Alfie - 13 year old Dad

[Sundae]

Originally Posted by wolf

I think the real surprise here is the amount of surprise, although I guess that this isn't all that regular an event over on the other side of the pond.

The Sun jumped at it because although the boy is 13 (and is not the youngest father in Britain) he looks about 8. That made for a visually arresting front page story.

The majority of the tabloids are right wing, so they loved this story - got them all frothing at the mouth about the state of the country and how it was going to hell in a handbasket yada, yada, yada. Wet dream of a story for them (all spurt and no substance) because of course the girl will get benefits, it's about underage sex in our "permissive" society, the Mum lives on a council estate, etc etc. Luckily none of those involved were immigrants, otherwise The Mail and the Express might have spontaneously combusted.

The broadsheets have been able to weigh in, as they are read by the educated classes, and their children are sent to single sex private schools and tied up with music lessons, sports clubs and drama until they are 18, so they have as little time for underage sex as possible. And of course if their sons or daughters do propagate it is handled within the family, shrugs and sympathy all round and they all get on with it quietly.

The bottom line apparently is it's Gordon Brown's fault. It wouldn't have happened if we still had corporal punishment in schools, it's the fault of sex education (or not enough of it) the Welfare State, swearing on television (probably Russell Brand has some culpability) and the only solution is to bring back hanging and National Service.