“Respect Zones” criticised as gimmick
“Respect zones” criticised as gimmick - Yahoo! News UK
LONDON (Reuters) - The government was accused on Wednesday of failing to get to grips with anti-social behaviour after plans were revealed to give 40 areas of England and Wales with the worst social problems special help.The Home Office’s anti-social behaviour advisor Louise Casey said councils would have to agree to introduce “respect zones” to crack down on yobbish behaviour in exchange for extra resources.
The Conservatives dismissed the plan as a gimmick and said it was an admission of failure by Prime Minister Tony Blair’s government, which has pledged to tackle delinquency and other anti-social behaviour.
Whenever I come across articles like this, I’m irritatingly reminded of Blair’s “respect agenda” that he was pushing during the last election (which also reminds me - we’ve not heard that catchphrase recently. I wonder why?).
Anyway, “irritatingly” because I’m struck by the audacity of a government and a prime minister that dare rumble on about respect when their own behaviour leaves so much to be desired in terms of commanding the respect of others.
Possibly if they learned the meaning of such words as “honesty” and “integrity” - and what the hell’s the word to describe not abusing one’s office? - and, having learned those meanings, fully embraced and practised them, then maybe they could start preaching to us lot.
Absent that, so far as I’m concerned all their utterances on the subject of respect are meaningless drivel - a view I don’t doubt is shared by a lot of folk.
