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Fury as Jowell praises 'skills' of street gangs
Last updated at 12:50pm on 25.09.07
Tessa Jowell: praised gangsters
Street gang members in London have "formidable entrepreneurial and leadership skills", says Olympics minister Tessa Jowell.
She told a conference fringe meeting it was time the Government took "risks" in harnessing the abilities of young people who have fallen into crime.
Ms Jowell, a former Culture Secretary, pointed out that part of her Dulwich and West Norwood constituency had seen 12 murders since April, most of them shootings of young men.
She said that for many of those who joined gangs, it was a way of feeling safe in their neighbourhood.
"These people have very formidable entrepreneurial and leadership skills which they have put to bad use," she told the Progress fringe meeting.
One senior Tory today attacked Ms Jowell's views as "naive". "I don't think we should be praising gang members as entrepreneurial genuises.
"That's not exactly how their victims see them," said the Conservative source.
Ms Jowell said: "I have spent a lot of time talking to these young people in gangs and what is quite heart-breaking is their ambitions are exactly the same as the kinds of things our children want for themselves."
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is looking actively at making membership of a gang an aggravating factor, which would increase the sentence for criminal offences.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown told the conference yesterday he wanted to give police tough new powers to stop and search youngsters operating in gun crime "hotspots".
Reader views (33)
Not the kind of entrepreneurs' I would be looking for. You are dangerously misguided. Don't waste your time fraternising with these scumbags, they are highly manipulative and wouldn't think twice about stomping your brains out as you lie helpless on the street.
- Sam, London, 26/09/2007 08:54
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Get rid of this stupid woman.
- Frederick, Dubai, 26/09/2007 08:40
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I really don't see how one can view Tessa Jowell's statements as praising gangsters. The reality is that there is some amount of good in everyone, no matter how much evil they my carry out. All Ms. Jowell has done is highlight something positive that exists within the teenage gangsters who plague the streets of London.
Can you imagine if we can influence these misguided youths to channel their talent in a positive direction as apposed to utilizing these same abilities in the destructive fashion which they currently do!
Our civic responsibility as citizens of this great country is to aid our misguided youth. As when one has no direction, they are left to simply become lost.
- Lee Townsend, London, England, 26/09/2007 00:08
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Before we start the hysteria, it should maybe be pointed out that her sentence finished "which they have put to bad use." She was hardly endorsing their behaviour!
- David, East Finchley, UK, 26/09/2007 00:05
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Completely out of touch with reality like all members of this despicable government. If they were not so busy freeloading off the taxpayers perhaps they would realise what living in the real world is like.
- Peter, Bristol, UK, 25/09/2007 23:51
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You think she believes herself? Another great appointment Crash Gordon...
- Jacqueline, Hampstead, London, 25/09/2007 23:47
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What a refreshing change - a minister who is willing to express a different and creative view! Good for her - reaching out to challenged young people. Maybe we can now stop condemning youngsters who fall outside the norm, and embark on a new and positive dialogue. Well done Tessa!
- Marianne, SW France, 25/09/2007 22:28
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A classic case of mouth engaged and brain in idle!
- Steve, Hereford, 25/09/2007 21:30
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What a moron! No wonder this country is in ruins with prats like her running it.
- Paul Humphreys, Stanford le Hope, Essex, 25/09/2007 21:26
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Another MP acting as a loose canno.
- Tony Brown, Richmond, 25/09/2007 21:19
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It's blatantly obvious she has formidable entrepreneurial and leadership skills.
- Sid, London, 25/09/2007 19:04
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These gang members can also be very persuasive.
- John Evans, London, U.K., 25/09/2007 18:37
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Let me get my head round this one. We have compulsory education up to 18, but a lot of youngsters prefer to demonstrate their business and leadership skills, like the 90% of my generation did who left school at 14. Only today's teenagers cannot do it legally, so they do it illegally. It's called joined-up government.
- Tom, Maidstone, UK, 25/09/2007 18:02
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I think Ms Jowell has fallen into New Labour as a way of feeling safe. So many of her colleagues are barking that her silliness passes unnoticed. But then she missed her vocation in comedy.
