THERE’S a palpable sense of relief in the commentary on Robert James’s post on knife crime, We’re at a fork on the road to hell about the establishment’s fraudulent response and wilful refusal to own up to its real causes summed up by Starshiptrooper: You’ve nailed it Robert. Thank you. How can your message, the truth, be got out to the people who need to hear it?
John Smith turned to the root cause that politicians won’t face but encourage: Family failure is the root cause of many problems in this country. But never fear taxpayers are dragooned to prop it up and extend its reach. Add in poor state education and a child does not stand a chance.
John Howard expressed it more philosophically: The problem is the same as it is in America: the belief that individual responsibility must be increased before liberty can be increased. Unfortunately, that reverses cause and effect. As liberty is steadily eroded, individual responsibility disappears. That is then used by the parasites in power to claim that liberty must be further eroded. Equal individual liberty means that individuals cannot vote their sustenance out of their neighbour’s pocket. Responsibility becomes a survival skill. Collectivism promises everything for free and ends up destroying freedom and responsibility.
None of this is hard to understand. The parasites in power turn their victims into parasites out of power clamouring for more free stuff and less individual responsibility. The solution to all of this is simple: a significant percentage of the people must conclude that government is not a good idea poorly performed. It is an evil idea performing very well. There is no such thing as a good gang of parasites running good extortion and counterfeiting rackets and good censorship and brainwashing rackets. Equal individual liberty is the good. Political power is violence against the innocent and destroys the morality of a society that permits it.
Meanwhile Dave turned the critical value of individual responsibility into commonsense English: The idea that good behaviour can be bought with other people’s money via state programmes is just plain insulting.
Andy expressed his total despair at the retreat from the fundamental notion of right and wrong: I must be the only person who is so fed up with all these politicians and commentariat wittering away about how knife crime is all because of police cuts, lack of youth clubs etc, etc, etc.
Why is it not the fault of those who go out stabbing people and the mind set that seems to think this is ok? Murder is wrong and against the law. We all know that, or at least many of us thought everyone did. Must be wrong.
Tom B bemoaned Parliament’s state of denial about single motherdom and father absence: They won’t even discuss the importance of fathers in parliament unless it’s about absent fathers on Father’s Day. To suggest the single mothers aren’t doing a great job would be off limits.
PeterInDudley agreed: Tom B, you are absolutely right. On Radio 4 this week, in an attempt to ‘understand’ the problem of knife crime and drug dealing, it was proposed that young men were involved in drugs so that they could provide some basics for their mothers, a washing machine was mentioned. So, in one programme, the BBC blamed ‘austerity’ whilst portraying young violent men as heroes for helping their mothers and provide small luxuries when nobody else would. Of course, when the mothers are interviewed, they all seem decent Christian women, mostly church going, but plainly something is going wrong. And, as Tom B says, and we all agree, the absence of fathers is a real issue. People say it is wrong to stay in a relationship for the sake of the children but these people are wrong. The most important part of a relationship, in my view, is the children and nothing else comes close. If you have to sacrifice yourself on the altar of unhappiness, then so be it. I know I am a silly old buffer but I could not live with myself (or face my Maker) if I left my children to fend for themselves without my guiding hand.
Five years on the government might not be responding but The Conservative Woman at least is still asking the right questions. So wrote Paul T Horgan on Friday to mark this milestone.
And we are very grateful to the hundreds of readers’ comments and emails to us confirming that we are, in a huge show of support for the site. It has been heartwarming indeed – and thank you all.
Here are some of the birthday greetings and wishes Paul’s post prompted: lojolondon wrote: Cheers! Well done and thank you for all you have contributed to the web, to conservatives and to society.
David wrote: The site is undoubtedly doing a very good job explaining and promoting true conservatism in all its forms. Long may that initiative prosper and continue.
39 Pontiac Dream wrote: Hear, hear, Paul. TCW has indeed been asking all the right questions and long may it continue to do so. Funny how, in its time span, we have seen the complete destruction of the Conservative Party though I’d say it started under Cameron’s tutelage and has exacerbated under May. I’m glad to see that TCW has stuck to its name unlike the party in government.
What a strange five years it has been. Even more congratulations followed Kathy’s TCW Five years old today post. You must forgive us for basking in them, only some of which is there room to reproduce!
Tee2 wrote: Many happy returns of the day, Conservative Woman. A refuge of wit and wisdom in an otherwise insane world.
Mina Christina wrote: OPA! Break some dishes and dance . . .
Congratulations to you TCW. May we all have many more years together. We, on this side of the pond, thank you for giving us a view of your (our) world . . . Many blessings to all the writers and readers.
Thank you for setting us up for the next five years and fortifying us in our fight for reason, sanity, truth and morality, come what may.
