The government does NOT want people to riot, they are NOT goading us into unrest so they can implement the Civil Contingencies Act, they are NOT poking the bear for martial law, and they are NOT trying to start a civil war to delay elections. People who say this are just trying to find a way to justify why they’re not doing anything, maybe they even believe it, but it’s not true. The idea that governments secretly want widespread civil unrest ignores what serious unrest can actually do to a country. Civil disorder hits the economy fast. Shops and businesses close. Workers stay home. Supply chains break down. Investment dries up. Tourism falls. Insurance costs rise. Jobs disappear and tax revenues fall, while the cost of policing, emergency services and repairing damage rockets. If unrest escalates into sustained armed conflict, the consequences become far more severe: businesses and capital leave the country, shortages can develop, government borrowing becomes more expensive, public finances deteriorate and confidence in the economy and currency can fall. Infrastructure suffers. Roads and transport can be disrupted. Police, ambulances and hospitals come under enormous pressure. Electricity, communications and essential services can be affected. Internationally, prolonged instability damages confidence in the country, discourages investment and can weaken its diplomatic and economic influence. And politically? A government presiding over widespread disorder faces enormous pressure and public scrutiny. Every outbreak of serious disorder raises questions about whether the government anticipated the risk, whether its response was proportionate and whether it can maintain public safety. The longer serious disorder continues, the harder it becomes for any government to keep attention on its normal programme. Instead of talking about growth, public services or its political priorities, ministers are forced to spend their time explaining the crisis and defending their response. No government benefits from losing control of its streets and our government knows it’s getting close. That’s why they come down so hard on anyone who rocks the boat, that why at the first sign of trouble, people are ‘made an example of’, that’s why hundreds of people were arrested after Southport, and it’s why Danny Tommo has been refused bail. Governments need stability, they need your consent and by the carrot or the stick, they have it. Just saying.