Truth about single parents

Having seen so many tweets showing indignation from those that come from single parent families or who are themselves a single parent, I feel the need to explain what Cameron meant about this sensitive subject.

I was a single parent for 11 years and took no offence at all because the cap didn't fit. The real lesson that our PM wants society to learn, is about the devastating effect on our society in the decline of family values under the last government.

There are many reasons why we can find ourselves in single parenthood and many scenarios on how we handle it as individuals. I will try and highlight the main ones.

First there is the breakdown of a previously loving marriage where perhaps it is even kinder to the children if the parents split. This leads to two further scenarios where the parents can either do this in a loving way, where the children come first, or in a destructive way. The effect on children can be negative and even scarring, If handled badly. Those of us fortunate to have partners that continue to show love and attention to their children can escape pretty much unscathed, but all too often this is not the case.

Then there is the scenario where a woman has a baby without that commitment, believing that her man will be around only to watch while he turns on his heels, never to be seen again. A child can be brought up feeling angry and unwanted by a very important figure - that of a father.

Then there are the groups of women who will have one baby after another either by different fathers or by the same one without caring if the father is around or not, believing that they alone are all the child will need. Some even do this just to get a council house and benefits, because they do not have the self esteem to think they can make it in the world.

There are also women who use every tool available to them, to keep their children away from the father in some misguided notion that it is best for them. And belkve me this is not an uncommon occurrence. I could write a blog just about this. So how do we think a child will feel being told that one parent didn't want them?

All of these scenarios can bring suffering and anger to the child depending on how that child views the world and how the parents behave after they have split up.

Instead of taking offence, children of single parents could help to shape future policy with their insights. Those who have experienced single parenthood have real knowledge to share.

But all this requires the truth about single parenting. Lets have this conversation, instead of all the wise cracks.

then perhaps one part of the complicated puzzle can be solved.

Government response to Barnado's campaign against child sexual exploitation

From Barnado's

 "As you may be aware, Barnardo’s has launched the Cut them
Free campaign to end the horror of child sexual exploitation in the UK.
 
 Child sexual exploitation is an appalling and often hidden crime where perpetrators manipulate children and young people into performing sexual acts.
 
 In response to the launch of our campaign and the significant public support that we received earlier this year, the Government announced that Tim Loughton, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department of Education, will hold national responsibility for protecting children from sexual exploitation.
 
 The Minister has since committed to producing a cross-departmental national action plan by Autumn 2011, which will build on the existing guidance on safeguarding children and young people from sexual exploitation."
 

Conservatives in Ipswich are happy to support the following statement:
 
 
 ‘I support Barnardo’s campaign to cut children free from sexual exploitation and will work to ensure that my local authority takes the necessary steps to tackle the risk of this abuse.’
 

The Aftermath

And now to the aftermath of one of the worse weeks I can remember for our country.

Once again the country is split, this time over punishment and court action for the criminals who ran amoc in our streets.

I think we can debate this all day long when actually only the courts know and understand who is in front of them, what they have done and whether they deserve a second chance. I respect everyone's opinion but I know the majority back my view that this needed swift and tough sentencing. And impressive it has been.

justice must do 3 things:

Act as a deterrent
Punish the individuals
Rehabilitation

And proportionality is subjective depending on whether you are the victim, the perpetrator or supporters of either. The court has to be unemotional for proportionality to exist.

I have been totally comfortable with all the sentencing except perhaps the 4 years given to the 2 men who tried to incite the violence. However they may very well have succeeded had the police not taken down their Facebook pages. it is for the courts to decide with the evidence they have.

What I am really disgusted with is the comparison of the rioters to hackers and bankers. Violent gratuitous animal behaviour resulting in murders, bodily harm and loss of businesses of innocent people should be looked at as a stand alone debate otherwise we could forever misdirect by using previous examples. It is comparing apple with pears.

I am also dismayed that the views of the right are practically vilified by the left in a nasty spiteful way that shows they are not prepared to listen to what the majority of the people want. We all have a voice and while we need to find out all the reasons behind the riots, it is absolutely obvious that it was not down to cuts. Again the majority of the public do not believe it is as simplistic as this and yet predominant labour MPs are politicising the events for their own agenda. Shameful, unhelpful and transparent.

What we need now is appreciation of the good that will come out of this, a celebration of the majority of good people that live here, helping each other through the bad times, and to work towards what we ALL want-safe streets, jobs, living within our means, stable economy and empowered people who take responsibility for their actions.

And to the hero Tariq Jahan who showed us all wonderful words of wisdom, dignity and forgiveness in his great loss. May those who lost thir lives never be forgotten.

Stop the excuses and get behind the Police & The law abiding Londoners

I sit this morning unable to work properly because of the terrible pictures I have seen in Hackney, my home town.

The gratuitous violence and disorder has absolutely nothing to do with the cuts and everything to do with 13 years of liberalism, and thinking it's fine for families to not have fathers, live on benefits and generally made to feel they are useless by a nanny state. It has been a disempowering period in the history of the uk.

I was born in Hackney and I would love this lot to have experienced what having nothing to do really meant. In the 60's there was real poverty. My parents made huge sacrifices to get us out of the east of London because it was bleak. But we never saw anything like this because there was respect for the police and each other. I saw the beginnings of a multi cultural community and it never even occurred to us, to not have respect for each others lives, properties and faith. I cannot and will not excuse the behaviour of selfish criminals. Winners in life do not blame everyone and everything around them. They make the changes necessary. If we are to have a discussion about this, the morons on the left who are excusing this behaviour need to have a good look at themselves for they are subconsciously giving the green light for another night of shame.

My distress at seeing the good citizens of my home town terrorised by this bunch of violent criminals will not abate until they are locked up. I am open minded about how they deal with the riots as I see all views but I will truly be disgusted if the leaders are not put away for several years to reflect on their lives. And when they come out their benefits should include a deduction for pay back of damage.

Riots. Tough punishment a must

I have only one thing to say

Put all these rioters, who prove to have caused any damage at all, away for a very long time.

And those who think 16 months is too long for 'protesting' in this way, will find it very hard to justify their argument. It is not enough on this occasion where it will be a miracle if no one has been killed in one of the fires

The anarchists have had their day and it's time to show them that the ordinary hard working person wants to live in peace without threat of harm by these bunch of losers, thieves and thugs.

And please, I do not want to listen to arguments like that of Peston and the Guardianistas. They should hang their heads in shame to suggest that this is down to a few youth clubs closing down. That discussion needs to take place outside of the context of bitter, selfish, mindless idiots.

Nor is it right to focus on the police, who I think have the patience of angels, and are brave in their duties. Let's focus on the culprits and their victims.

Time for all of us to speak out and be counted, treat the causes of violence but in the meantime punish severely those that have no place in our society. Our future generations are relying on us to leave a great legacy. This will not happen if we continue to let the liberal do gooders excuse this inexcusable behaviour.

Well done to the MPs who have spoken out already in strong terms.