Another blow against the something for nothing culture

24 Comments James Forsyth 16 April 2012 13:28

In the aftermath of the riots, the idea of withholding child benefit
from mothers whose kids played truant was floated by
Number 10. The aim was to link child benefit payments to getting your child to attend schools. This was meant to be part of a broader effort to end the something for nothing culture.

Now, 8 months on from the riots — and after months of coalition wrangling — we have some flesh on the bones of this idea. Charlie Taylor, the government’s impressive adviser on
behaviour, has proposed (£) that fines for children being persistently truant should be deducted from child
benefit payments.

At the moment, head teachers can already fine parents for their children being truant. But with an unwieldy enforcement mechanism, a large proportion of these parents simply don’t pay up. The
Taylor proposals will make it far easier for schools to actually enforce these fines and help cut down levels of truanting.

Tags: Benefits, Child benefit, Coalition, Downing Street, Education, Riots, School, UK politics, Welfare

Just in case you missed them…

The Spectator

16 April 2012 12:10

Mayor for Muslims or the rich?

Sebastian Payne

16 April 2012 14:55

Nicholas

“(One of those scooters can cost at least £250)”

Probably stolen.
Nicholas

Jan Cosgrove – it’s not the amount of bleating being done it’s the reality of the issues behind it. You are hardly non-partisan on this subject. By making your cause party political you are doing it no favours. Do you really believe those on the right have less concern for the safety and well-being of children?

If you do you are simply mad as well as a strident zealot.
Sir Everard Digby

Jan Cosgrove,

‘Anecdotal research’ usually =cherry picking the findings to support a preconceived view.

Perhaps we should disgard this talk of left and right as it corrupts the opportunity to deal with the real issue. That works well for the political classes as they never really want to do anything practical.They only wish to appeal to their acolytes.The trouble is that something for nothing is a vote winner.

The real question is how has this something for nothing culture been created and perpetuated? Every politician talks about this subject as though it has just emerged.Yet they spend vast amounts of time creating further examples and encouraging such behaviour. It has been going on for decades. Even Thatcher did it. Of course,the political clases see little wrong in this because they are prime examples of it themselves.

Membership of Parliament does indeed pay rich benefits to the unemployable.

What has rotted the national psyche to the point where many think they have rights which override anyone else’s?

Where has personal responsibility gone?Gordon Brown is not the only one with a dodgy moral compass.

And how do politicians deal with this problem? they legislate and fine. How will that solve anything?
Jan Cosgrove

Publius. Yes you seem to confirm my anecdotal research, the right bleat less about harm done to children.
Jan Cosgrove

That picture? Can the Spectator confirm they were truanting? Their ages? Were they paid for posing? Or did they simply agree to pose anyway? Did the Spectator get this picture for nothing? Do tell. (One of those scooters can cost at least £250)
Daedalus

It would also help with vaccinations for kids. No vaccination then no child support.

Daedalus
alexsandr

Rhoda Klapp@April 16th, 2012 3:29pm

well yes.
when will they learn the best response to most things is to say or do nothing. I thought thats wat conservative meant.

oh never mind, ill just go for a little cry….
Peter From Maidstone

Radford, you speak a load of rubbish. Most of the new Free Schools are being created in poor areas to help poor children.
Bellevue

It just wont happen. This government is all talk and no trousers – just like the last one.
philodoc

“Charlie Taylor, the government’s impressive advisor on behaviour”? By what measure is he “impressive” – just because he is a government advisor? I heard him on R4. today and he sounded far from impressive. In fact he sounded just like your average “expert on the make”.

His recommendations are a sticking plaster approach and will solve nothing. When will the government, teachers, and parents realise (a) that kids are mainly influenced by their peer groups and not parents, the law, etc.; (b)that we live in a society which bears little comparison with Switzerland or the scandinavian countries (or even Germany). Rather we have sunk to the level of the worst american cities and sadly all too often seek our solutions from that supposedly law abiding culture.

The British establishment do not care about inner city dysfunctionality beyond paying lip service to doing something about it, but just wait until that dysfunctionality extends to their gated communities and maybe then we will see a change. Do not hold your breath however.
Wily Trout

In February they were banging the drum about banning parents from taking kids out of school for holidays in term-time – I gather they’ve quietly u-turned on that one.
Radford NG

It’s monstrous if pubiic servants can fine people.What about enquires into the way the heads are running these schools?It maybe a rational choice not to attend;and in some cases justifiable on grounds of safety from violence etc.Toffs,like Toby Young,can organize and get tax-payers money to opt out of the Council schools.The lower orders ,bereft of leadership and denied good education for two generations,can only vote with their feet,just as increasingly they do at elections,by non-attendance.
Rhoda Klapp

Perhaps it would help if Mr Forsyth were to ask them why they keep having these daft announcemtns. Can’t they see it from anybody else’s point of view? Can’t they see how it will look on the BBC or in the Gurardian? I mean, are they completely bloody stupid or is there some cunning master plan of which this is all a part?

When they lose the bloody lot, they will be blaming the wreckers and splitters. Who have had no policy influence at all.
Publius

Agree with ellis000 above.

I have pretty much given up taking notice of these almost daily announcements. The overall impression is of a government in a panic.

As for this particular initiative, the usual left lobby will bleat about children suffering and the whole thing with never be spoken of again.
Heartless (Romantic) Curmudgeon

Words – just words, – and while the H2B continues his Hero’s culture of vacuous speechifying – his minions can do none other.
Andrew Saint

Will never happen. The ‘political class’ (Cameron, Clegg, Miliband, etc) prefer to appease fecklesness and criminality rather than stand up to it. In this, of course, they are assisted by a huge army of middle-class careerists (e.g. sociologists social workers and criminal defence lawyers) who make a good living out of the “underclass”.
Nicholas

I’m probably not quite as taxed by the ‘something for nothing’ culture as I am by the ‘words not action’ culture, the ‘government by endless spin’ culture and the ‘say one thing do another’ culture.
justathought

Bloomberg news is featuring a piece “Gilts vote down Cameron in worst start since 1996 on budget”. I hope number 10 is not too detracted with truancy and focuses on the bigger issues.
Pettros

what happens if the parents dont get child benefit?
Keith

Ellis000: I completely agree. As soon as Ed Miliband says that this is an attack on the poor, it will be dumped. If indeed it even gets that far.
kinglear

And a jolly good thing too. In Switzerland, if you are caught out of school, the parents get arrested.
ellis000

I will believe it when I see it. This government is following Blair’s tradition of eye-catching announcements followed by a u-turn or complete inaction.
daniel maris

Meaningless.

Probably the EMA did more for attendance than any other measure, and they got rid of that.
ancien prof

The French don’t seem to have a problem with docking allocations familiales if children misbehave at school/play truant – or at least, they didn’t when I was dealing with the French education system.

Another blow against the something for nothing culture

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