Iain Duncan Smith: Elites must ‘set an example’ to rioters
Iain Duncan Smith, work and pensions secretary, speaking on the Today programme, calls for a change of attitude from Britain's wealthy and powerful elites to help prevent a riot repeat:
"We all have to put our hands in the air and recognise in the last 15, 20 years what has happened to us is [an attitude that] 'life is about what you take out of it, not what you put back in'.
"We all have to recognise that what we do [sets an example] – 'do what I do, not what I say'.
"For too long we've been happy to say it's all very well for us to lecture groups in difficulty, but we have a different rule. This process of right and wrong runs for all of us.
"We've been ambivalent about the importance of family structure for far too long.
"Strong parenting shows the difference between right and wrong.
"You need to understand and accept you cannot arrest your way out of this problem.
"The local authorities need to get behind it politically, and you need to have the voluntary sector, health sector and school sector involved.
"We know pretty much what works… but we don't do it everywhere and it's got to happen everywhere at the same time."
