Thursday, September 21, 2006

"the best possible nanny"

La Toynbee :

"if they want to avoid future generations of scary youth, they should urge higher taxes to pay the state to become the best possible nanny to all babies. "

Erm ...

Three-quarters of children in care have no educational qualifications at all when it ends, a report into the state of the care system claims.

Out of the 6,000 children who leave the care of the state each year, 60 make it to university, says a report by think tank the Centre for Policy Studies.

Report author Harriet Sergeant said a failing system was a "major contributor to social exclusion in this country".

But don't worry - something is being done.

The Department for Education said it had plans to help children in care. A department spokeswoman said: "We are already working on a major consultation document"







11 comments:

Anonymous said...

"if they want to avoid future generations of scary youth, they should urge higher taxes to pay the state to become the best possible nanny to all babies."

Perfect timing Polly.

Just as Sweden decide that: "Actually, we can't sustain that kind of high-tax, cradle-to-grave spending anymore, so here you go, Socialist government, here's yer hat, don't let the door hit you on the way out...."

Mr Eugenides said...

"Best possible nanny"?

I think not.

Anonymous said...

Maybe if the state had been their nanny, the Blair children might not be so troubled.

dearieme said...

verity, I think that Tonito is a loathsome wee twat and Greedie Boot is contemptible. I also think it would be better to lay off their children until they are, say, 21 or so. Just a suggestion. Room for other views and all that.

Anonymous said...

Can we assume Polly Toynbee is childless ?

Laban said...

Poll's got a couple of grown up kids.

Sent them to private school.

Anonymous said...

Dearieme - Oh, I don't think so. The Blair children reflect their parents' lack of legitimacy in dictating child-rearing to other families.

I have no interest in protecting the Blairs' children. Their parents can do that. Or Patricia Hewitt or Tessa Jowell or Jack Straw (funny we haven't heard from ol' Jack lately, what?) or any other zaNu-Lab apparachik who think they are empowered to dictate how other people's children be raised. It's important to recognise that they are failures at bringing up their own children.

Jack Straw's son was arrested for drug dealing, wasn't he?

dearieme said...

"The Blair children reflect their parents' lack of legitimacy in dictating child-rearing to other families". Indeed they do, Verity, but none of it is their fault: life probably has plenty of nasty features for them resulting both from being the children of public figues and also from being the children of that particular pair of rotters. I think the decent thing is to leave the children alone until they are old enough to be answerable for their actions. Mock Euan if you like for using privilege to get into Yale, but leave the lassie alone - she's young yet.

Anonymous said...

Dearieme - Why would I knock Euan for using privilege to get into Yale? Doesn't everyone?

But he's around 21 or 22 now, surely? Hardly a child. And a nasty little piece of work by the looks of it - using his father's position to slag off doing scut work as an intern. He seems to have had a rather elevated idea of his value to the US Senate - and the notion that he shouldn't have to do photocopying like the other interns. And still quite a tippler, we read. He should go and work for Teddy Kennedy.

The girl looks to be around 18 or 19. That's old enough to get married without parental consent.

Both these kids were disturbed.

Anonymous said...

"if they want to avoid future generations of scary youth, they should urge higher taxes to pay the state to become the best possible nanny to all babies"

It’s funny, but beyond a certain point graunoids can suddenly morph into Spartans. Take this guy, currently frothing at Ceefax page 145(7):

"The Rotherham mothers supplying junk food serves [sic] to undermine the sentimental fiction that 'parents know best'.

If children refuse proper food, let them go hungry [leave them on the mountainside?] until they eat what they are given. Obesity aside, there is a culture of constant parental pandering to children which is breeding a selfish, dysfunctional generation for the future."


The nationalisation of children is a little nearer...

Anonymous said...

Actually, Philj, he's right about "there is a culture of constant parental pandering to children which is breeding a selfish, dysfunctional generation for the future."

Of course, who introduced this culture, if not the Guardian & their left-wing ilk.....?