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Low-level nastiness

• Justin Webb
• 26 Mar 08, 04:16 PM GMT

I think I am bound to accept that guns are a bit of a red herring when it comes to low-level violence in western societies, but I still believe there's a case to be made that suburban American is far gentler than its UK equivalent. Bedd Gelert's reference to the city of Bath in England is interesting. Of course, the UK has areas of privilege and less crime - and the lovely city of Bath is one of them - and yet look at the today.

And there is from earlier in the year.

By the way, Bath is of course very safe for tourists and for most of its inhabitants as well (I don't want to be accused of dissing the city I grew up in!) but every part of the UK appears to suffer from this nastiness.

I see, meanwhile, that one of America's foremost commentators on the right sees England's problems as than the odd city centre stabbing might suggest.

Back in the US, a fair bit of what low-level nastiness there is can be found among Democrats at the moment - and here is on where we are and what the historical precedents (such as they are) suggest about what will happen.

And does not look like terribly good news for the party either - though I wonder whether people rather overstate the strength of their Clinton-Obama allegiances at the moment, in order to psych the opposition, as it were.

Do go to Bath!

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