On Tue, 01 Oct 2019 13:58:52 +0100, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

Do wish there was a bit more of that on here.

In that case allow me to assist, Dave. This is from the item Andy linked
to...

Prime Minister Mrs. Thatcher:

"What is wrong with the deterioration? [mistranscription?] I think we
have gone through a period when too many children and people have been
given to understand €œI have a problem, it is the Government's job to cope
with it!€� or €œI have a problem, I will go and get a grant to cope with
it!€� €œI am homeless, the Government must house me!€� and so they are
casting their problems on society and who is society? There is no such
thing! There are individual men and women and [end p29] there are
families and no government can do anything except through people and
people look to themselves first. It is our duty to look after ourselves
and then also to help look after our neighbour and life is a reciprocal
business and people have got the entitlements too much in mind without
the obligations, because there is no such thing as an entitlement unless
someone has first met an obligation and it is, I think, one of the
tragedies in which many of the benefits we give, which were meant to
reassure people that if they were sick or ill there was a safety net and
there was help, that many of the benefits which were meant to help people
who were unfortunate€”€œIt is all right. We joined together and we have
these insurance schemes to look after it€�. That was the objective, but
somehow there are some people who have been manipulating the system and
so some of those help and benefits that were meant to say to people: €œAll
right, if you cannot get a job, you shall have a basic standard of
living!€� but when people come and say: €œBut what is the point of working?
I can get as much on the dole!€� You say: €œLook! It is not from the dole.
It is your neighbour who is supplying it and if you can earn your own
living then really you have a duty to do it and you will feel very much
better!€�

There is also something else I should say to them: €œIf that does not give
you a basic standard, you know, there are ways in which we top up the
standard. You can get your housing benefit.€�

But it went too far. If children have a problem, it is society that is at
fault. There is no such thing as society. [end p30] There is living
tapestry of men and women and people and the beauty of that tapestry and
the quality of our lives will depend upon how much each of us is prepared
to take responsibility for ourselves and each of us prepared to turn
round and help by our own efforts those who are unfortunate. And the
worst things we have in life, in my view, are where children who are a
great privilege and a trust€”they are the fundamental great trust, but
they do not ask to come into the world, we bring them into the world,
they are a miracle, there is nothing like the miracle of life€”we have
these little innocents and the worst crime in life is when those
children, who would naturally have the right to look to their parents for
help, for comfort, not only just for the food and shelter but for the
time, for the understanding, turn round and not only is that help not
forthcoming, but they get either neglect or worse than that, cruelty."



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