Think-tank Centre for Policy Studies is a rightwing lobby group, not an impartial research organisation. Of course their latest survey finds that bludgeoning single parents with a stick is a good idea, and that we should do whatever the Yanks do.
I’m sceptical. One claim CPS makes is that we should follow the US example of making single parents live in poverty, backed up by stats about how teen pregnancy in the US has declined significantly while the UK figure has risen marginally. Now, the UK figure for under-18 pregnancies in 2002 was 41,868 , while the US figure for 2000 (most recent I can find in both cases) was 301,540. Per head of the population, this gives a US rate about 1.5 times higher than the UK rate.
Losing a stone is much easier if you weigh 15 stone to start with than if you weigh 10 stone…
This survey is from the Centre for Policy Studies, not Civitas.
Still, all them think tanks looks the same, don’t they?
Bugger. Fixed. And yes, especially the right wing ones that claim to be liberal…
the assumption behind the survey is that lone parents should be worse off. This follows upon the assumption that if the financial situation of lone parents can be made poor then people will stop becoming divorced. the BBC website reported it thus "Its report said that the state benefit system was skewed in favour of lone parents and if couples with children split, they would be wealthier." Like as if a couple are going to split up (especially for a £1) just to be wealthier. I think most people would prefer a nice happy marriage than an extra few quid. Or am I just an old romantic.
Another thing is remember on that BBC programme ‘who do you think you are’. One of Vic Reeves’ grandparents was a bigamist. He just upped and left and started a family elsewhere read about it here http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/familyhistory/wdytya_celeb_gallery_10.shtml
even though bigamy was illegal people still did it.
passions and emotions don’t obey economic laws. trying to manipulate behaviour by financial means in this way simply impoverishes.