The Decline Of The English Society: The Mothers’ Country
“MOTHERS IN ARMS,” says the Sun’s front-page headline.
“Three grieving women, their lives torn apart by murder. Today, they unite and vow to help heal broken Britain.”
KERRY NICOLE: her daughter Tania was killed by “Suffolk Strangler” Steve Wright
HELEN NEWLOVE: “Widowed when a gang of three kicked her “hero hubby” Gary to death
LINDA BOWMAN: “”trying to rebuild her life” after daughter Sally Anne was murdered by Mark Dixie
The Sun lines up the women as the epitome of today’s violent Britain. Their stories are used to beat out a message:
Helen Newlove: “This country is terrifying, no one’s safe.”
Linda Bowman: “I just can’t smile while killer lives.”
Kerry Nicole: “Politicians don’t; take any notice.”
Ask three women still grieving for their murdered loved ones what they think of the killers. What they think of the world around them. What will they say?
Rod Liddle noted in the Times of George Orwell’s essay for Tribune entitled The Decline of the English Murder.
In the good old days, he lamented, really compelling murders were committed by “intensely respectable” men of the “professional class”, preferably in a semi-detached house “which will allow neighbours to hear suspicious sounds through the wall”.
The perpetrators went astray through a sense of sexual guilt, having harboured a guilty passion for, perhaps, a “secretary”. Murder was less damaging than the sexual disgrace that would otherwise befall the individual — and a good murder always had an element of sexual intrigue and was never about anything so mundane as the theft of a large quantity of money.
In Orwell’s words: “A crime can have dramatic and even tragic qualities which make it memorable and excite pity for both victim and murderer.”
All were victims of the mores of the day.
The appetite for such murders — and the propensity of people to commit such murders — dwindled because mores changed. Within a few years we had reform of the divorce laws and later the sexual revolution. Within two decades you could have sex with whoever you liked. There was no need to murder anyone. All you had to do was ask nicely.
So what is the murder that inflames the public imagination and hogs the front pages today?…What is important is the murder weapon — it should be a sword or an axe or a hammer, anything necessitating considerable and even pointless effort on the part of the murderer and lots of gore.
The victim is important, too: he or she should be vulnerable and weak… Motive is crucial: there should not be one, or at least not a motive that normal people can comprehend.
As in Orwell’s English Murder, society provides the context, or at least the Sun would like it to.
The Sun says local councils are planning to switch off street lights to save electricity, if not the planet. Says Linda: “This will cost lives.”
Says Linda: “I’d love to watch Sally Anne’s killer get the death penalty. I want to see him suffer until he is squealing like a pig.”
Says Kerry of politicians: “They don’t take any real notice of what we say anyway. It’s about time they did.”
Says Helen: “I would be the one to out the noose around his neck or presses the button for the lethal injection.
The Sun then asks them who is to blame for “Broken Britain”?
Linda says discipline has been taken away from parents. Helen says there is no respect for anything. The call is to “name and shame yobs and their families.”
The Sun listens. These are the words of women who have been hurt, who have lost their young, who live in a rotten world scarred by bad memories.
The Sun makes them impossible to ignore. It may even give politicians an imperative to act against social menace…
Posted: 12th, March 2008 | In: Tabloids Comments (3) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
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March 13th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
I agree whole heartedly with the comments of Mr Ellis as a mother and grandmother i have watched helplessly as familys are torn apart children kept away from their fathers because their mothers have the desire to keep the father away, telling lies to get the courts to side with them, grandparents kept away from their grandchildren because of a bitter mother, i beseech the government to step in and change the family law in this country giving fathers more rights andallowing them to have contact with their children. T Gould
March 13th, 2008 at 11:58 am
Mothers in arms: The deaths that sparked a debate but found no solutions from Gordon Brown or the powers that be. National Charity makes its response.
In the aftermath of Mr Newlove’s dastardly murder and the media revelation, quote “Their upbringings followed a typical pattern - most come from broken homes with no fathers” unquote http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=508726&in_page_id=1770
We feel it a necessity yet again to highlight the enclosed facts regarding the erosion of family life by State interference this to the very detriment of children and society alike.
