And soon we will have Two Minutes Hate on SkyTV.
THOUSANDS of the worst families in England are to be put in “sin bins” in a bid to change their bad behaviour, Ed Balls announced yesterday.
The Children’s Secretary set out £400million plans to put 20,000 problem families under 24-hour CCTV super-vision in their own homes.
They will be monitored to ensure that children attend school, go to bed on time and eat proper meals.
Private security guards will also be sent round to carry out home checks, while parents will be given help to combat drug and alcohol addiction.
Around 2,000 families have gone through these Family Intervention Projects so far.
But ministers want to target 20,000 more in the next two years, with each costing between £5,000 and £20,000 – a potential total bill of £400million.
Ministers hope the move will reduce the number of youngsters who get drawn into crime because of their chaotic family lives…Mr Balls wants every local authority to fund them.
Doubleplus unawesome.
Mark Steyn that “social decay in Britain (which is at least partly due to the nanny state’s assumption of all adult responsibilities) is so advanced that almost everyone now thinks this perfectly normal.” He knows more about it than me but I still have to disagree with that. People are pretty pissed off, actually, and they don’t think it’s normal or good.
Not that they’re going to do anything about it, though. I’ve noticed there is a lot of ranting and complaining about politics over here, but things just continue to progress in the direction everyone is bitching about. Which may sound just like the U.S. but I really don’t think it is. They don’t have the same kind of voter power here as we hillbillies do. It’s built into the system.
——-
My sister and I are having fun, by the way. We’ve been up to London twice and also to Hampton Court Palace with Rupert over the weekend. That Henry VIII had some hell of an ego. I’ll post about it next week, along with all my other belated travelogues. I still need to cover Warsaw and Auschwitz from last month, and also after this weekend, Paris. That is, if I make it back alive, because after all the research we’ve done on Paris we’re pretty sure we’ll each have to sell a liver or a kidney just to afford food there.
Anyway. I need to go now because I’m pretty sure if I don’t properly water my plants, Big Brother will “disappear” me.
Yep, pretty sad. I tried to send that to you, but it got bounced. Said your mailbox was full.
Anyways, have fun in Paris.
August 4th, 2009 at 7:10 amESTMr. Balls … lol.
August 4th, 2009 at 7:30 amESTWhat the Hell is wrong with the Brits to allow such nonsense? Folks need to rip out those cameras and bash their ministers in Parliament over the head with those cameras!
chicopanther
August 4th, 2009 at 7:38 amESTOn the face of it, a “sin bin” doesn’t sound like such a bad place to be. That’s good marketing, right there.
August 4th, 2009 at 8:44 amESTDid you get to Hampton Court by taking the boat from central London? That’s a fun way to do it, and, if you didn’t, I think that Hampton Court is worth a second visit.
August 4th, 2009 at 9:18 amESTEd Balls. Balls! *Snort*
August 4th, 2009 at 9:34 amESTI’d say he is appropriately named.
But at least, they have a cunning plan to find the money.
**
“The Government’s drug rationing watchdog says “therapeutic” injections of steroids, such as cortisone, which are used to reduce inflammation, should no longer be offered to patients suffering from persistent lower back pain when the cause is not known.”
Cut from 60000 to 3000. Should be enough for some CCTV watchdog shifts. Though they may need a law to stop being taken to court for kiddie pr0n0 if any wanders through the kitchen after a bath…
As far as I know, migraines are of unknown cause… My mother started having them about puberty. She was told she would grow out of it (in her nineties they were still occuring), or that they were just in her mind (some bedside manner!), and was almost forty before she encountered a doctor who suffered them and did not patronize her. A niece starts getting symptoms about two hours before one really hits, and usually can keep it to the level of a “normal” headache with meds - but I guess she wouldn’t get meds, right?
Cancers? How many have known causes? Could save another bundle there, especially by stopping surgery as well as medicines.
Etc.
August 4th, 2009 at 9:58 amESTBe afraid, America, be very afraid. If the current Marxist-in-Chief has his way, we’ll be down that path soon. Read the comments in the article. One is from a US history teacher, & she has a very sobering thought. America is usually a decade behind Britain in what it does (outlawing slavery, etc.). So, we’re about a decade behind them in overwhelming Socialism unless we stop the current administration.
