Rights & Responsibilities

Yesterday I saw an interview with the leader of the opposition, David Cameron, and I have to ask the question – when did he start stealing my ideas?

For many years now, I’ve told anyone who’ll listen (which isn’t very many people, admittedly) that what is wrong with our society is a lack of individual responsibility. People hark on about their “rights” but never talk about the responsibilities that go with those rights. For example, we all have the Right to an education, but we have the responsibility to make the most of it.

Trouble is, for years now successive governments have been giving us reasons to absolve ourselves of our responsibilities. It’s always someone else’s fault. In the above example, the reason little Jonny didn’t do well in his exams is down to the teachers. But it’s not their fault, it’s down to the lack of resources, and that’s not the schools fault, it’s down to lack of funding, and that’s not the local education authorities fault, it’s central government who set funding, but it’s not their fault as they don’t have enough taxes to properly fund schools. In other words, it’s society’s fault. Not once did anyone think to say that the reason Jonny did badly is that he’s a lazy git who never did any work.

And this can be applied to everything and anything you can think of. Ultimately, people no longer take responsibility for their own actions and shortcomings, instead blaming society as a whole.

But now, Mr. Cameron is harking on about just this – he wants us to start taking individual responsibility again. I say it’s about time someone picked up on this – after all, it’s bloody well common sense. But it was still my idea, and I’m livid with him for stealing it – he should take responsibility and apologise to me on his “Web-Cameron” blog. (but I don’t think he will somehow).

Still, just goes to show – Let me run the country and we’d all be a damn sight better off.