Dangers of US culture
Of the international surveys recently published, the one that caught my eye was not that which showed Britain at the bottom of the European list regarding children and education, but the survey of social trends in the wider context that put Britain at the bottom of all developed nations.
What made this survey more noteworthy was the country that was next from bottom. It was the USA.
This statistic is not really surprising, as ever since Maggie and Reagan shared their brain cell and followed the path of Friedman into monetarism, Britain has consistently adopted American socio-economic policies that work worse over here than they do in America.
I accept many things needed to change, but it was the "Looking after Number One" and "Get on your bike" philosophy that destroyed communities and led us to where we are now.
Remember her comment: "There is no such thing as society, only individuals". That is precisely what is wrong with Britain today. The biggest disappointment of all is that Tony Blair let it continue.
When we look at the problems that make the news - crime, traffic, pollution, child poverty, single parent families, poor education, poor health care, pensions and loss of dignity in old age - all these come down to one common denominator, no sense of community.
Instead of closing small schools, hospitals, post offices, local shops and even public houses for the large, glitzy, centralised versions, we should be encouraging them to grow.
Local services and amenities mean more local jobs, more civic pride, greater responsibility, fitter and healthier individuals and social cohesion. These create less traffic, less pollution, less crime, less stress and less dependency on the state.
When are we going to learn to think for ourselves and build a society from the grass roots upwards instead of being ruled by the power of multinationals?Ê
It is the British people that once made us great, and we can do it again without being hooked on American culture.
M Cliff, Holcroft Road, Wall Heath.