Those of you who debated with Rachel before the election, saying that you were going to vote for Obama to “teach the Republican Party a lesson?” Well take a long hard look. She & others (including me) said it was better to hold our noses & vote for McCain, because the election of Obama could be disastrous for the nation. Well, those of you who wanted to “teach a lesson”–you’ve helped hand us Sotomayor, a failed bailout, government takeover of the auto & banking industries, an extreme leftist Justice Dept. that lets hate groups (Black Panthers) off after denying citizens their right to vote, rapidly decaying relationships with our allies, emboldened thugs & dictators around the world, etc. And we’re not even a year in to this administration. You want to bet that by year 4 we’ll be seeing efforts to install this type of nonsense in the US? (Remember Dean’s nanny-state meddling with new parents while governor of Vermont.)
August 4th, 2009 at 10:17 amESTSelling liver/kidney in order to eat liver/kidney seems a tad too ironic to me. Or Gallic. Organic? A Gift of the Magi Travelogue, perhaps.
August 4th, 2009 at 10:40 amESTI really, really hope his brother’s name is Harold.
As for the sin bins, that’s teh crazee.
I was living in south London (Streatham) in 1977-78 when there was some civil unrest there, not to mention the ugly fire department strike, and the English can be pretty vicious when provoked. I wonder what it will take to make them finally boil over.
August 4th, 2009 at 10:53 amEST= win!
August 4th, 2009 at 12:39 pmESTTo be honest, I think there are probably more than a few welfare whores in the United States who could use some 24-hour monitoring to make sure they’re actually doing something.
That said, I don’t think we actually need anything like this. It’s telling how negligent the Brits have been at maintaining their own civilization that they feel they actually need a literal government nanny watching over them to make sure they don’t misbehave.
August 4th, 2009 at 12:40 pmESTMightysamurai,
Most of us don’t think we actually need something like this. Did you miss the part where it said it was one government minister who wants to do this?
August 4th, 2009 at 12:52 pmESTCan’t wait for all the travelogues! It’s been a “staycation” summer but I feel like I’ve been to a lot of places anyway. Plus I’m putting all the great spots on my “To Go” list someday. This is way better than a glossy magazine with sleek skinny models. Give me doggies and areas of concern!
August 4th, 2009 at 1:02 pmESTSimon Jester,
I’m seeing quite a few “ministerS” just in the quoted section Rachel gave. And you are of course right in most of the British don’t think they need it. That doesn’t mean your nanny state government won’t go and implement it.
There was a reason Rachel originally had this category as Britain Surrenders. I never saw it as the actual people doing it, but more of the institutions of the UK that have surrendered to this stuff and the people have almost become resigned to their fate but angry about it. That may not always be the case, but I’m not sure if as mentioned your government will really allow the required changes short of an uprising.
August 4th, 2009 at 1:10 pmESTBut hey, at least you got your pills (which you could easily afford on your own) for free, and yes, it’s all interrelated.
Just like the trains running on time, this is accepted because there’s some sort of little reward for everyone.
August 4th, 2009 at 1:18 pmESTMr. Balls is aptly named for he must have lots of them to propose anything as asinine as that.
August 4th, 2009 at 2:20 pmESTI was thinking Mr. Balls need to be kicked there. His name is very appropriate.
August 4th, 2009 at 2:28 pmESTAugust 4th, 2009 at 2:47 pmEST
Good news! The current healthcare reform bill has the formation of the “Home Visitation Program”, so yeah, we’ve got that going for us.
But back in the UK,
/apologies, I’m on a roll with the healthcare BS.
August 4th, 2009 at 3:03 pmESTSchrodinger, please tell me that’s a Photoshop hoax.
August 4th, 2009 at 3:09 pmESTAugust 4th, 2009 at 3:22 pmEST
The ObamaNation is a clear example of the difference. And, once the voters throw the ObamaNation under the voter bus, we’ll see that difference acted outm, yet again.
August 4th, 2009 at 3:36 pmESTJohn A beat me to the kiddie pr0n comment, as did scotaku to the liver/kidney one.
Simon: “Most of us don’t think we actually need something like this.” So you don’t even think you need it, and yet you elect and tolerate a government which proposes such 1984-ish measures?
Raychul, I hope that when visiting Paris you’ll engage in the most obnoxious behavior possible. And if called on it, truthfully inform people that you’re from the UK.
