5 The Prince and the Paupers

Last week saw the launch of a major report into youth disadvantage and social exclusion by the Prince’s Trust, entitled ‘The cost of exclusion’ http://www.princes-trust.org.uk/main%20site%20v2/downloads/Cost%20of%20Exclusion%20apr07.pdf . The authors have gone out of their way to calculate the loss to the economy and the extra costs to society when people opt out of the workforce and behave in antisocial ways. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/04/10/nyouth10.xml . In truth, I found this report something of a disappointment, as I’m not sure these calculations add much to the debate. Yes, it would be good if these people were active contributors to society, but they’re not, and all the evidence suggests that simply offering them a ‘hand up’, a break, isn’t enough. Some of these people are a real pain in the arse if you are unlucky enough to live near them. This report left me asking ‘but what is to be done?’ However, if you want the most recent and authoritative analysis of youth disadvantage then this is the place to go.