We always should be wary of polls but this one is terrifying. It paints a society incapable of rising above fear and prejudice, bent on retribution and eager to throw thousands on the scrapheap to satisfy their fury.

Most terrifying of all: despite the economy juddering to a halt, despite unemployment continuing to rise and hitting women and the young hardest, despite the pain being placed on the shoulders of those least able to bear it while the wealthy continue business as usual, despite the continued capital strike by our banks, despite phone-hacking bringing the stench of corruption deep into Downing Street, despite a Prime Ministe and a London Mayor who had to be dragged back kicking and screaming to confront the burning cities…Conservative support is holding up, and is higher than Labour’s.

I am truly scared for our country.

British public supports harsher sentences over riots