ANARCHY IN THE UK

IN COMMON WITH A LARGE NUMBER of like-minded political commentators, I must condemn in the strongest terms the mindless violence and destruction of property perpetrated by “students” at the head offices of the Conservative and Unionist Party this afternoon in Millbank in London. This is simply not British behaviour, and I suspect that the “anarchists” involved in breaking the windows are probably foreigners, possibly from one of those Eastern nations where political violence is a tradition.

THE TRADITIONALLY BRITISH FORM of violence is silence – the cold, silent treatment. This is the best way to irritate all and sundry. Husbands and wives do this to great effect, eating three-course meals in restaurants on wedding anniversaries without exchanging a syllable. So perhaps “British anarchists” – if it is not a contradiction in terms – should follow our historically-proven pattern. They should all go down to the House of Commons and tell David Cameron and Nick Clegg that they are not on speaking terms with them. This would be most appropriate; after all, Clegg and Cameron are not listening to us.