'It's not wrong to want control of our borders, but rioters are angry and frustrated at the wrong people'

Genuine fear, understandable apprehension and suspicion of anyone that might be “one of them” spreads.

As genuine as the fear might be, the accuracy of the “information” that caused the fear, sometimes shared between thousands of people and groups, seems to be very rarely challenged.

In the shocking case in Southport last week, which sparked the national riots that we have been witnessing, there were early posts shared widely on social media that the perpetrator was a Muslim asylum-seeker, who had recently come to this country.

It was soon announced that the suspect was a British-born 17-year-old, from a Christian family, but it was too late, the match had already been lit. The violence soon followed.

At the forefront of much of the rioting has been what appears to be working class white men.

For too long, the working class in this country has been neglected, underfunded and generally marginalised.

One of the consequences has seen white boys from working class families failing at school, second only to black boys of Caribbean heritage.

Without an education, without the promise of a local traditional job, many have been left disillusioned, angry and without hope.

But it has also left them without the tools needed to defend themselves against the barrage of misinformation they are bombarded with every single day.

Today we live in the Information Age. Without the ability to read, write and analyse the information we receive, it’s like someone jumping into the deep end of a swimming pool, but not being able to swim. Clearly, they’re going to drown.

And that’s what I think many are experiencing right now. Not just drowning in information, but drowning from the panic of trying to hold on to jobs and lifestyles that no longer exist, trying to hold on to places that have changed, trying to hold on to the “good ol’ times”.

For me, the successive governments, that have ripped the heart out of working class communities, that have lied, that have lined the pockets of their chums, they’re the ones the anger and frustration should be vented at.

Because it’s not wrong to want control of our borders, it’s not wrong to want to have a shared national identity, and it’s not wrong to want our families to live in safety.

But it’s those responsible for making the laws and policies that should be held to account, that should be made to answer for the current mess our country is in.

As a man of mixed Jamaican and British heritage, I’m proud to be born here, to be a citizen of our country.

But I think the only way forward, is in us coming together and accepting our differences, creeds, and colours because there’s far more power in us all being one.

I also think that we need to reimagine what we want this country to stand for, how we want to see ourselves and how we want the world to see us.

There’s been lots of talk about upholding British values in the last week, but maybe we need to revisit these, because one thing’s for sure, we’ve witnessed very little respect, rule of law or tolerance.