I think Tony Blair has finally lost it. His latest off the cuff wheeze to tackle anti social behaviour is to allow social workers to "intervene" in problem families even before kids are born. Quite what this means is anyone's guess. It sounds tough but probably involves sending parents of the yet to be born little hoodie on a taxpayer funded trip to Barbados to let them discover their inner selves.
I am surprised the PM stops at this. I imagine next he'll be advocating taking sperm samples to see if the father is a suitable parent. Little would surprise me about our inreasingly delusional Prime Minister.
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50 comments:
This was first floated back in June I think. It's obscene.
Wants your foetuses, more like. All embryos are to be added to the new Children's Index. Their daily consumption of the correct five portions of fruit and vegetables will be checked by intimate examination of all pregnant women. Celebrity status will not be accepted as a reason for exemption.
Downing Street acknowledges this policy will be "contentious", involving as it will some degree of State intrusion into family life. However No. 10 thinks there will be "favourable outcomes" as properly nourished foetuses are more likely to grow into well-rounded citizens who will wish to vote New Labour in later life.
Iain
It's all very well scoffing at Blair's proposals, and I do have some reservations myself. But working (as a GP) in a rough, tough inner city area I can tell you that crime and victimhood are just a part of the tapestry of daily life in areas like this. It's pretty obvious to me which kids, and which families, are responsible for much of the burden of crime which afflicts this area. If you don't advocate identifying and intervening with problem families early on then can I assume that you support the status quo whereby agencies only get seriously involved once kids start flashing knives or guns around? To be honest I'd happily accept a dose of focussed nannying if it meant that the rest of us could feel a bit safer on the streets. Maybe juvenile crime is a bit of a joke down in Tunbridge Wells; in inner city London we are unfortunately forced to take it rather more seriously. I'd be really interested in hearing any novel approaches to the problem of youth crime that fellow bloggers might come up with.
I'm sorry about the rather grumpy tome of this post - but I was delayed 20 mins getting to work - one of the main roads on Wembley was sealed off - due to yet another knife attack.
All adults should require a license to have children. A robust vetting procedure would ensure prospective parents were fit to be parents.
At times like these one should always ask the question, "Will this policy apply to the devolved administrations?" (Then celebrate if you don't live in England!) Most of the recent headline grabbing initiatives will only apply in England.
This is just so spooky and pointless...who is going to analyse all this information on unborn thugs? 40 items of information on each child in state school, each term. And the records remain on file once the child reaches 18. Anyone can add information to this database, without consent of those involved, and the infomation it contains can be shared with....who knows? And what about all those Public School thugs slipping through the net?
This shows all the symptoms of the 'Messiah Complex' from which I genuinely believe Blair suffers.
His unshakable belief in the rightness of everything he thinks, says and does is the clearest example.
Now he believes that, by his actions, he can have positive influenence on the unborn.
Just how long will it be before the party elders realise that it's time for a visit from the 'men in white coats'?
simon-m, GP, points out that we already know who the "at risk" families are. Why do we need a database of people who are not likely to cause trouble? The issue is WHAT TO DO about a family once you have identified that
they have problems...Who are the "specialists" who can make it all better?
What is at least as serious is the fact that the BBC et al favour their own trumped up row over the leadership rather than focussing on this obscenity. They'd have a proper leadership row to cover if they dealt with the real story effectively. I watched the interview last night and frankly it was dangerous.
greenham woman said:
"Why do we need a database of people who are not likely to cause trouble?...Who are the "specialists" who can make it all better? "
What about the Professor of Childcare, for one, whose expertise allowed him to see that a woman had murdered her children, with no evidence whatsoever, simply by watching a TV programme. The woman was eventually proved innocent, after State intervention had imprisoned her and wrecked her family and her life.
The database is explicitly tailor-made for people like him. That is its avowed purpose, to allow specialists to place warning flags for other specialists to see.
There will be many more such cases if it is ever allowed to go ahead.
