Keith Vaz has just announced the terms of the Home Office Select Committee inquiry into the riots and has told the House of Commons that no one side has a monopoly of wisdom.

Brian Binley read out vox populi from Northampton South and said that politicians "were part of the problem".

Meg Hillier talked at length about the gangs of Clarence Road in Hackney.

Andrew Selous gave voice to the opinions of the blue rinse ladies of Caddington and Eaton Bray.

A little later Kerry McCarthy tried to pose as a veteran social campaigner of the 1980s riots "in Luton".  This is a grossly bigging-up of her experience.  My brother remembers well the Luton "riot" - he walked through the West Side and Bury Park while it was happening and it was just a stand-off that fizzled out.  Stupid self-opinionated idiot jumping on a bandwaggon.  This is the most irritating contribution of the debate.  I suppose she had a deep need to hear the sound of her own voice.

Andy Burnham has just said people are not interested in point scoring - he should tell Kerry McCarthy that.