Source/Credit: Editorial The Sunday Times of Malta: 14.08.2011/Photo: Google images
One has to feel for David Cameron. There he was, one minute, immersed in the wonderful rolling hills of Tuscany; the next he had to bring his holiday to an abrupt end, put a tie back round his neck and set foot in the burning mayhem of London.
Practically every move he made once he returned – it would have been politically disastrous if he chose to remain – was correct. Speaking to the press in Downing Street on Wednesday he declared a “fightback”, denounced in particular the theft of goods from an injured man by people who posed as good Samaritans, and announced a reversal of plans to make cuts to the police force.
Effective or not, it was a show of leadership that largely achieved the objective of reassuring a nation, even if that nation is one of the most resilient in the world in any case whenever it is faced with a threat.
But then Mr Cameron blundered, when he suggested that the government was considering taking steps to prevent suspects using social media. Not only is such a step undesirable, it is in all likelihood unworkable. Failed attempts in the midst of the Arab uprising should have provided ample evidence of that. Yet this experience did not stop the British prime minister making such a shaky statement.
Categories: UK