Blair's anti-social behaviour "solution"

British Prime Minister Tony Blair last week launched the 
Government's new five-year plan to deal with crime and anti-
social behaviour, declaring an end to the "1960s liberal 
consensus on crime".

The plan will involve increased use of Anti-Social Behaviour 
Orders (ASBOs), more tagging of repeat offenders, more community 
support officers on the streets and more powers for the police to 
impose on-the-spot fines for drunk and disorderly behaviour.

He also included the speedier deportation of asylum seekers who 
fail to win their applications to settle in Britain.

ASBOs have been tested in 12 designated areas with mixed results. 
They enable courts to ban offenders — mainly youngsters — from 
certain areas, impose curfews and so on.

Blair's attack on the liberalism of the 1960s is outrageous, 
cheap and dishonest opportunism. 

It is not liberal attitudes that have led to a growth in youth 
crime.

The public spending cuts of the Thatcher years are far more to 
blame, along with the praise of greed and contempt for community 
values.

In London, where the Inner London Education Authority used to 
provide a lot more than just schooling: subsidised holidays, 
supervised play schemes, adventure playgrounds and so on — that 
is all now just a fond memory.

Working class parents are now forced to work longer and longer 
hours to cover rising housing costs, debts and so on — leaving 
their children less supervised.

When society as a whole gives the needs of youngsters very little 
time and attention bad behaviour becomes inevitable. The 
youngsters become bored and some are tempted by drug pushers.

In some areas up to 90 per cent of criminal cases being processed 
by magistrates' courts are drug related. Yet there is so little 
help available for youngsters who want to give up drugs.

Most schemes have waiting lists months long.

There are no quick fixes. Blair once promised to be tough of 
crime and on the causes of crime. Someone should remind him that 
keeping the first part of that pledge is useless without even 
addressing the second part.

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New Worker (abridged)