In worrying news for culture and literacy, a high court ruling has backed a council's plan to "rationalise" (that's corporate bullspeak for "close") library services. Despite a campaign by residents of Brent, the council and courts have decided there's nothing wrong with closing a few libraries.

Yes, they see absolutely nothing immoral with depriving poor kids of the joy of reading, and potentially condemning them to a life of illiteracy. Or even, an elderly lady who can't walk too far, a family who can't afford internet at home so rely on the free internet at the library, or even the teenager who has no space to study for GCSEs/A-Levels at home. No, these people don't matter to the man who holds the purse-strings - poor people shouldn't be reading or online anyway, because they might learn stuff.

All this leaves young people in a world of no jobs, no hope and no cash, with nothing else to do except riot.