Libya, UK riots, the Notting Hill carnival: at last we have a story to put all these issues in their place. Yes, The X Factor is back
The most interesting feature of today's press is not so much what's covered as what's not. The Sunday Mirror reports that the son of a former police boss has been arrested on suspicion of looting while the Sunday Express has a very interesting interview with historian Peter Ackroyd. He gives some historical context to the recent disorder and suggests rioting is as much a part of the urban landscape as foxhunting is of the rural one.
By and large though, the papers seem to be fast losing interest in what the left will no doubt one day call the "August days". With the police arresting suspects on the one hand and columnists having arrested the usual metaphorical suspects on the other, there seems to be a consensus emerging that the riots are a bit passe. Let's hope this isn't a pattern: we need more in-depth analysis now, not less.
Normally in some sections of Fleet Street you'd expect reporting of rioting to lead seamlessly into coverage of the Notting Hill Carnival (see what they do there?) but coverage of the carnival is equally muted. The Observer suggests that some police officers are concerned that measures being taken to prevent trouble will actually lead to it ? the theory being that attempts to shut down sound systems early in the evening might lead to friction and disorder.
The Sunday Telegraph includes a report that the police are worried by some of the things they're seeing on social networks as the carnival gears up. My own guess would be that with 16,000 cops available and every admin assistant in the Met scanning Facebook and Twitter, even the most dim-witted troublemaker would be giving the carnival a miss this year. But then I might be wrong. If some rioters are stupid enough to pose for pictures in front of CCTV cameras then they're stupid enough for anything. But you can be sure the police won't be wanting any "Where were the police?" articles in the days to come.
Libya is prominent in the papers today of course, although there is something of a "Does anyone know what's going on?" and "Where is the Tripoli pimpernel anyway?" flavour to it. Miles Amoore in the Sunday Times (p17) gives a graphic account of the fighters who pushed into Tripoli, among them many Libyan exiles who had returned from Britain. And the argument about the rights and wrongs of Nato's intervention is also alive again now Tripoli has fallen. In the Mail On Sunday, Peter Hitchens damns the whole enterprise and warns Libya may well end up in a worse mess than before. He also angrily rejects the idea that his views are "defending" Gaddafi in a curious echo of the argument about "excusing" rioting a fortnight ago.
Meanwhile, back in the real world, the hunt for former News Of The World readers is hotting up. The Sunday Mirror has a front-page exclusive on the latest from The X Factor. Did you know that Louis isn't happy with Simon? That Louis is getting Sinitta as a mentor instead of Adele, while Tulisa has got the seal of approval from Cheryl? And let no one say this report doesn't get to grip with the big issues as Tulisa gives her take on the riots: "What happened is disgusting but the cuts are to blame ? kids have nothing positive to do."
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