August 4th, 2009 at 4:07 pmESTYou’ll have a blast in Paris. Openmindness will help. I’m sure you will soon want to relocate here ! Bienvenue à Rachel et Nana, et bon séjour.
August 4th, 2009 at 4:22 pmESTSecond dom’s comment on visiting Paris. It’s beautiful and I found the people really great when I visited.
A low key, respectful approach seems to be well-regarded there. Dress a bit nicer than you might normally, speak a little French and you’ll be amazed how well you’re treated. I’m convinced that the the brusque treatment some people may have experienced in Paris is the result of their having treated the whole thing like a trip to Six Flags.
One way I found to eat well with limited funds was to have lunch at brasseries, but have my evening meal in my hotel room. I’d just buy a few things like fruit, cheese, bread and wine at a local grocery place close to my hotel and voila!
You’ll love it — don’t miss the city at night. The city has a designer on staff who’s just responsible for decorative lighting design on all the buildings and monuments.
August 4th, 2009 at 5:23 pmESTMy husband told me about this today. Orwellian, indeed!
August 4th, 2009 at 5:52 pmESTThat anyone would tolerate that is simply mind-blowing.
Had to google “Ed Balls” (you know I did) — seems . And this heavy-handed approach to the “worst families” is only his latest round of interventionist activity. He wants government monitoring of —
– because their parents certainly can’t be trusted. And we mustn’t risk letting any of the kiddies be raised in a non-conforming fashion.
Statists, ugh!
But this…
Splendid! (Oh, c’mon - I can’t be the only one who’s wondered how the balcony garden is doing… can I?)
Anyhow, keep having a wonderful visit with Banana!
August 4th, 2009 at 6:36 pmEST[edit:when Homeschool Girl was about 18 months old, she and I trekked all over Paris together. Shoestring budget, so we survived mostly on :).]
Unrelated topic….Every time I read this blog, I’m confronted with freaky advertisements for teeth whitening. I’ve started to notice people who have extremely white teeth, it just looks weird. Teeth naturally have an ivory tint, whitening beyond that, is as bizarre as a comb over on a middle-aged man. It’s . just . wrong.
August 4th, 2009 at 9:10 pmESTWell I sure don’t see you rushing to put a stop to it.
August 4th, 2009 at 10:33 pmESTI recall from Paris that Napolean also did not have what one would consider “modest digs”
August 5th, 2009 at 12:03 amESTwhat’s most interesting to me about this is this info has been out on the web for 2 or 3 days now, right? and to my knowledge, not one politician - not a single one - has seen this for the bully pulpit it is: a chance to show how he, let’s call him “capt. freedom”, and his party, the GOP (you can’t really expect a democrat to denounce this crap - hell, it’s what they secretly dream of) how they think this is crap ‘cuz they’re all about freedom, baby!! freedom’s how THEY roll, know what i’m sayin’?
i expect palin eventually might say something about it, but the rest? too busy complaining about those irksome, pushy bible-thumpin’ *rubes* who have the gall to bother them about new laws and such! “if we could just SPY on the insolent proles, THAT’d shut ‘em up!! by god, we’d have ‘em THEN!!”
my wife laughs at this, but i know i was born 200 years too late. on top of everything else, we have 2 political parties: one that’s profoundly *evil*, and the other profoundly *stupid*. hell, the last…what…the last 5 or so presidential elections can all be boiled down to a variation on the theme of “pol pot vs. howdy doody in a contest to be the most powerful man on earth.” and the hell of it is, it could even be slightly worse: see england.
August 5th, 2009 at 1:57 amESTWelcome to Airstrip One. On a slightly related note, it sounds like Ed Balls needs to bite a curb. Soon.
August 5th, 2009 at 7:14 amESTOh, it’s happening here in a small way. My oldest grandson had the “puppy fat” that all my kids got just before they started puberty. The school actually sent a letter home to tell his mother that he was “overweight.”
Surprise, surprise, he’s grown over 6 inches in about 3 months, and is now no longer considered overweight. It’s called a growth spurt, idiots. Only down side to that is he’s now looking me in the eye (I’m 5′6″) at only 13.
August 5th, 2009 at 8:14 amESTDear Mrs Elizabeth’s-eldest-grandson’s-mother,
Based on BMI measurements, we have noticed that your son is seriously underweight and probably malnourished. We have notified Social Services.