Another fine example of government approved computer schemes coming up then, years over schedule, billions over budget and fatally flawed by the minor problem of being unusable.
Well a one-man freak show is in control of the country and we wait to see if the Labour party has the bottle to do anything about it.
Will they screen the families for a propensity to raise teenage alcoholics and compulsive-eating suicidal depressives ?
'Back to Basics' supposedly gave the press permission to expose the sex lives of Tory politicians. Has Blair's latest 'eye-catching initiative' broken the taboo on mentioning his family ?
Blah blah blah...more right-wing paranoia...get me 700 words on this for the Mail by lunchtime...blah blah blah
hey vervet, "symptoms of the 'Messiah Complex'" - you're not kidding. Did you catch the tremble in the voice in that BBC interview?? Sounded like he was about to burst into tears at any moment. And this is after a relaxing summer hol.
"time for a visit from the 'men in white coats'?" Maybe they get to him before Yates of the Yard. Might need to revise my prediction that 2009 is the date.
It's probably brought on by observing the overweight, drink-sodden, dysfunctional lot he's been rearing in the downing street cuckoo's nest
Anti-chav fascism. It's bunker mentality. Why is his 1000 year reich not working as it should?
Ah yes (I caught this story by chance before bedtime last night), a headline guaranteed to make the right wing scream and even the left wing gawp.
It's really worthwhile to watch the actual BBC interview. He comes across as more than a little well er... mad... trying to flout this stuff and - I wish I was joking - kind of in and out of lucidity at times. Having said that Blair is looking rested and more healthy since we last saw him - Cliff's obviously been taking good care of him.
Anonymous 10.05
Have you got your eyes shut and your fingers in your ears too? Bliar's one man freakshow has got both Right AND Left AND Centre "paranoid"...doesnt mean he's not out to get us....
I agree with Richard Bailey's point about the BBC's coverage on the Ten O'Clock News (and was so annoyed that I posted on my blog to say so). Rather than actually deal with the (rather interesting) issues the BBC felt compelled to get into a boring 'When will Blair go?' discussion.
The point is that there are some serious problems about how some children are being brought up. This isn't just bad for the children but there are also knock-on effects across society. The fact that this issue isn't even on the Tories radar shows how out of touch they still are.
He can have my kids anytime he likes
Funny you should mention sperm tests....
David Blunkett on Today:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/listenagain/ram/today4_blair_20060901.ram
About 9 minutes in.
Was he joking or not?
It's Minority Report, isn't it!
Blair has really lost it. The eyes are wilder, the ideas completely mad. Will no-one rid us of this virulent sh*te?
How will they fingerprint the 250.000 aborted ? Surely Blair is not going to use amniosentesis to force up the abortion rate ?
'Have you got your eyes shut and your fingers in your ears too? Bliar's one man freakshow has got both Right AND Left AND Centre '
Not at all, but I don't think the Minger and Blair-lite are insane - devious yes but not mad. Blair is dangerous, really *indam dangerous and he has to go.
Is Tony Blair Tony Parrish?
What is the Leader of the Opposition (or whoever the Conservative spokesman concerned is) saying/doing about this? Nothing - well nothing I've read/heard about. Of course, green taxes and cuddling up to Mandela (or any other fashionable ex-terrorist) are far more vital for the Not Conservative Party.
Its quite frightening that he is PM.
He has realy has lost the plot. Power had gone to his head some years ago. This sort of thing is the result.
Give mr Old Labour any day at least they were less sinister.
Blair's lost it. Either that or he's again showing us his sense of humour (well he did leave Prescott in charge). It's the sort of policy that you'd expect to get floated on April 1, so ludicrous and interventionist that you just know it can't be for real. Sadly I woke this morning to discover it's 1 September and Tony "I'm sane really" Blair is seriously proposing it. To paraphrase the old saying, "give me the child and I'l show you the (adult) new labour voter. Thank God he's going soon. (he is, isn't he??)
