Patrick Cash

Freelance writer

In liberal Britain right now it seems the gay marriage law is about to be passed, the country is, in effect, rewriting what it believes to be right. Is there any chance this ethos can spread to those young men who are portrayed in El Hosain's film?

Richard Sudan

Richard is a freelance writer based in London

Being encouraged by Cameron et al, to celebrate the life of Mrs Thatcher an apparent champion of freedom, while the current PM and his expensively educated brethren seek to implement their equivalent of Thatcher's poll tax is just adding insult to insult.

Yomi Adegoke

Law Student at The University of Warwick

The depiction of teenagers on British television isn't offensive; it's hilarious. No matter how many 'youf' dramas are created, television still struggles to create dramas that are relatable, being out of touch with the even the minor details such as what trainers a character should be wearing.

Sarah Aston

Politics and International Relations Student at the University of Bath

Why do you go to the pub? To meet friends? To drink? To socialize? Or do you go to the pub to discuss politics, social issues and philosophy? No? Well, if you live in Bath now you can!

Dave Clements

Reflections on a big society that keeps getting smaller

I'm sure there are other similar wood-treatment products out there but only the Ronseal test will get us any closer to making sure that riots, housing associations and charities do what they say on the tin.

Shaughan Dolan

Constituency Organiser and Campaigns Manager for West Berkshire Liberal Democrats

In the August riots of 2011 I had to experience something nobody should have to - I watched my home city burn. Politicos of all stripe were quick to ...

Mayowa Anthea Adebiyi

Plus-size model and Founder of Enpower C.I.C

It is one thing to tell someone what they can achieve but when you can relate to them on a certain level you can lead by example. For this reason the achievements of the young Olympic medallists should be recognised as a platform for youth empowerment, which has provided young people with an element of hope for their future.

The Cambridge Union Society

Promoting free speech and the art of debating since 1815

Young people are still unemployed, funding is still being withdrawn from the poorest and most vulnerable communities in society; those at the bottom of our society are still made to feel worthless and hopeless, so the incentive and willingness to riot remains.

Matthew Goodwin

Associate Professor in Politics at the University of Nottingham, and an Associate Fellow at Chatham House

One year ago, England experienced the most significant outbreak of rioting in the entire post-war era. One year on, to what extent are we worried about a repeat of the riots? At first glance, many of the wider conditions that surrounded the riots remain, if they have not worsened.

Dr Tyrone Pitsis

Academic from Newcastle University Business School

There is real hope here - one only need look at the Olympics to see an example of how collaboration can really engineer success. Just one year on from the riots, the energy and optimism from London 2012 can be harnessed to bring people together to make real change. There is a general mood of positivity in the air, which can be turned into something tangible.

Gavin Barwell

MP for Croydon Central

The world's attention is on London at the moment, as it was a year ago but for very different reasons. But how much has really changed since the riots that disfigured my town and other parts of the capital last August?

Kevin Samuel

Young athlete

This weekend I watched Usain Bolt run the 100m as a VIP guest in the Olympic stadium; this time last year I was watching my home town burn in the summer riots. Had I made different choices I could have been watching the race from prison.

Carmine Pariante

Consultant psychiatrist and Professor of Biological Psychiatry at King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry

Exactly a year ago, hundreds of kids misbehaved really badly, so why has nobody asked the question? Have we - society, government, family - done something wrong? Why the loud silence? Oh, sorry, I forgot - they are they just nasty little rioters, and should go to prison. There is nothing else to ask. Where is the reflection, the understanding, the questions? Those arrested during the riots mainly came from deprived areas and had the poorest educational backgrounds. They set fire to their own communities, and looted consumerist goods − plasma TVs, "branded" fashionable electronics and expensive shoes. Why did they do what they did?

Anne Longfield

Chief Executive of 4Children

As we celebrate the shining achievements of so many British athletes in London 2012, the disorders of last August seem a nightmarish memory. How is it possible that two such different Augusts, two such opposing images of modern Britain, could be separated by only twelve months?

John Wight

Writer

A year on from the riots which gripped parts of London and other cities up and down the UK, it is worth recalling that they were a predictable outcome to the economic and social pressure the communities impacted were under from a Tory-led coalition government, which had begun to dole out its punishment to the poor in response to an economic recession not of their making.

Joseph Hayman

Author of British Voices, a portrait of modern Britain from the perspective of its people - www.britishvoices.org.uk

The riots showed us at a real low. The Olympics have been a national high. We have seen the best and worst reflections of ourselves over the past year - and so has the world.