I have read this thread with some interest, and feel that many of the points made are valid, as some are drawn from experience rather than subjective generalisations. I just really wanted to put in an additional point of view, it is too big a subject to cover in any detail on here, and to solve the problem I would have to become partly un PC and bring back some form of National Service, not necessarily Military, for school leaver without work I feel that the government should have schemes where benefits are only paid in exchange for some form of labour, whatever that might be, to individuals, use their strengths or interests.

I tend to think we still have a ‘working Class, but as has been said we seem to have developed a ‘Non Working Class’ that is worryingly 2nd and even 3rd generation. I, as others, have know young men, 25 years ago who had no intention of ever working, one even saying to me that ‘it was my fault that I chose to work and pay tax to keep him on the dole’ never had much to do with him after that.

Working Class families have traditionally been larger, goes back to survival rates of children and later more money coming into the family as the children went out to work. What we have now is something different, and is increasing in the Non Working Class family and increasingly with young single mothers. Government has spent millions over last few years on teenage pregnancy and yet it remains on the increase.

Whilst some girls may get pregnant for a property, others do it for what a baby and young child can give, ‘Unconditional Love’ perhaps filling a need in the mother that has not previously been met. The child gets to 5 or 6 and starts to make demands, so off to find another lad to have another baby, all that love again.

Just a couple of my thoughts.
