Today’s Times, contains a letter to the editor from Professor Bernard Crick, the man who more than any other is responsible for having foisted upon today's school-chilldren compulsory classes in citizenship which are, apparently, as unpopular among them as they are among the teachers required to provide them.
In his letter, Professor Crick gently berates the Prime Minister for having mounted a £90 million raid on the budgets of his Deputy, the Home Secretary, and the Secretary of State for Education to find cash to fund his new Respect Task Force.
Professor Crick argues a culture of respect more likely to be restored by government sticking to the two e’s of education and example than by any new gimmick such as the Prime Minister's new on. These are education in citizenship and a good example from public figures and celebrities.
Professor Crick omits a third e more likely still to be effective in restoring a culture of respect than any of the other ways and means to which New Labour has, with his collaboraiton, resorted in pursuit of this elusive goal. This is enforcement of the law.
The incidence of disruptive and badly-behaved children is far higher among single-parent families than among married couples. Anything, therefore, that reduces the incidence of such families is likely to reduce incivility and anti-social behaviour among the young.
A report in today’s Times reveals nearly a half of all lone parents have yet to receive their first maintenance payment that the CSA has ordered from the other parent of their children. Meanwhile, 40% of single parents who have applied to the CSA y for an assessment of what they should be receiving in maintenance from the other parent have yet to receive one, so it is also reported.
Given the lamentable track-record of the CSA in enforcing the financial obligations that parents incur by having children, it is small wonder that the rate of single-parent births in thei country continues to soar and now exceeds 40%. With such large numbers of single parent families comes such a huge incidence of anti-social behaviour in children and the young.
Rather than making citizenship classes in school compulsory, or calling for a good example to be set by public figures and celebrities, something which goes without saying but probably would pass unnoticed by those most in need of being set one, or requiring hard-pressed single-mothers attend parenting classes, the apparent goal of the new Task Force, the goverbnment is far more likely to restore a culture of respect by seeing to it that the law is by properly enforced requiring non-domiciliary fathers pay for the maintenance of their children. Its proper enforcement would make men think twice before siring children outside marriage. That would reduce the number of single-parent families and with that reduction would diminish the kind of domestic environment which is probaly the single biggest enviromental factor responsible for anti-social behaviour in children.