I'm sure many members will be interested in the Conservatives' new
report, Breakdown Britain: Interim report on the state of the nation.
It is available for download in pdf form at:
http://povertydebate.typepad.com/home/files/csj_final_2.pdf
The BBC's report on the publication:
Families 'key to poverty fight'
Tory leader David Cameron has said his party must do more to keep
families together, as a report suggests parental splits are creating an
underclass.
Couples should be "encouraged to get together and stay together" -
possibly with the help of changes to taxation to support marriage, Mr
Cameron said.
Iain Duncan Smith's report for the Tories on poverty, found family
splits caused social problems costing £20bn.
An underclass was being "left behind" by the rest of society, he
warned.
Launching the Breakdown Britain report in central London today, Mr
Duncan Smith said some of the issues raised might cause party
colleagues to "swallow hard".
Mr Cameron said the report "demonstrates clearly the links that exist
between social breakdown, family breakdown, educational failure,
indebtedness and drug and alcohol abuse".
He added: "Families matter because almost every social problem that we
face comes down to family stability.
"If marriage rates went up, if divorce rates came down, if more couples
stayed together for longer, would our society be better off? My answer
is yes."
Paul Ashton
[log in to unmask]
2006-12-12
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