Silly Tactics With Rioters.

It is barely credible that the government is (maybe) attempting to take housing and benefits away from members of the feral underclass as a punishment for participation in rioting.

Sounds good. Sounds GREAT but please, think it through! These are already the criminal classes. Please do not encourage them to become full time professional criminals just to survive. Moreover, you are actually handing them the moral high ground! - "We have to steal just to live!"
When people run away from imposing actual punishments - out come the silly and unworkable, knee-jerk reactions!