It’s been quite a journey – but today as this post goes up – I am announcing in my keynote speech to Liberal Democrat conference that in March, this Government will begin a formal consultation on equal civil marriage for same-sex couples.

This would allow us to make any legislative changes before the end of this Parliament.

We will be working closely with all those who have an interest in the area to understand their views ahead of the formal consultation.

The consultation will only cover civil marriage for same sex couples – not religious marriage.

My recent column in the Ham & High

Am I bovvered? That was the gag line from Catherine Tate – and we all laughed. But there was nothing funny about the real life representation of lots of young people who were not bothered at all.

Their consciences weren’t bothered. They weren’t bothered about the victims of their actions. They weren’t bothered about the consequences to themselves of their actions. They weren’t bothered about their communities. They weren’t bothered about their families. They weren’t bothered about what people thought of them and they weren’t bothered about the businesses they ransacked and looted.

All sounds rather similar to the concerns being so widely discussed after the tragic riots – but the fact that Catherine Tate started her satire several years ago reminds us that far from all of these issues are new and so we should not under-estimate the continuing work that should be our response to the riots.

The police certainly deserve thanks for their bravery, but as many police acknowledge the question of what tactics to use when needs careful study. Even as we remember that the police’s choice of tactics reflects previous concerns expressed about their behavior, we should not shy away from a careful re-consideration of what the best tactics are.

The Government was criticized for not having its senior members on the spot (that left me to go out on the airwaves as duty Minister at the Home Office on the Sunday and Monday). It is now being criticized for knee jerk reactions and for raising questions about police tactics. It is the government’s job to ensure that its citizens are safe – and if there are questions that need answering on operational decisions – that is appropriate. But we do have to be careful about jumping to conclusions.

There is already much information flowing in from the many who have been out talking and interviewing in the affected communities, added to which is the data from the thousands being passed through the justice system. Some of those cases catch the eye – such as the improbable sounding looting of a violin or the case of a primary school employee. But we all know that the stories which catch the headlines can be far from typical – we need a full analysis of the whos, the whats and the whys so that future decisions are based on reality rather than everyone just cherry picking the evidence to support what they always wanted anyway.

One question I particularly want to keep an eye on is the large number of people who were on parole who have been arrested and those who have ‘previous’– which raises questions about how our parole and prison systems work (or don’t).

We should also learn from the few bright spots, the displays of strong community spirit to protect property and clean-up communities – a display which I, as a London MP for a highly diverse community, am particularly pleased to have seen was fully multicultural, involving all different parts of our society.

We saw great dignity from the father of one of the three young men mowed down by a car. We saw community spirit rise from the ashes and give us all heart. And we probably managed to arrest more of our criminal fraternity in London on a single night than ever before.

On my visits to the various parts of my constituency to talk to traders and local people I talked to one young man. He told me he had grown up on a council estate in Tottenham. I asked him what he thought of the looting of phones. He said it was simple – you have to have a phone. If you don’t – you’re nobody. It’s not just a matter of convenience or communication, it is a matter of status – an eerie reminder of what so many people say to me is the excuse the carrying of knives too – it gets you status.

So as the evidence comes in I expect we will be faced with two main challenges: that of how to make our policing and legal system work better and that of how to help give people in some of our poorest communities a different sense of hope and self-worth than that which comes from criminal or threatening behavior.

Am I bovvered? Yes – very!

Public disorder – help for high streets

A £10m recovery fund to help councils with the immediate costs of making their areas safe, clear and clean again. This fund can be used, for example, to clear debris left strewn in streets and make immediate repairs to pavements and roads. This Recovery scheme can also be used to support councils who use their powers to offer council tax discounts or council tax relief to those whose homes have been damaged but are still habitable.

A £20m High Street Support Scheme – funded jointly by the Departments for Communities and Local Government, and Business Innovation and Skills, which will be made available immediately, for the streets and areas where businesses were affected by the rioting. The money is intended to finance those measures that will get business trading again and meet short term costs. Councils will distribute the money and could use it to reduce business rates, finance building repairs and encourage customers back to the affected areas.

In addition, seriously damaged homes and business properties will be taken off the respective valuation lists, and Mr Pickles has strongly encouraged the Valuation Office Agency and local authorities to do so as promptly as possible. This removes any liability for council tax or business rates.

Councils have the power to offer rate relief for local firms, but must pay a quarter of the cost; central government automatically pays for three quarters of the cost. The High Street Support Scheme will help reimburse councils for this cost, to facilitate immediate and real financial help to be given to small and medium firms to rebuild their local businesses. Business rates are typically the third biggest outgoing for firms after rent and staff.

Local businesses can get more information from http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/home

On Tuesday night there was a lot of twitter conversation about expected trouble in Crouch End, Muswell Hill and Highgate. I contacted our local police commander around 6pm to ask what intelligence the police had on potential trouble in these local areas. The commander checked police information and phoned me back to say there was nothing coming in on that over the police information channels. Police information was correct.

