Quick, just drive!

Good to see the Minister for Children engaging positively with disaffected young people. She has been lending her support to the new ‘respect’ scheme in Manchester, where:

“she was due to help crush an off-road bike which has been seized as part of the official launch.”

Maybe Manchester should be trying a different tack. It was its enthusiastic early adoption of ASBOs that led to its status as asbo-capital of the UK and the fact that they now need a new initiative suggests the old one hasn’t worked too well.

This suspicion is reinforced by another Manchester-related launch: a new book entitled “The Asbo: Wrong Turning, Dead End” by Detective Chief Superintendent Neil Wain of, er, Greater Manchester Police. He believes that ASBOs “may be more of a political stunt than an effective tool.” New initiative, same old habits then.

In what is proving to be a Manchester-centric week for me, I’m getting edgy. I have to take one of my teenaged sons there later this week. Eek! I’ve decided to drive him right to the door for his interview, grab him from reception afterwards and speed off towards the M6. I don’t want to give Beverley Hughes any excuse for crushing my car…