Quote Originally Posted by Wheeze View Post
In many ways we need to overhaul our way of thinking and our way of interfacing with just about everything.
To my view, the erosion of respect underlies many of our problems. The rich don't respect the needs of the poor. The poor don't respect each other or what the state tries to do for them. Kids don't respect their elders and the elders don't respect the kids. And the f**king media just stokes the fires. Generalisations for sure, but if we all took a pledge to match every 'right' with a responsibilty, then we might just see some progress.

What to do? Well, I'm all for a stronger 'Citizens Charter', something that underscores the common bonds that makes us a nation. And stuff all the money wasted on crack-pot political correctness! Surely we can do better than that?!
A lot of truth in this I feel. I wasn't really politically aware at the time (too young I'm glad to say ), but it seems to me that a lot of the problems that you mention have their root in Maggie T's doctrine of 'no such thing as society, the only property that matters is private property, get your snout in the trough and bugger everyone else'.

As to the media, I think you're bang on there too. It's an unfortunate fact that reporting on a slight decline in violent crime (say), or writing a piece on how migration can benefit the economy of a country with a falling birthrate, will never sell as many papers as the 'Asylum seeker commits gory crime - how will it affect house prices?' type crap that passes for journalism in many of the national rags.