LABOUR leader Tony Blair sought yesterday to portray himself as the
champion of the family, insisting that the preservation of family life
must be at the centre of social policy.
The Tories have long advanced themselves as the party of the family,
but Mr Blair appeared yesterday to be turning his back on some
left-of-centre points of view and trying to steal the Conservatives'
clothes.
He continued his attempts to set a new agenda for the Labour Party as
he emphasised the importance of social co-operation and partnership,
trying to create a strong, united society which backed up individual
effort.
Family life was where children learned the basics of decent behaviour
and responsibility, he said, adding that it clearly was better for
children to be brought up in a stable environment with two parents.
''Is it better that kids are brought up with two parents? The answer
plainly is yes,'' he said.
His remarks were a clear reflection of the fact that both Labour and
the Conservatives are now engaged in a battle for voters in the middle
ground of the British political spectrum.
He combined his comments with a renewed attack on the Government's
handling of the economy, but was accused by Mr Michael Heseltine,
President of the Board of Trade, of coming up with a ''flow of
oil-smooth platitudes''.
Mr Blair said the growing band of single parents -- and particularly
their children -- should not be stigmatised for a plight very few would
have chosen for themselves. But he added that families should be helped
to stay together by providing better education, training, and job
prospects.
The modern welfare state, he argued, must recognise the need for
better child care and nursery education when more women were going out
to work.
''The family is important because it is the social unit where people
learn the boundaries of decent conduct and behaviour and where people
are brought up,'' he told the Walden television programme.
''The Government can't intrude into people's homes, and governments
don't raise children -- families raise children. I would like to see us
create a society in which people recognise their obligations both within
the family and the broader community.
''There is a limit to what public policy can do, but it is important
we recognise the family as the essential, stable social unit and we
attempt to do whatever we can to allow the family to develop in that
stable framework.
''We have to move away from this old argument from a left-of-centre
perspective where people didn't understand that, when we are talking
about society and community, that is where we begin.''
Mr Blair again refused to be drawn on Labour's tax plans, though in
another appeal to the middle-class vote, he made clear last week he
would not ignore the plight of those people on average earnings who were
now paying top rate tax under the Tories.
His argument was that Tory policies had led to high unemployment, with
its enormous social and economic cost, and that just getting people back
to work would free millions of pounds of taxpayers' money for other
uses.
He claimed Government tax increases had put the equivalent of 7p on
the basic rate.
Mr Blair said: ''I am not happy with the tax and spend label given to
the Labour Party when we are the ones who have the policies to put the
country back on its feet.''
The Labour leader was also asked about weekend reports that he was
leaving the door open for Labour to support a referendum on further
European integration. He said he would wait to see what the next
inter-governmental conference came up with in 1996, but in the meantime
was ruling nothing out and nothing in.
An opinion poll in the Sunday Telegraph showed that Mr Blair was
enjoying a honeymoon period with the voters, with 61% saying he would be
a better Prime Minister than Mr Major.
Leader comment10
Inside politics10
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