I suppose its a bit like smoking. The public has to be informed, educated and change its habits.. I think what has made the problem worse in this country has been the destruction of mining and manafacturing industries.

A lot of these people that you see on the Jeremy Kyle show come from communities where there was never a tradition of working class kids being educated, They got well paid jobs, married early bought houses. fitted carpets. etc. Yhe teachers i knew told me that they were wasting their time with most kids past the age of forteen - they knew they could make more than their teachers down the pit. And the girls knew they would try and marry a miner.

The habits and attitudes of the pre-Thatcher era are still with us, and to be fair to the people she did little to tell them their way of life had to change. Other than tell them to get on their bikes.

The social repercussions of great changes in economic policyneed to be better thought out. Social planning perhaps.