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Proposal #8: A youth club in every ward

September 18, 2009 9:45 am

Author:

Mark Hanson

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The most frustrating thing about politics is the way every issue is framed as an immediate crisis demanding an immediate (and simplified) solution so it can be reported in a 500 word news article or a 3 minute news bulletin. It needs a villain, and some kind of anxiety-trigger involving young people is perfect for this.

Kids are a separate breed, not immediately like us newspaper readers, with our cars and mortgages. They wear different clothes, have different hairstyles and often don’t talk like us. They’re not someone’s son and daughter, they’re a threat, and youth crime requires tougher sentences. The courts and the police are there to protect us and deal with the threat. That’s where the story is supposed to end.

The problem is that the threat in terms of number of petty crimes and the seriousness of the serious crimes seems to be getting greater. Most people would understand this if it was explained properly and in a wider frame than offered in news bulletins.

Let’s pull back and see the whole picture. A commitment to engaging with young people and giving them a stimulating and safe space to interact, learn, play and socialise would enrich the young and replace the social glue that seems to be wearing away in places.

A commitment to a youth club in every area is very big picture, very progressive and very Labour.

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