Global - Parents, not politics, to blame for riots: PM

Parents who failed to teach their children the difference between “right and wrong” are to blame for the country’s five days of rioting, said U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron, in comments that deflected attention from the political and economic problems plaguing the nation.

Decision-making and behaviour is complex and is often dictated by the moment, not by mom, said Wendy Thomson, a professor at the McGill University School of Social Work.  “I don’t think anyone would question parents have a big responsibility in raising their children in an ethical way with good values and a social conscience,” she said. “But overall, ultimately the child makes decisions on a whole bunch of complex issues.”

And according to Thomson the decisions made by Cameron’s government are part of that complexity. “Of course it doesn’t justify the behaviour of looting and rioting, but people’s decisions are made in a context. He’s part of the context and he is shifting the blame done to individuals and families and that is a pretty Conservative thing to do,” she said.