The Hooded War

HAVE you seen them? Those women in blue rinse and helmet-hard hair? They smell of baking powder, English lavender and wet dog. Some of them wear rain hats. And they all want to hug a hoodie.

Very soon hoodies may well be things of the past, hiding out in dark corners, not daring to venture out lest they be set upon by some middle-aged Tory voter with a cable knit jumper and arms made for hugging.

As such, the decent and unhooded should applaud David’s Cameron’s plan. Hug a hoodie and instil fear in their hearts. Pinch their cheeks and rid the streets of crime. We must all
“show a lot more love" to young people, as Dave says.

And the campaign has support. The Guardian hears from Penny Nicholls, director of strategy for the Children’s Society. Says she: "David Cameron’s remarks are a wake-up call for the Labour government and society … Current draconian measures to curb youth crime are not offering lasting solutions, only creating further problems."

But still, as the Telegraph says, not everyone is happy and some people think Dave has gone too far, or not far enough, with his "hug a hoodie" campaign.

“I think he ought to show kindness and love to the victims of these people not to the criminals," Sandra Sullivan, a spokesman for Victim’s Voice. So hug a victim? “I think he’s woolly-minded. . . he’s got to wake up because he’s got kids."

And she’s right. Dave does have kids, three of them. He does not have children. Squares have children. Hoodies and streetwise Tories like Dave have kids, or kidz.

And if youth policy is based on personal experience, might it explain why the young are demonised? Although has anyone seen Euan Blair in a hood?

Posted: 11th, July 2006 | In: Uncategorized Comment | TrackBack | Permalink