In the aftermath of Garry Newlove’s dastardly murder and the rising yob culture.
National charity speaks out.
Politicians condemn the rising ‘culture of youth violence’ and rightly so but fails to address the root cause.
We are but one of many charities/organizations who on a daily basis find ourselves confronted with the suffering that has become all to clear since government incentives were introduced to secure children for the conveyor belt of foster care and adoption via Social Services this from wholesome parents.
Reiterate we must, for was it not the Queen in her Christmas message who stressed the importance of the family.
She said that traditional family values had a much-needed stabilizing effect in our rapidly-changing world.
The Queen, 81, said: “One of the features of growing old is heightened awareness of change.
“To remember what happened 50 years ago means that it is possible to appreciate what has changed in the meantime. It also makes you aware of what has remained constant.
In my experience, the positive value of a happy family is one of the factors of human existence that has not changed. The immediate family of grandparents, parents and children, together with extended family, is still the core of a thriving community.” Unquote.
For our part the NSCFC respectfully applauds such words of wisdom by the Queen and wishes to publically beseech her majesty as the constitutional monarch, to express, encourage and warn of the dire consequences were her Government to continue to dismantle family life thus leading to a defragmented society in which children are the ultimate victims.
Breakdown in Society and family life is that of the Prime Minister and his parties own making, hence if Gordon Brown does not address this reality neither he nor anyone else in the Labour Party will be fit for office.
Fact, since 1997 when Labour came to office well over 400,000 children have needlessly lost contact with their fathers due to the unjust family court system which favours mothers and denies children and fathers the Right to family life as should be so in accordance with Human Rights Act article 8 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Sadly due to PM policy and ideology re family law 100 children per day loose contact and over one million grandparents like all grandparents have no legal presumption to see their grandchildren, indeed all the paternal side of the child’s family is removed after separation or divorce by judges who put the interest of mothers regardless of character before the interest of the children.
Also reminded are we that over 80% of all children in our schools are from one parent families, many of whom through no fault of their own have become dysfunctional in their mindset and conduct, that this in turn leads to underachievement and anti social behaviour. Only the other day Social Services contacted us as to how we felt this can be tackled and handled within the school setting given that it impacts on everyone concerned. So easy is it for us to condemn youngsters today as if their conduct bears no relation to the lack of role models they have been denied in their formative years in the form of fathers, mothers, grandparents and extended family. Hence it’s no wonder that many youngsters turn to gangs as a sense of belonging and so begins the downward spiral. Parity in family law is a must if we are to have any chance of addressing children, parents and family love denied due to State interference and this the Government needs to acknowledge and address with full commitment, only then will we have any chance on reversing the downward spiral akin to juvenile delinquency and the ramifications thereof. The family, both maternal and paternal is the bedrock of all civilization and any politician or religious leader worth his/her salt should be there to fight for its very existence without fear or favour, for not to do so is to witness society implode before our very eyes. Needless to say please help to reverse this downward spiral. With this in mind we beseech the press and media to support our campaign that children in their formative years might not continue to be deprived of family love and input much needed by maternal and paternal sides of the family after seperation or divorce.
National Society for Children and Family Contact (NSCFC) is a registered charity which believes that continuing contact with a child’s parents or extended family after separation or divorce is vital for the child’s balanced development and it works tirelessly to foster those all-important family contacts. As such we offer free support and advice to all those in need. Helpline at National rate also available 24/7 on 0870 794 0075 or at http://www.nscfc.com
Mike Ellis
Chairman: “National Society for Children and Family Contact”.
Tel: 0870 7940075
http://www.nscfc.com
March 12th, 2008 at 11:06 am
You never know the politicians might take it onboard for their election jamboree.
But this whole country seems to be heading the way of a sink estate.
Still the PC brigade will be delighted, all being equally in the mire, perhaps then their work is done? One so hopes
Good luck to the mothers involved , perhaps there are ashes there and a Pheonix will arise