Whilst Tottenham High Road sustained massive damage (as we all saw) – in Hornsey & Wood Green constituency – Wood Green High road had substantial looting and vandalism – but the other areas like Hornsey, Crouch End, Bounds Green, Muswell Hill and Highgate were more fortunate – sustaining random acts of vandalism and looting on a few individual businesses.

Having visited Tottenham and Wood Green on Monday, yesterday I went to visit some of the traders in Muswell Hill and Crouch End who had suffered damage and/or looting: an optician and a mobile phone shop in Muswell Hill and a cafe in Crouch End. They were all open for business and pretty stoic in the face of events. Clearly – the level of damage was nowhere near as great as the major areas – but the anxiety of the shop-keepers had inevitably heightened with one shopkeeper now removing his total stock to the safe each night – taking staff an hour so to do.

Today – Parliament is recalled. At 11.30 the Prime Minister will make a statement on the riots. At 13.30 (or later depending how long the first statement and responses run) the Chancellor will update us on the economic situation. When that concludes – the Home Secretary will open the debate on the riots.

Two departments will also be publishing at 11.30 information on what measures the government is taking to help those hit by the riots and hopefully information on issues around insurance.

To me the priorities have been clear. First duty is to restore law and order. Second is to make sure that those who committed criminal acts are brought to justice. In terms of roof over head, clothes and food for those who have lost their homes – in Haringey the priority has been to help those people.

And today – I think we will begin to hear the broader discussion – on how and why this happened.

Thornton’s Budgens in Crouch End are setting up cages outside their shop, where they will be collecting items for people whose homes have been affected by the fires in Tottenham at the weekend.

If you have donations you would like to make, such as bedding, clothes, toys and unused toiletries, you can drop them off there and they will drive them to Haringey Council’s offices on Seven Sisters Road in their delivery vans. Please bring donations before 8pm today, or after 6.30 am tomorrow.

The address of Thornton’s Budgens is:

21-23 The Broadway
Crouch End
London
N8 8DU

The disregard for human life, the looting, the wanton destruction of the fabric of our communities and the violence against the police made for scenes of absolute horror – the like of which we have not seen on the streets of London.

Like everyone else – I watched the horror unfold on breaking news throughout the evening and night – as what started in Tottenham spread across our capital city and beyond.

The bloody scenes of violence, peppered with raging fires, indicate that we have people in our communities who care nothing for the rule of law and order, nothing for human life and nothing for peoples’ livelihoods. And there can be no justifications and nowhere to hide from such behaviour. We all need to stand together on this and condemn all those who perpetrated these acts. No ifs – no buts.

David Cameron will chair an emergency meeting of Cobra this morning – and no doubt there will be following announcements on actions to be taken to restore law and order to our streets.

Just got back from visiting Tottenham where Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister, was visiting the devastated high road, meeting traders, families made homeless, community leaders and local police.

However much you see on the rolling 24 hour news – there is nothing as raw as seeing for yourself and meeting those whose lives have been so directly affected by the dreadful events in Tottenham and Wood Green.

After walking down the High Road talking to traders and local people, Nick Clegg, myself, David Lammy (local MP) met with community leaders including the police, Claire Kober (Leader of the Council), Nims Obunge (Haringey Peace Alliance and local pastor), Richard Wilson (Leader of the Liberal Democrats in Haringey), local safer neighbourhood officers from the area, Tottenham Traders, Tottenham carnival and many others. The Deputy Prime Minister wanted to hear what everyone had to say – and all the contributors raised issues of great importance from communications, to underlying factors to the role of the IPCC and the police.

The meeting was private – but it was quite clear that there is a great determination by all to rebuild Tottenham – which is a great place with a great community – and which has come a very long way since the days of Broadwater Farm. Everyone in Haringey, all the politicians (cross party), the community leaders, the local police and people – put a tremendous effort into all of this. And to see this terrible trashing of twenty years hard work is tragic. But it was clear in the room – that there is still a solid partnership base in Haringey that will overcome this terrible set back.

Having met the community leaders in Tottenham – I went on to Wood Green – which also came under attack on Saturday night – or more accurately the small hours of Sunday morning. There is much less media attention in Wood Green and although the wanton criminality that took place there may have been less shocking than what took place in Tottenham –  there are still many businesses that lost everything.

I met a group of traders in Wood Green Shopping City in that position – who had lost everything. Whilst I was there – shops began to close. It transpired that there were rumours running around that a gang was going to head down from Palmers Green to the Mall – and shopkeepers started shutting up shop. They are so frightened of a repeat of Saturday night. Even though the management of the Mall put out loud speaker announcements to say there was no threat, no danger – the shops just started closing.

The Big Green Bookshop has written an excellent account of what happened in Wood Green here.

As I write – Sky is covering the events in Lewisham Town Centre – as this mindless, wanton, criminality ricochets around our capital.