"The answer is to invest the time and money required to make the underclass believe that there is a point to there existance..and that means a completely new form of society where ones worth is not measured in pounds and pens"

And in the meantime, kids are growing up in neglect and being put into the care system, which is riven with abuse. So what do we tell them, "Sorry - you'll just have to wait till society is better"? Are there any more immediate measures we could find to minimise the damage being done?



"To many addicts the only emotional connection they have, is to their "weans"....of course they neglect them when in the grip of their addiction, but they are also capable of great love...I have seen this often, addicts consumed with remorse over neglect of their children."

Of course they are capable of love. The question is whether the needs of the vulnerable child outweigh the needs of the addicted mother.



"The amazing thing is, that these children, no matter how young they are, seem to sense their parents frailty and come to accept it"

That's a rather romanticised view. Kids forced to grow up before their time, forced to live in chaos and be the "grown-up" in the house, or taken away and put into care, where the likelihood of them becoming addicts or going to prison in adulthood immediately double or treble.

I am not advocating sterilisation - I am advocating a strategy that could include long-term contraception.