I am totally biased, but Tony Blair has nailed it and Cameron is totally off the mark.
Cameron is attacking human rights legislation and setting up a national citizens service because of generalized moral decline. Blair points out that this is not a problem of society at large, but a specific excluded class.
The Economist has some smart analysis, but their prescriptions; better vocational education and more youth workers - are pretty superficial.
The only way to get rid of deep divisions is deep integration. That means mixed schools. And here's the thing - the evidence shows that smart kids thrive in any environment, so middle-class parents can relax.
Cameron is attacking human rights legislation and setting up a national citizens service because of generalized moral decline. Blair points out that this is not a problem of society at large, but a specific excluded class.
The Economist has some smart analysis, but their prescriptions; better vocational education and more youth workers - are pretty superficial.
The only way to get rid of deep divisions is deep integration. That means mixed schools. And here's the thing - the evidence shows that smart kids thrive in any environment, so middle-class parents can relax.
2 comments:
I was disappointed with the concluding paragraph in the Economist article - I've seen lots of comments similar to '..police chiefs must be readier to mobilise the extra officers...' thrown around, yet very little real appreciation of the logistics involved in balancing policing needs across counties for example, or of just how many police officers it can take to control even a couple of people. The same goes for comments such as 'There should be no more Mr Nice Guy' - its one thing Cameron giving the police extra powers, another treading a fine balancing line of being seen as not tolerant violent behaviour, and being accused of 'police brutality'...
Right - the riots were terrifying, but there is research that excessive police force in the midst of a riot can radicalise onlookers to side with the violent core and just make things worse.
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