This is the second in a tirade of rants I'm in the process of sending to Mr Cameron. The first is all about errant fathers - How can he expect fathers to 'take responsibility' for their kids when the law won't support them and always presumes the kids should be with the mother..?

Unless people are legally responsible for their own actions, and are legally responsible for the children, they won't be responsible.

No Legal Responsibility - Second Letter To David Cameron

Dear Mr Beal,
  thank you for your reply. I am anxious to know that Mr Cameron himself has read my letter - after all - it was his speeches which prompted it... Since I sent this letter, the number of David Cameron's speeches on 'errant fathers' must now be in double figures... *Not once*, however, have I heard any mention from him about redressing the inequalities and failures of the system that politicians have made.

If David wants to appeal to the electorate then, instead of attacking them, he should attack the *source* of the problem - which is the frighteningly incompetant government we have suffered for decades.

If the politicians in this country were any good at their job, then most of the problems faced by society would simply not exist. Their incompetance is evidenced by the failure of 95% of policy to acheive it's goals. If I was as poor at my job - of building websites - as government has been at whatever they turn their hands to, then the websites I make would be horrendously expensive - and would fail to work. I would be out of business.

If politicans were acountable for their deeds - like anyone in the public sector is - then they would all have been sacked along time ago for failing to deliver what they promised...

The point I am making is this:

The worst problems in society have, at their root, the failure of government - not the electorate!

Government has caused these problems, hence only government can solve them.

This is especially true these days - as government is so deeply meddlesome. It has taken away most of the responsibilities we once held for ourselves, and then wonders why people are irresponsible...

Give us back our responsibilities, and then, perhaps, we will have a chance to learn how to manage them:

1. Give both parents equal legal responsibility for their children. (I know this happened in theory a few years ago, but it does not seem to be applied by the family courts)
2. Find a way to open up the family courts system to independant scrutiny.
3. Remove the legislation which presupposes that the mother has default responsibility for children.
4. Stop divorce-style payouts for cohabiting couples.

Compensation Culture = No Responsibility

One of the main causes of the loss of responsibility in people is the 'compensation culture' we have imported from the USA. Councils pay millions each year for compensation claims triggered by people tripping over slightly-raised paving slabs. Businesses pay thousands when people fall off ladders etc...

The claimant in these cases usually seems to have no legal responsibility to take any care for themselves, to look where they are going - for example...

Once again, we have a case where the law says 'you are not responsible'. This law - like ALL laws - was not enacted by the electorate - it was enacted by politicians...

Unless the law is changed to introduce an element of personal responsibility in all cases - then people will not be responsible, and will behave accordingly. People must be legally required to exercise common sense!

Only politicans can change the law - so when they complain about societal problems caused by the laws they themselves enacted - it is inevitable that they will lose respect in the eyes of the electorate.

For you to blame the breakdown of the family on 'errant fathers' would be like me blaming my customers for bugs in my software. It's insulting and wrong.

Welfare = No Responsibility

The welfare system is yet another government-created system which takes responsibility away from people. Perhaps this one's the worst culprit... With the best of intentions, our welfare system has:

• Engendered laziness, and the belief that the 'world owes you a living'.
• Helped give us the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in Europe
• Filled up all the cheap housing - and to a large degree - has *caused* the housing shortage
  (house price inflation is fuelled - to a *large* extent - by tax payers money being spent on housing benefit)
• It has cost the country a fortune that would be better spent elsewhere
• Utterly FAILED to provide help to the people right at the bottom. Go to any town and ask the homeless people where they could stay tonight - and you will see.

No one seems able to suggest a sensible reform of the system - I believe because they are thinking 'where can we go from here' instead of 'what is this system for, and how best can we achieve that'... Please see below for my ideas on welfare reform.

In Summary

If government wants people to be more responsible, it must get out of the habit of taking peoples responsibilities away!

Mr Cameron, I would dearly love to vote for you come the next election. I can't imagine you'd be worse than Labour... However, simply being 'not as bad' isn't really good enough - is it.

This country does not need any more legislation. What it needs is much, much less - of a far higher quality. The biggest problems in the UK have ALL been caused by atrocious legislation. It seems to me that you should be focussing on undoing the damage wrought by politicians, rather than blaming the damaged.

See the Welfare / Reform & Social Security page for my redesign of the welfare system.

Reply From Cammo (or Mr Beal again probably)

...awaiting response.

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