'Social inclusion means tough policies'

On the one hand I am suspicious of the intrusive-seeming and authoritarian tone of Tony Blair's recent statements about targetting certain families and communities for proactive work to head off further turns in cycles of deprivation and exclusion. On the other hand,

Some people simply lack the capacity to access and exploit our services, however far they reach. Others have developed through experience an intrinsic mistrust of the state, thinking that any contact with state-run public services will enmesh the state in their lives

But then when I read this I wonder whether it is more about political positioning.

The Tories said last week that there is no role for the government in preventing exclusion; that it should be left entirely up to the voluntary and charitable sector. Where we seek partnership with charities within the public service umbrella, the Conservatives seek to reject the responsibility that government has.

If they are serious, then it will need money for workers who are trained well in anti-oppessive practice and are able to win the confidence of some of the people least able to respond rationally to events.... I think that's a tall order but perhaps worth trying for.
The Observer | Comment | 'Social inclusion means tough policies'
Filed in: poverty, social_exclusion, government, policy, deprivation, cycles, proactive