Broken Britain: The Reality

DavidDP

You are aware, aren't you, that Cameron specifcally mentioned keeping Sure Start?

There's quite a few factual lapses in your articles recently, which lead to slightly off-centre conclusions.

In2minds

Like Rob Yates I remember Liverpool in the 1980's. I also recall that the local council was solid labour so I'm at a loss to know who to blame for the tattiness.

Lawman

Sure Start is a very good idea, but one that so far has had very little good effect. Like every other good idea NuLab adopts, the outcome turns sour on account of the bungling, bureaucratic implementation. Cameron will, hopefully, make it work.

Olaf Rye

Some of the programmes have indeed been good, and as much as I am ideologically ill disposed to the interference of the state in our lives and the paternalistic approach to 'helping' people, the Sure Start initiative is widely popular and I grudgingly confess that it has been successful. Nonetheless, there is still a case to be made for brutalising the bureaucracy involved in administering these programmes--which is not the same as reducing front-line staff. I think that a campaign against middle management is long overdue and we can get much more for our money and pay less to see improved services.

Martin Bright

Just to clarify -- my piece was a warning not to abandon the good things that Labour has done. Cameron will have to make some very hard decisions if and when he sees the books and may well be forced to backtrack on pledges.

Rob Yates is clear that Walton was indeed the home to Militant and indeed he went to Young Militant meeings himself. His piece is refreshingly unideological, when is precisely the appeal of Cameron's brand of Conservatism.

Snowman

Just out of the hat, here’s few ideas of what else we could do for families with children that both nuLabour and the Tories might also like to go for. I promise you each one will be very popular: SureMeal - roasted free range chicken and 3 veg delivered daily to initially households with three kids or more that cannot afford the shopping and the roasting/boiling time because they have jobs to go to; SureWalk – every child under the age 14 to be chaperoned to and from school by a personal, state approved minder; SureTeach – every child to have a personal teacher initially until the age of 11 (possible extension of the scheme to personal trainer, beautician, drug advisor etc. should be considered, too).

am willing to come up with similar schemes for the old, middle aged, minorities, those who speak little English….

Anybody disagrees?

Bunnykins

Snowman: How about SureStitchedup too? It's a support group for all those dim Brits over the age of 50 who were bought up into believing that working hard, paying taxes, making provision for pension and quietly doing the 'right thing' by others would ensure a harmonious and safe environment in which to grow old? SureStitchedup consultants could re-educate us to understand why our work ethic was revisionist and our 'culture' worthless.

John Symes

I agree: this is an excellent, thoughtful article. While I may not agree with all Yates' conclusions, I salute him for the mere fact he got off his arse, went to Walton and reported what he saw and heard. In this age of desk-bound churnalism and London-centric commentary, this is old school journalism - a good springboard for debate (SureStart may be popular, but does that mean it's any good? etc), as opposed to closing any argument down (see the CRU email leaks elsewhere).

Wily Trout

I seem to recall reading news coverage of Sure Start getting criticised and having funding withdrawn because it was being accessed by middle-class mums who were better placed to understand what it was all about than its intended targets, the workless.