Cameron Condemns UK's 'Moral Collapse'

(Newser) – In the aftermath of rioting across Britain, David Cameron blasted the nation’s “slow-motion moral collapse”—a matter he plans to “take on and defeat.” Facing a “demoralized” state, “I will not be found wanting,” the prime minister said today at a youth center. The riots were a “wake-up call” for a “broken society” born from “children without fathers; schools without discipline; reward without effort; crime without punishment; rights without responsibilities; communities without control.”

British society, he said, is one that “incites laziness, that excuses bad behavior, that erodes self-discipline, that discourages hard work,” notes the AP. This weekend, British officials announced that there had been 2,800 arrests following the riots, with 1,300 charged. The numbers have overwhelmed courts attempting to hold hearings; more than 1,000 have appeared in court thus far, the Telegraph reports. It could take months to identify ringleaders, detectives say, but the government says it plans to “make life hell” for them. Meanwhile, Birmingham held a peace rally that drew thousands. Click through for Labour's response to Cameron.