Today’s Independent published its ‘you ask the questions’ – and it was me answering. Sorry for posting so late – but just buzzing. You can read my answers here.
Lynne Featherstone
Today’s Independent published its ‘you ask the questions’ – and it was me answering. Sorry for posting so late – but just buzzing. You can read my answers here.
Lynne Featherstone 
“Given your brief is youth and equality and you live in London, will you be frank in admitting street crime in London disproportionately involves black boys? Toby Moreton, London
There are too many people of all backgrounds involved in crime – particularly violent crime. However, street crime is disproportionately caused by poor people. If you want to understand the causes of such crime – and how to cut it – look to bank balances, not just skin colour. There are evil people from across all parts of society, but it is in the worst estates and the most dysfunctional communities that people are most likely to fall prey to the lure of criminality. ”
Actually Lynne, one of the main factors responsible for gang culture and the associated violence is fatherlessness. Most poor people manage to behave themselves perfectly well and certainly don’t go round stabbing people.
Speak to anyone working with gangs and you’ll find very few people in such groups get to see both their parents.
Thus the reason black youths commit so much gang violence is because fatherlessness is an even greater problem in the black community than in wider society. Bank balances don’t help, but that really isn’t the key issue by a long way.
Worst answer of the interview that one – very disappointing given that such a topic is part of your remit.
Yes – absent fathers are an issue – but ‘on the worst estates and the most dysfunctional communities’ covers that issue.
Fatherlessness is on the rise and is becoming more common even in less deprived communities. THe issue of family breakdown helps to explain the rise in violent crime across society as a whole. Again you focus far too much on money.
It’s the same with equality laws – you’re mostly only ever interested in how much people get paid, rather than seeing wider (and more important) equality issues.
Yes – but the question is about street crime – not violent crime. And equal pay is extremely important as women have been at a financial disadvantage forever – and for women often puts them in a position where they have no choice but to stay with violent partners.
Given there were 1400 words across all the questions asked by The Independent – get over it.
A great deal of street crime is violent and increasinly so under this government, so no I won’t get over it. Even if violence isn’t explicitly used it’s almost a certainty that your average mugger is carrying a weapon to use should you refuse to hand over.
On top of that street crime includes countless offences which have absolutely nothing to do with seeking financial gain and thus are a result of a lack of parenting (and of course it isnt’ just fatherlessness, kids suffer if they lose contact with their mothers too and especially if they lose both parents.
I totally understand that your word count was limited but that only emphasises the point. The economics is clearly the secondary issue here therefore one should just focus on the key factor – that of family breakdown.
I’m sorry if I’ve offended you over the obsession with money thing – I should clarify I wasn’t really looking to single you out of that. It’s very much a problem with so many of our politicians of all parties, (as is the exaggeration of the number of female vicitms of domestic violence for that matter, something I’ve even seen the Lib Dems getting up to recently)