Are we witnessing the Madness of TB?
Someone please put him and us out of our misery.
Is there a proceedure in this country for removing a prime minister (complete with finger on the nuclear button even these days) who goes insane?
And if not, why not?
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"They're coming to take you away, away..."
the BBC have taken the video link to His Craziness' anouncement off the BBC site...Did Bliar's PR people have something to do with this? That was quick!
Would the State have to intervene in the case of a youth being found drunk and incapable in Leicester Square, giving a false name, eventually giving the right name, Police finding mother was abroad on holiday and father who was "working at home" hadn't noticed the boy wasn't home?
If only I could remember the name of the family that applied to...........
OldCynic said >> "They are, as my mother used to say, a waste of skin."
Did your mother have any nice lampshades?
Several other posters have already touched on the key point here - it is one thing identifying potential scope for state intervention, quite another to believe that state is actually capable of executing such intervention efficiently. Given the weak record of social services and the 'child protection' industry these proposals would doubtless lead to multiple miscarriages of justice inflicting appalling traumas on innocent parents.
If blair wants to send in the social workers the instant a child or parent even looks like stepping out of line, is he going to invite them in to his own family?
After all, his own son Euan was arrested in 2000 for being drunk at the age of 16, at the police station he gave a false name and address when arrested.
Under Blairs proposals wouldn't the social workers have to getinvolved in raising the youngest member of the blair family?
The social workers will need ARV units and air support to go in to some of our neighbourhoods. (Nottingham) Generally round here, once the typical violent offender is finally apprehended for the latest crime, such as shooting old people, driving down children, hanging dogs, selling heroin to five year olds, etc, etc, bail is automatically granted by the magistrates, followed by failing to appear, etc, etc, etc, ad nauseum.
If Cameron promised to double the prison build and hire 25,000 new police with genuine powers, and treble the imprisoment rate, he would be re-elected by a landslide.
From the first time I ever saw him on TV, I could see that Blair is deranged. I'm not saying this lightly. I could sincerely sense that he is mad. I was home from overseas to see my Mother and he came on TV and I was shocked because he was so clearly insane.
Having destroyed the laws and social structure of Britain which obtained before he slithered under the door of Downing St now he wants to get inside women's womb's and examine embryos for anti-social behaviour. Blair is stark, raving bezonkers. Even Hitler never came up with this one.
Restore. Law. And. Order. Punishment. Prison. Complete. Sentences. Served entirely, as in the US. Result: A well-ordered society pre-Blair's gross interference in democracy.
I honestly do not see Blair getting a job overseas. Don't forget, every embassy reports back to its capital city, and while Pierre dePrés in Montpellier and Hwee Mui Mui working for a bank in Shanghai, won't have any private information, I guarantee every influential person in business and every top government official will know.
I think he's going to have to go with Arnie's offer of a part in the next Terminator because I don't see any sane organisation offering him a job.
The day he's out of office will be the day he comes off everyone's speed dial.
Our Queen is a very canny individual. I wonder if there are plans in place in case he starts skipping down Whitehall going, "La la la la la."
In any event, gone by the end of September.
Stop paying taxpayers money to parents
they want kids they pay for em then they might look after them properly.and bliar does look unhinged like a fish in a privet hedge.
Blair took questions from the press at a press conference this morning. He said, "La la la la la la la la la and twiddly dee!" before he was led off.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha!
A friend has reminded me of another government which believed it could tell if you were an “antisocial element” by means of measuring your nose and the shape of your skull. That government came up with a final solution to such problems. Details at the conference in Manchester no doubt.
I think Verity's losing it. "Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" she said. "Blair came on TV and I was shocked because he was so clearly insane" she said.
Verity, this is officially known as the Professor David Southall syndrome. You may need expert help.
Iain,
When I first read your entry, after six weeks of summer holidays, my instant reaction was 'Hooray - kids, go pack now!'. The Government will find them on the door step shortly! If the Government want my kids, then they are welcome to them.
