Ray Kennedy is in London and has been gauging the mood in Clapham and Croydon - two of the worst affected areas of Monday night's violence
There were plenty of gangs hanging around street corners looking suspiciously at the police and any press that happened to pass their way as I toured around Clapham and Croydon in London.
They were hurling insults and telling people to leave their area. There is tension in the British capital after nights of violence.
But the young man who simply hollered ‘Hey Mr TV man’ to get my attention on Clapham High Street provided one of the many contradictions to be seen in London right now.
‘Would you like a cup of tea?’ he asked and showed me the tea stall he'd set up with friends, near where the worst of the damage was caused.
We were standing outside a ransacked branch of Debenhams and he was part of the clean up groups that have been springing up across the city. Once again utilising Twitter and Facebook to organise. Neighbours gathering yard brushes and dustbins and waiting until police forensic teams moved on before going to the assistance of local shops and helping them clear up.
Londoners of course pride themselves in what they call ‘Blitz Spirit’. A belief in coming together and overcoming adversity - It seems alive and well in London today.
Near the Mall and Buckingham Palace there is a large police presence. But there are thousands of tourists too. Lying down in the sunshine and taking pictures. The open top buses are full, so are the museums.
Although you couldn't avoid the fact that many were heading back to their hotels early, as the tension still hung over everything.
The community leaders I spoke to in Clapham said normal life for them was a feeling of being excluded and left behind. It had brought them to this point. The anger inside their young overflowing into night's of violence.
Politicians say the result has been thuggery and criminality, as do many in the communities also. Many looking in disbelief at the damage caused to businesses and homes where they live.
London may be chugging along in many parts of the city. But in others they say work is needed to find out why this happened and how it can stop.
