Get the fundamentals right, get the public finances sorted out, get the investment we need in public services, then get the tax cuts. Blair speaks for these layers, who bitterly resent any incursions into their wealth, and regard the remaining social provisions as wasteful expenditure. Blair's moral sermons have a twofold purpose. In the first instance, the government is not able to state openly that its intention is to gut welfare. Second, it serves to divert attention away from the social causes underlying issues such as teenage pregnancy.
Young pregnancies are always traumatic for the individuals and families involved.
When they are concentrated in already severely disadvantaged areas, they are undoubtedly a social tragedy. This is certainly the case in the UK, which has the highest number of teenage pregnancies in Western Europe and the highest number of unmarried teenage mothers in the world. The primary reason for this discrepancy is not that the number of teenage pregnancies in the UK has risen significantly. In fact, it has remained roughly steady over the last 20 years, at under 10 per 1,000. The reason is not hard to find.