But that would be cruel - not least of all on the poor sod who has my two lovelies dumped on them (joke by the way kids, if you ever read this!)
But in honesty, should we be surprised? The left are wonderfully prescriptive about how we should live, think, feel, what we should eat/not eat, how we should behave/not behave.
It only follows that since we are not to be trusted with making the right decisions about our own life, then we certianly cannot be trusted with bringing up our own children! Even before birth!
Next thing, it will be midnight raids on the wombs of women who are pregnant without having been granted the right paperwork!!!
Why? Because they known better than us! They are the font of all wisdom and knowledge!
The answer is not MORE state intervention, but LESS! Put the responsibility for raising kids on the parents - the very place that for the last 50 years it hasn't been!
this idea sounds just like a logical extension of the "profiling" we are possibly going to encounter at airports. Obviously some nice little creepy company who has been tapped for that has some other ideas up its sleeves - and has pitched em at Tone....who's flying a kite to see if it gets shot down....
Just come back from dinner with a senior legal bod and here's what happened ;-)
"Tony was talking out loud in bed saying 'How can we give ASBOs to these ferrel children when they are so young' to which Cherie replied 'You can always enforce them on the embryos they don't have any Human Rights' and she then carries on reading a book and Tony goe back into his dreamy trance."
Tony gets back to Westminster and floats the idea with Dr John Reid who is only too pleased to suggest that it's such a good idea Tony should announce it himself.
The first Cherie hears about it is when somebody in the office points it out in the Guardian - Cherie hits the roof, phones Tony and says 'You plonker I was only joking about the embryo ASBOs - even if it would have made a good legal defence."
This whole charade is a consequence of the Victoria Climbie case. All of the relevant authorities - police, hospitals and social workers, knew what was going on but they all looked the other way and were too scared, lazy, incompetent or worried about being politically correct to save this child.
So as a result of ineffectual liaising of departments who had more than enough information to make the right decision, our Nulab brethren decide that what is needed is more information on everyone rather than training their social workers not to be fobbed off with the " it's a cultural thing" excuse.
When are our political elite going to look at the effects of 40 -50 years of left leaning social engineering and say perhaps we need to look at the causes of the various problems facing our society rather than spending billions of pounds of tax payers money in trying to alleviate the sypmtoms ?
No, they would rather say we haven't been left wing enough and come up with more hare brained ideas like this one.
This is a good one! Yo Blair is absolutely right! It would have given him more insight into Rt.Hon John Prescott's......boxing prowess before it was exhibited to all and sundry!
The nanny state does not want your kids. At least not if you want them, but the government thinks you're the wrong kind of parent and you cannot conceive naturally.
The huha about IVF is nothing but a pre-pregnancy abortion, presumable to 'save the poor child from a bad fate' (it certainly does this comprehensivly so...)
Who cares if the mom is a 65 year old fat lesbian that needs 3 cycles of IVF? Is the child guilty of having the wrong parent and thus not eligible to live, despite being wanted? Does being an early orphan disqualify you from being part of humanity?
The people needing the IVF most are those who will produce the middleclass kids that we need who will be very likely to be the top tax payers that we'll need in 2040. So, even 50k to finance that baby is a good investment.
Instead, the money for the IVF is squandered on stupid stuff like this index. Gah.
I thought TB's pre-birth idea was quite sensible really. Don't we all know that there are certain families and groups of families, who interbreed and have kids at 12, and who are only constrained if treated in particular ways? They're NOT like the rest of us, so they don't respond or behave like the rest of us. It's fear of Big Brother which is more worrying than the idea of intervention pe-birth. Also, the threat of such intervention might stop a few of those kids having kids - and that's got to be good!
The whole process of looking after such families and children would, therefore need to be overseen by a non-government body, in order to avoid the Big Bother factor.
If TB is going mad, I'm not surprised. He's almost human, y'know, and all that stress must be taking its toll.
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