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The Tory narrative of ‘personal responsibility’ is a handy way of blaming communities for the suffering of their members
I like to think I can imagine the thought process behind Marcus Rashford’s decision to promote free school meals for children. He thought about his younger self – listening to his mother cry herself to sleep because she struggled to make ends meet. He thought about his platform – as a Premier League and England footballer, with 3 million Twitter followers.
He probably thought about the backlash. History suggests sports stars put their heads above the parapet on social issues at their peril. But even if politicians are callous enough to oppose meals for children whose families are struggling, who would risk doing so publicly? Didn’t the Conservative party say time and time again that the nasty party days of “Margaret Thatcher, milk snatcher” were behind it? Continue reading...