LETTERS Basic nonsense
Sir: A fundamental tenet of `Back to Basics' seems to be that today's babe in a single mother's arms is tomorrow's mugger, push- er, rapist or serial killer. We do not all turn out to the bad. I was born into bastardy during the 1950s, hardly a period noted for its toler- ance of such things. My mother was not well off and so had to work to keep us. Welfare handouts were out of the question. This meant leaving me alone for periods which today would have called for a couple of squad cars and a whole posse of 'caring' social workers. Luckily I was spared that horror and left in peace, with Radio 4 and my books for com- pany. Just what did this turn me into? The social worker's nightmare: a married and faithful middle-class professional. A Tory voter. As for my mother, she now lives in happy penury, as unwilling to accept finan- cial help from me as she is from the state. Ironically the one career I felt my bas- tardy barred me from was politics. Perhaps Tim Yeo's child might consider it?
Paul McCabe
Blamesvagen 4, 591 37 Motala, Sweden
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