Politics and the modern family

Parenting and family is something of a hot topic at Westminster recently. I can see a definite battle has begun between the Tories and the Labour party. The views expressed by both could have been spurred by a recent Unicef report, which claims to have found Britain's children the "worst off" in a report examining child well-being in industrialised countries. Or in the case of Alan Johnson, his comments could be seen as a response to David Cameron's ‘wake-up’ warnings to absentee fathers.

I think both parties are certainly competing for the spotlight today, however I view multi-party discussions on these issues as beneficial. After appearing in the headlines several times in the last few days, these comments are now being considered by the society in which these issues are located. Both Johnson and Cameron have highlighted important points, Johnson’s references to "alternate" family structures, and their capabilities of being as equally beneficial to child well-being as two-parent structures, are welcome and helpful words. Cameron’s stern warnings to errant fathers are also constructive; I feel that it was about time society was given a jolt forward by those on the outside, looking in.

Whilst we poke fun at a new breed of fathers, known commonly as 'metro-daddies', whose babies are strapped to their chests, fiercely proud of their status as modern parents, they are still few and far between. The other breed of fathers, the absentees, are sadly all too common.