Smith helps show what the Tories really are...

The whole tone of Iain Duncan Smith's article around the supposed 'dysfunctional' underclass is wrong and shows him up for what he is: a classical hard nosed Tory. As I have said before, the underclass as a concept is flawed and unsupported. Once again the Tories take an extreme example of horrific, immoral criminal behaviour, by two Doncaster brothers, aged 10 and 11, and say that this is a typical practice that occurs around the country, in our 'broken society'. This is simply not true, and to make out that there are millions of children out there doing the things those boys did, and things that people such as Karen Matthews did, is wrong, and misleading. But hey, that is what the Tories do. They exaggerate things like this to try and make a claim for popularism support, blaming the individuals for their problems instead of looking at the structural problems in society. I am not taking a complete structural focus, but you have to take this into account.

'Dysfunctional', 'breed' and 'maladjusted' are just some of the patronising and downgrading words that Smith uses when addressing his concerns around the so called 'underclass'. His article also displays his traditional family values that are common amongst traditional Tories (well most Tories, but at least the traditional ones admit it!). He consistently talks about the mother being the one who should look after the children. He makes out that it is the mother who is responsible for the dysfunction. Well what about the father then? This links to structural changes, we need to have better childcare policies, better paternity leave, to help families with bringing up kids. Simply stigmatising them as evil beings who just breed and breed is so wrong and illogical.

His concentration on the brain and how that influences people's behaviour is again telling of the Tories links to eugenics and arguments such as Survival of the Fittest. A clear quote that demonstrates this, and his sexist traditional attitudes is:

"At the top of the list is the need for the child to receive unconditional love, empathy and nurture from a parent. It is essential that a mother plays with and talks to the baby, as its brain slowly begins to imitate all that it sees and hears. Reading to the baby also stimulates its capacity to communicate."

What about the father then? It isn't just about love either. Structural factors play a part. Structural changes need to take place to help with the baby's development. It is quite worrying what Smith is saying, given that he is the chairman of the Centre for Social Justice, which informs Tory policies. He complains that people are not doing anything to stop this happening but what polices are the Tories really proposing, except stigmatising. The few policies they do offer attack civil rights showing how clearly their rhetoric of freedom conflicts with their immoral and controlling attitude towards families and relationships. Their policies do not tackle the structural inequalities in society. Smith is prime example of the Tories backwards attitudes that will become clearer when they get into power.