The looting and rioting had nothing at all to do with the killing of Mark Duggan. That was the spark. The bonfire had been prepared by years of neglect, fueled by the anger of young men with no stake in the system, angry at everybody and quick to exploit fury at the killing of a local man, even if he did allegedly fire at the police officer first. So now the question people in Tottenham are asking is: Will the government pay attention to the social issues underlying the anger? And a wider question is: Would anyone care at all if there had not been violence?