"Starkey makes 'cultural' link to gang jailed for sexually exploiting girls"

From The Guardian

Historian calls on schools to teach English history to aspiring Premier League footballers to make them 'English citizens and English men'

David Starkey has risked fresh criticism for describing footballers engaged in sexually exploiting young girls as "acting within their cultural norms".

Speaking at a conference for private school headteachers in Brighton, the historian said their actions were evidence of "what happens when [a country like Britain] has no sense of common identity". "Nobody ever explained [to these men] that just because they are doing a job which requires a mental age of twelve does not that they should be knobbing under-age girls," Starkey told his audience of more than 100 headteachers.

He called on schools to teach English history to budding footballers so that "they are... first and foremost English citizens and English men" instead of seeing statutory rape as a stepping stone to a career as a football player.

Last year, a gang of six footballers from Reading were jailed for the gang rape of two twelve-year old girls.

Fun Online Polls: David Starkey, rap music and the 'Something-for-nothing' culture

On a very good turnout of 132 votes, thanks to everybody who took part, we conclude that:

Does "rap culture" glorify crime and violence?

Yes - 84%
Yes, but this doesn't affect people's behaviour - 12%
No - 2%
Other, please specify - 2%

So that's one of the 'right wing' explanations for the recent looting sprees dealt with, IMHO it does do so and did contribute, in however small a way.
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Let's now look a bit closer to home (sic) and ask what other factors might create the 'something-for-nothing' culture. The way the welfare system is designed also has a corrosive effect, which I have covered many a time, so let's skip that one. This is not to say that welfare payments are inherently 'bad'; a system of universal welfare payments, like Child Benefit (not Child Tax Credits!), the basic state pension and something similar for working age people would almost certainly be 'good'.

But what about the Home-Owner-Ist propaganda, that we can all become rich merely by 'buying' a house (with a crippling mortgage, in many cases) and watching house prices rise? This is one-sided economics at its worst, because it ignores the fact that the real value of those houses hasn't increased by one penny, and that this generation's higher selling prices is the next generation's additional debt burden, but hey.

So that's this week's Fun Online Poll: does this fuel the 'something-for-nothing' culture?

Vote here or use the widget in the side bar.

Fun Online Polls: Financial markets doolally and David Starkey

On a good turnout of 117 votes (thanks to everybody who took part), the results to last week's Fun Online Poll are as follows:

This whole US debt downgrade, Eurozone panic, stock market crash etc

A great buying opportunity - 20%
Nothing to worry about - 5%
Maybe there'll be a double-dip recession - 9%
We're heading into a Second Great Depression - 21%
I'm going to stock up with gold, tinned food, and a shotgun and cartridges - 38%
Other, please specify - 7%
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Oh dear, David Starkey has dared to mention what a lot of people were thinking, that the "rap culture" (music, videos and dress code - hoodies and expensive trainers) glorifies and romanticises crime, violence, misogyny and naked consumerism (weren't Run DMC synonymous with Adidas trainers?).

I'm quite sure that "rap culure" must be at least one of the many dozens of reasons for the nature of the recent 'riots', albeit not the actual trigger*, so that's this week's Fun Online Poll: Does "rap culture" glorify crime and violence?

Vote here or use the widget in the sidebar.

* IMHO, the real trigger is the something-for-nothing culture which starts at the very top (e.g. bankers' bonuses and MPs' expenses) and which newspapers like The Daily Express continuously celebrates.