Categories: uncategorized
Date: 16 August 2011 10:41:09
Yesterday David Cameron gave an important speech which you really should read in detail. This speech is effectively a declaration of intent to ensure that New Right policy is implemented as soon as possible. If you have some time I really would encourage you to read the document Charles Murray and The Underclass: The Developing Debate along side Cameron's speech. This assessment of British Underclass theory is now 15 years old, but it remains the clearest statement of the ideological basis on which Cameron, Osborne and co are building policy and of the ideological vision they are seeking to implement. What the riots have given them is a public mandate to speed up and be more up front about what they are doing.
I posted a response in June to Cameron's Fathers day speech and yesterday I posted a description of the value building I have done with my own daughter. Today I want to build upon both of those posts in order to respond to Cameron's declaration of intent.
Firstly, I want to explain where I agree with Mr. Cameron. I do believe that stable, committed families and communities are important. I do believe that it is important that our young men have good role models to follow. I do believe that rights come with responsibilities and that where people engage in criminal or anti-social behaviour they should take responsibility for those actions and have to face up to the consequences of what they have done. I do believe that where possible people should work. I do believe that schools should be places where people learn without disruption. I do believe every child should be given the opportunity to achieve. I do believe that there is no us and them - rather it is us within society and I do believe that we need to re-evaluate our values. Finally, I believe that society does not operate in a vacuum and that it is very much impacted by the rules government sets and how they are enforced.
However, I also disagree with a number of the conclusions that Mr. Cameron has come to and the policies he may be seeking to implement as a result. I believe that the rules he is seeking to impose and the proposed methods of enforcement are biased and will further reinforce inequality rather than "mending" it.
Cameron talks about a security fightback and a police force who are ready to "re-group" and "crackdown" at the first sign of trouble. I have worked in Middlesbrough with young people who have been subject to this type of policing under Ray Mallon. These are good young who actually support people having to take responsibility for wrong doing but they are also are wary of the police. Almost all of them have been subject to stop and search, or hassell from the police if they have been wandering about in groups of three or more. This has built up a resentment amongst them. I have also seen examples of the Met cracking down at demonstrations and engaging in behaviour such as indescriminate trunchoning of people who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, or removing their numbers so that people cannot report those who are abusing the situation and their positions. I am a "middle class" supporter of law and order who believes the police generally are actually decent people who do a good job, but I have a suspicision of them and a cynicism because of what I have seen. How much more dangerous is this amongst young people. Fear and hate of a group is what leads to them being dehumanised - and when the police are dehumanised they become seen by people as a legitimate target (as we have seen). We therefore need to be careful and ensure what we have are fair laws which are properly and responsibly enforced by officers who are properly resourced. We also need to ensure the resources are in place to ensure that actions are properly documented so that complaints can be fairly investigated protecting both police and public.
In terms of families and values I have spoken at length before and would encourage you to see my previous links to my posts. Suffice to say that value building is something which occurs in all shapes of family and the picture of single parent families being put forward is actually more complex. Building strong families and ensuring people have male role models requires us to move away from charactures and towards complex engagement with the issues.
Within the speech Cameron interestingly said, "If it hurts families, if it undermines commitment, if it tramples over the values that keeps people together, or stops families from being together, then we shouldn't do it." Yet he is ready to implement a whole set of cuts which will have financial implications which will do exactly that.
Finally, to show what is happening and how Cameron and his cronies are going to end up hurting people, including the most vulnerable I want to bring your attention to the situation of a group of people who are facing eviction from land they own, because they do not fit the norms and values which Cameron wishes to impose. They are people who are seen to have a negative impact on the property prices of their neighbours and whose children are not achieving high results at school. Yet they are people who control the alcohol consumption and sexual behaviour of their girls. They are also value marriage highly, but in doing so are criticised because some of their women are subject to patriarchal codes and behaviours which we think out of place in modern society. These people are the residents of Dale Farm - a Traveller community who have sought to live peacefully but in a way which is culturally appropriate to them.
Basildon District Council has taken them to court and is evicting them from their own land because they don't have planning permission. The Traveller community have sought to obtain this but been denied. All legal challenges have failed and the evictions are due to occur anytime from 1st September onwards - they have been given until midnight on 31st August to leave their homes.
Last night on Look East (the local news programme) there was a report which highlighted that in addition to the millions of pounds spent on the eviction by the council and the police operation it will involve local councils and land owners are putting up barriers and locked gates to ensure that the travellers, once evicted cannot camp on their land. The result of this will be that there will be a large group of homeless families without anywhere to go, and a large amount of public money is going to be spent on this.
Additionally, under the powers announced by Cameron the police forces in the area will be authorised and encouraged to use policing tactics which will be reminicent of what we saw at the Beanfield - see You Tube clip of what happened (you need to go into about 3 minutes in to get past the background). People are not about to be made homeless without a high level of frustration existing.
I want to suggest that on a smaller scale this criminalisation of people and enforcement of homelessness of people who do not conform to Cameron's picture of what is and isn't acceptable is going to be repeated across Britain.
In terms of the Traveller community what is happening here is effectively state sponsored ethnic cleansing - reminicent of what we have seen elsewhere in mainland Europe during the twentieth century, (in Germany in the 1930's and in Eastern Europe and Italy more recently). There are still a couple of weeks though - Cameron could stop this disaster from happening and intervene to ensure the people of Dale Farm can remain on this land they own. He could ensure that the over-stretched police do not have extra costs needlessly imposed upon them. He could stop a tragedy occuring which will impact families.
Yet, what Cameron and his policies are doing is increasing the existence of an "us" and "them" in society. It is increasing the pressures upon already struggling families and it is likely to increase the number of people being forced into the criminal justice system. Whilst elements of what Cameron proposes make sense and are what we all want in the real world what they are going to do is increase frustration amongst an already disenfranchised minority.
Finally, just to clarify, the problem which Cameron is not addressing is the structural problem of capitalism. The use of violence is not acceptable and the targeting of family run businesses and independant livelihoods or properties with people living above them can never and should never be tolerated. BUT when the interests of multi-nationals who register their headquarters in Switzerland and elsewhere take presidence over the interests of ordinary people and when we have to take the financial hit for their irresponsible behaviours then it is not suprising that commercial businesses are targeted. Cameron said in the speech the riots had nothing to do with the cuts because it was businesses targeted. This is nonsense - the two are now very interlinked. Also it is the cuts which have led to people not having the money to supply the wants which the capitalist system has created - when they are sold the dream but the means is removed of course the commercial properties are going to become a target.
Anyway enough said, I need to go and get a train - picking up my young person who is seeking to build community and serve others - not because Cameron has enrolled her in a Citizen's Service - but because like most young people she is a decent person who has been bought up to care about others and work for her future.