Viewpoint: Tony Blair and the England Riots

I don't agree with Tony Blair on a lot of things, but he made some good points in a column he wrote for the Observer.

Britain is not in a “moral decline”. That phrase has been a favourite of the right wing, since the days of Mary Whitehouse back in the 60s.

The police need the backing of the public at large and politicians. They have a tough enough job to do, without well meaning people undermining them.

But Tony Blair misses one key point, by talking about a social mainstream.

There's an old joke that goes “Now repeat after me, we are all individuals.” But the truth is that we are all individuals. And societies evolve over time.

The Goon Show was revolutionary when it first aired in the 1950s, now it would be considered tame.

We must make sure that we encourage respect in others, by respecting the differences in us all.