go as far as that - as long as Cameron insists on that coalition, Clegg will be there - but one cannot help being amused by the problems the Lib-Dims are facing because, quite unjustifiably, they are in the government now.

Of course, none of this will solve the big problems we face in our higher education. Nothing but a removal of the state's control, something that politicians dare not contemplate, can do that.