One year on from the devastating and destructive London riots, it appears as though things are getting worse as the economy is still unable to provide the opportunities young people need to escape poverty in some of the most deprived neighbourhoods in the UK. BSMG to commemorate the first anniversary of the riots publishes an academic essay exploring the root causes of social exclusion which ignited into a near week of terror across major UK cities. An antidote for all of today’s young people’s ills is seen as employment but is this enough for the creation of an inclusive society today? We do not think so.