Moral collapse

[Sausage Dog]

According to Cameron there's been a morale collapse in society. i think he's got a point - you see evidence every day, not just manifesting itself in riots, but also through much small acts of inviduals from all sectors of society.

 

Here's my own list of things that have contributed this to a larger or small extent (in no particular order and not exhaustive):

 

- the rise of consumerism, with the need to aquire that latest must have product

- the lack of social housing, caused by Right to Buy policies, leading the further ghetoisation of lower income families

- the availability of easy credit, which Thatcher brought about ,leading to debt and the misery it causes

- the rising presence of alcohol in society

- the obsession with private propery, shown most typically with the obsession with house prices

- the deindustrialisation of the 1980s, which virtually ended apprenticeships in heavy industry and reduced opportunities for young men who didn't have an academic outlook (you were too knackered to riot when you'd done an 8 hour shift at the pit!)

- the obsession with celebrity - "oh, i must have what they have/look like them"

- the rise of the compensation culture, which was given life by Thatcher's reforms of the legal profession. This has given rise to the I want what's mine attitude

- the fall is standards in public life, typified by MPs and journalists

 

The problem that I have with Cameron is that he seems to be trying to move the agenda onto gangs and criminality,but this goes much deeper. He needs to take a long hard look at what governments have done since the 1980s, and in particular what his beloved Thatcher unleashed, and try and unpick some of that damage. For me, the sad thing is that Labour had 13 years to make a difference, but just continued with the individualistic, consumeristic agenda that the Tories had begun. We reap what we sow.

[LeMaquis]

According to Cameron there's been a morale collapse in society.

 

I thnk what he actually said was that there's been a moral collapse. Whether he blamed educational standards, I don't know.

[Jason Bourne]

- the availability of easy credit, which Thatcher brought about ,leading to debt and the misery it causes

 

- the rise of the compensation culture, which was given life by Thatcher's reforms of the legal profession. This has given rise to the I want what's mine attitude

 

Interesting post, but were these two really Thatcher's fault?

 

I thought they were started off by Bliar and his army of advisers (all of whom were lawyers).

[Jeffrey Shaw]

It started much earlier, in the so-called 'progressive' Sixties.

[Anna B]

I'd also add:

 

-The rising gap between rich and poor

-Lack of social mobility,

-Globalisation - multinational companies seeking more and more profits via tax havens, cheap foreign labour etc without counting the human cost.

 

I could go on, but will leave it at that for now.

[Mister M]

There has been a moral collapse David Cameron is right, and I also think the OP is correct in pointing out many of the consequences of the neoliberal policies of the 1980s.

 

If David Cameron wants to be truly radical as he claims he does, then he could look into the moral collapse of parts of the establishment (economic, political and cultural) that sits on top of this decline. After all a fish rots from the head downwards.

 

Unfortunately, like the ill fated 'back to basics' campaign of the mid 1990s, the politicians will berate bad behaviour from the lower orders, yet think nothing of the behaviour of their own peers which contribute to the decline.

[Sausage Dog]

I thnk what he actually said was that there's been a moral collapse. Whether he blamed educational standards, I don't know.

 

So I can't spell. Do you have any other comments to make?

[Sausage Dog]

Interesting post, but were these two really Thatcher's fault?

 

I thought they were started off by Bliar and his army of advisers (all of whom were lawyers).

 

They were Thatcher 'reforms'. All part of the wider privatisation and liberalisation agenda.

[harvey19]

It is worth listening to or reading the complete speech as he covered all areas relating to the moral decline of society.

[ECCOnoob]

 

- the rise of consumerism, with the need to aquire that latest must have product

- the lack of social housing, caused by Right to Buy policies, leading the further ghetoisation of lower income families

- the availability of easy credit, which Thatcher brought about ,leading to debt and the misery it causes

- the rising presence of alcohol in society

- the obsession with private propery, shown most typically with the obsession with house prices

- the deindustrialisation of the 1980s, which virtually ended apprenticeships in heavy industry and reduced opportunities for young men who didn't have an academic outlook (you were too knackered to riot when you'd done an 8 hour shift at the pit!)

- the obsession with celebrity - "oh, i must have what they have/look like them"

- the rise of the compensation culture, which was given life by Thatcher's reforms of the legal profession. This has given rise to the I want what's mine attitude

- the fall is standards in public life, typified by MPs and journalists

 

 

Most of the things in bold have nothing to do with the government. PEOPLE chose to live their lives how they want.

 

The rise in consumerism is our choice. WE demand cheap cheap goods that simply cant be made within UK PLC for the same price. That's why foreign markets won. Do you really think UK made clothing could really be sold for £2 for a t-shirt or £30 for a suit al' a Primark? How about a UK made car for the price of a Kia? Do you have a uk made tv in your house?

 

How about the right to buy. I bet all those people (including my own family) who got a chance to get ownership of their own house arn't complaining. Nor will their next of kin who get an nice inheritance to possibly allow them a chance to get their own house.

 

Nor the people who are chosing getting into debt when they are spend spend spend in the shops.....dont tell me its all on essentials.

 

Compensation claims are on the rise because people became more focused on money grabbing than actually using the laws for justice. The laws have always been there. So why no mass demand on compensation claims in the 60s / 70s. Maybe there weren't as many accidents or maybe people just accepted that when things went wrong - that's life. Now people expect the blame to be passed onto someone else and demand they pay.

 

As for apprenticeships etc. Most people became too snobby to be seen doing industrial/manual jobs. They were far too focused getting into university doing mickey mouse degrees in marketing and david beckham studies. Why? becuase people thought they would use it as a way of walking into a £30k job without any skills or effort.

 

So..... what part is the government's fault again?