There are increasing hints that there is a new consensus emerging about the ‘broken society.’ Take Diane Abbot’s response to the question about what causes knife crime:
There is nothing in that answer that Iain Duncan Smith or David Cameron would disagree with. To be sure, Abbot and the Tories would probably disagree about how to address the problem, but the fact that they agree on its causes is a significant step forward.“Knife crime, gun crime and the gang culture all have the same roots: educational underachievement; family breakdown and the collapse of manufacturing, which used to employ so many blue-collar males.”
Also in The Independent today is a detailed look by Andrew Grice at Tory policy on the broken society. Abbot’s answer suggests that Oliver Letwin might really be onto something when he says that he hopes Tory policy on the broken society will “stand the test of time – not just in a Conservative government but, like the free market revolution in the 1980s, become a lasting new consensus.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in