This family crusade is well worth the fight

Some will again for he has dared to raise the politically perilous issues of stable marriage and family life.

They would be foolish to do so.

True, the "back to basics" agenda of John Major and Jack Straw's weak attempts to talk about family values were chased away by the cynical media, who cannot resist the stench of hypocrisy. But times are different now. Smith has turned himself into a seer, a visionary in touch with the kinds of people politely called the "disadvantaged" whom you and I would cross the road to avoid.

The voices on the Left who say this is just another attempt to turn back the clock are being criminally negligent.

I don't care for the silly idea that people will stay married if bribed with a few more state pounds one of the recommended policies but the rest of Duncan Smith's Breakdown Britain makes compelling arguments. Something urgent needs to be done to rebuild societal and family bonds through mutual obligation.

For me, marriage is an essential recognition of those bonds; others may avoid that ritual and still commit. That's what counts.

Britain has the most dysfunctional families in Europe, the highest rates of teen parenting, growing numbers of divorced, child poverty and generational disadvantage and alarmingly less social mobility than a decade ago. The problems all link up a fool can see that. Look around and notice our breaking society, the human debris littering the landscape, the throwaway children piling up on desolate sites, the absence of longterm commitment within all classes.

The tenets of economic liberalism applied to social relations has created this almighty mess. Choice and change, choice and change, OK great for cars and holidays (for those able to afford it), but a disaster for human kinship, which require loyalty, fidelity, attachment throughout life, consistency and the capacity to stay steady even when the storms come or, much more dangerous, when easier, more thrilling options beckon.

All our narratives and storylines on TV now reflect the opposite. Longterm relationships are uncool, or must always be smashed. Fidelity is foolishness which gets its comeuppance.

In spite of this cultural brainwashing you won't find many children who think parents should live by only their own desires. They pay the price, whether on drug-ridden housing estates or in the costliest public schools.

This hedonistic, vandalistic culture will destroy us all. The quiet man has spoken. We should listen with respect..