Tough on children, tough on the causes of children

In the Guardian today, a story about a possible vote winner for Gordon Brown has emerged from the party conference. The story is prefaced with the byline 'Attempt to woo Middle Britain with tough line on anti-social behaviour' and is about a return to the Blairite plan of stealing the Tory crime rhetoric.

Yet here Brown has gone further, the policy of parents of poorly behaved children having to submit to parenting classes or risk losing their benefits is plainly drafted to appeal to the traditional Tory heartland of 'Middle England.' This is evidence that the Labour party, not only want to take the rhetoric but the policies of the Tories too.

This policy, quite apart from not delving deeper into anti-social behaviour and the actual reasons behind it rather just blaming the parents, seems to be an indication that Labour are trying even harder to alienate their traditional support from the working classes and in the north in the push for middle england. The Lib Dems should be very pleased with this, yet again there is evidence of space on the centre left for a party that really does prioritise the needs of the working classes.

This is the perfect time for the Lib Dems to fill the gap on the centre left as Labour continue to slide to the right, on a collision course with the Tories. By the election you won't be able to tell them apart.