Thursday 17 June 2010

Excellent bit of gibberish from Nick Clegg

From The Metro:

The new Childhood and Families Ministerial Task Force, chaired by Prime Minister David Cameron and launched by his deputy Nick Clegg, will aim to identify specific policy proposals which can improve life for children and families in a cost-effective way. Announcing the initiative in a speech at an event organised by Barnardo's in central London, Mr Clegg was to say:

"This Government believes that we strengthen our society by giving people the power to make choices over their lives.

"We believe in the informal networks between people that provide families with support, as well as the strong sense of community identity that helps make children feel secure. So it should come as no surprise that this agenda is being driven from the heart of government.

"This group will identify specific policy proposals that will make the biggest difference to children and families, tackling a hardcore of everyday bottlenecks that frustrate family life to give parents the freedom they need in the first place."


I struggle to find anything of meaning in any of that. It's not even clear what he is talking about, let alone what he is trying to say about it. As the foul-mouthed Nan from the Catherine Tate show might say...

10 comments:

JuliaM said...

"...tackling a hardcore of everyday bottlenecks that frustrate family life..."

Sounds like the first thing he needs to do to achieve that aim is to tell these chaps to do one...

Tim Almond said...

The words are so ironic. I agree with everything he says about informal networks and giving people the power to make choices.

Unfortunately, rather than taking the action of firing lots of people in government and giving people more of their money (which would give people the power and the time to foster informal networks), he creates another bloody task force of fakecharity worthies.

View from the Solent said...

'...informal networks .......driven from the heart of government'

No further comment needed.

AntiCitizenOne said...

Political Speech = Longwinded Oxymoron.

dearieme said...

Maybe he means "We're hoping to find ways of improving things that won't consume lots of taxpayers' money."

NickM said...

If I take a different tack... Isn't this somewhat going over the head of whichever numpty is Sec State for Childreeeen! Does this reveal something about the coalition?

Mark Wadsworth said...

NickM, from the article: Shadow children's secretary Ed Balls said: "This Government can have no credibility on improving the life chances of children and families... The fact they've abolished the post of Secretary of State for Children tells you everything about the priorities of this new Government."

The Children's Minister (Ms S Teather) will be in this talking shop, as it happens. So that makes him Shadow Children's Minister, not Secretary.

Mark Wadsworth said...

Everybody else, agreed.

Anonymous said...

Actually maybe he means, "Thanks for this photo opportunity. I fully intend to take maximum advantage of it to show how much I care about families, motherhood and apple pie. Incidentally, Barnado's, you better get used the fact that you're going to be getting less government money."

Lola said...

What hacks me off is the 'giving parents their freedom' phrase. It says it all really. I am already a free man you twonk Clegg. What you are proposing is to give me back freedom that your kind have stolen from me. Bastard