Filton and Bradley Stoke MP Jack Lopresti has spoken in the House of Commons in a debate on the response to the summer riots. Mr Lopresti argued that strong role models and an improvement in social mobility are just as important as prosecution and appropriate sentencing.
In the debate Mr Lopresti said:
“Young people tend to be drawn to gang culture largely because of a lack of good role models in the community, a poverty of aspiration and the lack of social mobility in our country.”
After the debate, he added:
“We can all remember the violence and looting of the nationwide summer riots. Bristol was affected along with most other major cities. What I remember to be so striking was that some people weren’t surprised at what was happening. It seems that we lost touch with a proportion of our young people years ago. I believe one of the things our young people need are strong role models who can demonstrate to them that with determination, hard work and persistence they can achieve their goals.”
Mr Lopresti advocates young people joining local voluntary groups for inspiration, structure and leadership, particularly groups such as the Scouts and St John Ambulance. He also believes that the newly formed National Citizen Service, a Government sponsored scheme for the benefit of young people will provide them with great opportunities
His youngest son Michael is a distinguished army cadet (in the Patchway detachment), who hopes to join the regular army.
The MP is a vice chairman of the newly formed All Party Parliamentary Group Social Mobility.
On open forum, I’d like to see our wonderful role model of an M.P. stand up in Bradley Stoke and explain how he provides such. Which local meetings of youth has the Honorable Member attended? The Scouts? The St. Johns Ambulance? The T.A. perhaps, he could do recruiting and have the ”1st Volunteer Company of Lopresti” formed and make something for the youth of our community to enjoy. Of course they’d have to wear the cool colour Black shirts and Trousers, ‘hail’ Jack.
Well let us hope we see and hear and actually have some work out of our M.P. on social mobility, by spending less time playing at being a soldier and do more being the very well paid position demands for this community.