- James Elliott, Eastbourne, UK, 25/09/2007 17:07
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I see... if I point a gun at the shop keeper and tell him to give me the money I'm an entrepreneurial genius with great leadership skills.
- Al Stuart, Ealing, London, 25/09/2007 16:25
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Quick...quarantine zone please...foot in mouth disease has spread.
- Nick, London, 25/09/2007 16:19
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Silly woman!
- Claire, Essex, 25/09/2007 15:58
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Perhaps Tessa could join the crews who have to scoop up brain matter and wash the blood off the floors after these (young) people have exercised their entrepreneurial skills. I may provide something of a reality check.
- Enid Geddin, London, 25/09/2007 15:43
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Why is this idiotic woman a government minister?
- Linda, Fife, 25/09/2007 15:20
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There is plenty of mentoring, support and financial assistance for anyone that cares to put down their weapon and seek it...
Somehow, the lure of learning basic book-keeping pales into insignificance next to how cool posing with firearms can be...
The government would have more success in tackling the murders in her south-east London constituency if they disseminated the fact that most street drug dealers live with their mother and earn less than the minimum wage.
- Jowo, London, 25/09/2007 14:10
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Has this imbecile any children! These budding tycoons must will no doubt receive more money under some ludicrous scheme to develop their talents. They are just bad people, simple. There are lots of decent people living in the same area in similar circumstance who do not rob, maim, destroy and kill.
Yours in despair.
- Darren, London, 25/09/2007 13:58
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She may have something here. They have shooting in the Olympics don't they?
An elusive gold for Britain!
- Steve, London, 25/09/2007 13:57
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I don't think her comment is unfair. Gangs are an organised unit, which entails leadership, marketing, sales all sorts of abilities. What she is saying the gangs are not using these skills in the right way but they could use these skills to do something positive. She is not condoning the gangs actions she is merely pointing out that the gangs and its members are skilful and that instead of using these skills in a negative manner which potentially risks imprisonment and causes grief and pain to victims, why not use them skills postively and legally.
- D, London, UK, 25/09/2007 13:51
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This woman has got her head stuck up where the sun doesn’t ever shine. Is there really no one out there with any guts who could actually do something and turn things around? I cannot believe that anyone, after all the harm this bunch of dimwits have done to this country and its people, could ever vote for them again. They are treating the honest people of this country with utter contempt.
- Stephen D., London, England., 25/09/2007 13:38
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Cheek by Jowell.
- Brian, Camberley, 25/09/2007 13:20
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Yes love, why don't you give them all government grants?
- Jay, London, UK, 25/09/2007 13:15
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Robing, mugging, attacking, injuring, vandalising, killing and finding ways of claiming more benefits are some of the great skills that these people have! I had enough of this liberal PC nonsense.
- George, London, 25/09/2007 13:11
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I have really enough from these New Labour silly people. I think they have no clue. My vote will go back to the Tories!
- Eric, London, 25/09/2007 13:10
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Breathtaking stupidity from Ms Jowell. This demonstrates utter disregard for the concerns and fears of decent people in neighbourhoods blighted by crime and gang culture.
- Mark, London, 25/09/2007 13:00
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Tessa Jowell will probably be telling us next that these thugs should be
joining "Common Purpose" to polish up their "leadership" skills to then
be infiltrated into our Local Government.
- Kim, Harlow, 25/09/2007 13:00
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I hope voters remember these absurd statements come election time.
- Dave, London, 25/09/2007 12:58
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So gang members have "formidable entrepreneurial and leadership skills!" With such views in government is it surprising large areas of many of our cities are war zones? Thank you, Ms. Jowell for this brilliant observation. Maybe you should propose a series of commemorative stamps bearing the Kray Brothers.
- R M, London, UK, 25/09/2007 12:42
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What a great idea. Let's bend over backwards to help the wasters and petty criminals, maybe taking a percentage of whatever they manage to steal. Sure beats sitting in a stuffy old classroom being shown no 'respeck' by the teachers.
- Paul, London, 25/09/2007 12:37
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