Big Sticks and Small Carrots

The other day, while considering the alternative, I was again wondering whether I could bring myself to back Labour at the next general election.

Yesterday, I noticed that the government had introduced some new guidelines on language to be used when talking about terrorism. This less aggressive approach is eminently sensible from a counter-terrorism point of view, a victory of evidence based decision making over emotional “gut feeling” policies.

Those who support the counter-productive language of the “war” on terror will undoubtedly misrepresent or misunderstand this change and seek to make political capital by claiming that the government has “gone soft” on terrorists. Again, it’s a “gut feeling” argument but it is one we know to be very effective. As such, it is actually a brave move to make this change and not something which would have happened in Blair’s day.

The tiniest glimmer of hope began to consider whether it might one day be able to exist in this world.

And then along came Caroline Flint. The tiniest glimmer of hope began to consider whether it ought just to embrace pessimism and be done with it.

Flint’s proposal, as announced, is Margaret Thatcher on steroids. What will happen to those who’ve been evicted from their council houses? Will their new homeless status make them more employable? Will they still get NHS treatment when they catch pneumonia or will that also be conditional on a “commitment contract”?

Of course, the announced proposal is highly unlikely to ever see the light of day. Conservative MP Grant Shapps (if it really is Grant Shapps, I hope the Guardian checked) rightly notes that it is almost certainly unworkable in practice.

But that doesn’t matter to Flint. She’s more than happy to pander to prejudices and perpetuate the bizarre notion that living on a sink estate is like an endless all expenses paid trip to Disneyland. It is highly unlikely that anyone who believes that has even visited such an estate, never mind lived in one, but what are facts when the media has an angle to peddle? Flint certainly isn’t going to stand up for the facts when there are easier way to electioneer. She seems more interested in giving Paul Dacre oral plea.. (that’s enough - ed.)

There is a serious question here as to what society should or can do about those who are able but unwilling to work, no question about it, but this is no way to conduct that debate.