It would be unfair to be too hard on Mrs Barbara Castle for her distinctly non-committal reception of the principal recommendation of the Finer report on one-parent families, that all single-handed parents, men as well as women, should be guaranteed a maintenance allowance of £9.50 a week.
This overdue act of justice for 600,000 people whose sufferings go relatively unsung would cost more than £70m; the government is grappling with severe inflation and the prospect of heavy unemployment; and Mrs Castle has already awarded pensioners another £2 each in pursuit of Labour’s social compact.
But even so her attitude carries a warning. Because of its long-held preference for universality in social benefits, the Labour party has been lavish but undiscriminating in its expenditure on the social services. Sir Keith Joseph was more adept at searching out areas of real need and more economical in relieving them. Tackling the plight of the one-parent families seems tailor-made for his approach, but their suffering may not be able to wait on his return to office. It would be reassuring if Mrs Castle felt challenged by this reflection.
In the meantime, the humiliations endured by these people could be lessened by the sort of structural reforms that the Finer report recommends: resulting in one law and one administration for rich and poor alike, and, eventually, in a marriage between family law and social administration.
Key quote
“What, in the name of God, is strategic superiority when you are at this level of warheads?”
Dr Henry Kissinger
Talking point
Mr Tony Benn and four like-minded ministers have decided to ignore the tradition of cabinet solidarity and to organise themselves into a separate group. They meet regularly to plan policy and, presumably, to keep an eye on Mr Wilson and “unsympathetic” colleagues.
Front page story “Cabinet leftists form ‘Tuesday Club’”