August 5th, 2009 at 11:20 amESTThis is a parody piece. I fell for it too the first time. But come on now, Ed Balls, and Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling…
Those damn Americans didn’t even bother to do enough research to name him GrEyling.
August 5th, 2009 at 12:36 pmESTThe scary part, Ms. Honeydew, is that you’re probably not so far off the mark.
My mother would have been under the jail because when my brother was 14 in 1963, he was 6′2″ and 124 pounds. Looked like a skeleton with eyeballs. Could eat anything he wanted, just like all teenagers.
August 5th, 2009 at 12:38 pmESTMarkku, most perceptive of you. But let’s give the English credit for a truly original counterstrike: some English hackers hacked into whitehouse.gov and put up the following message:
This is truly funny parody, marred only by the fact that the presence of such a passage on the official White House website beggars belief.
Elizabeth: Ah, so you admit that there is a systemic pattern of abuse running in your family…
August 5th, 2009 at 4:45 pmESTLooking at the above passage again, I am reminded of the averred right to burn the “flag.”
August 5th, 2009 at 4:47 pmESTEd Balls has denied this, and apparently it isn’t true.
Isn’t it worrying though, that as a UK citizen I’m just not sure what to believe any more?
I’d like to think that it isn’t true and that the Express got it wrong, but after 12 years of this NuLabour government I wouldn’t be surprised if they installed cameras in toilet cubicles to monitor the amount of waste that people produce each day.
August 5th, 2009 at 8:15 pmEST“We shall meet, Rachel Lucas, in the place where there is no darkness.”
Betcha can’t place that reference!
August 5th, 2009 at 11:13 pmESTTechnomad, it isn’t Babylon 5, is it?
Or is the quote from B5 ‘the place where no shadows fall”?
Ummm…yes. My name is Rob and I am a sci-fi nerd.
August 6th, 2009 at 1:17 amESTSounds like Kosh.
August 6th, 2009 at 1:29 amESTWinston Smith in 1984.
August 6th, 2009 at 6:21 amESTJohnF is closest. It’s from 1984, but it’s O’Brien speaking to Winston Smith.
August 6th, 2009 at 1:14 pmESTI’m sorry but this is STRAIGHT out of George Orwell’s 1984! Telescreens here we come! Sure right now it’s some degenerate welfare delinquent household that gets the telescreen, but once the government gets a taste for it EVERYONE will get one installed in their home!
I LOVE BIG BROTHER.
August 6th, 2009 at 1:29 pmESTMightysamurai, Honeydew et al,
Yes, the current bunch are ‘holes. They’re also into their last year of government - in case you haven’t been paying attention to British by-elections (because everyone pays attention to minor elections in foreign countries :^) ), the current government look likely to be wiped out in the next general election.
Admittedly, their biggest opponents are only a tad less obnoxious…
August 6th, 2009 at 2:19 pmESTAbout them watchful eyes…
You can have all the snoops, snitches, watchers, rats and stool pigeons you can muster. It makes exactly zero difference to the crime rate when criminals aren’t punished.
So, I would guess that your legislators know that and intend no real crime reduction produced from all those cameras and “watchers”.
We have plenty examples of what sort of governments go heavy in surveillance of their own citizenry within our lifetime. We also have those very same examples to point to in order to guess intended end results.
Stand up or lay down. There’s never been a third way, except in the deluded minds of cowards.
August 6th, 2009 at 6:56 pmESTYes, I agree with you about Henry’s ego. Amazingly large codpiece wasn’t it?
August 6th, 2009 at 10:05 pmESTThat’ll probably happen to me one of these days. My kid is a big, solid boy, and usually people think he’s older than he is. When people make comments about him it’s usually about either his blue eyes or his size - usually in relation to football.
He falls between the 50th and 75th percentiles on height and weight, so he’s well within the range of normal. But he’s a big eater. He got the nickname of Piglet during a growth spurt when he was 4 months old because he ate so much. There are days where the kid eats more than I do. Of course, he’s also vastly more active than me. If I were smart I might take a page out of his book. Too bad there’s so many interesting things in this world calling out for me to read them.
Elizabeth, what did your oldest grandson’s mother do in response to that letter?
August 6th, 2009 at 11:45 pmEST