Mocne słowa premiera na Dzień Ojca

Premiera Wielkiej Brytanii Davida Camerona. Jakie świetne wystąpienie, szkoda, że nie można usłyszeć czegoś podobnego z ust polskiego polityka. Tutaj w całości. A poniżej najlepsze urywki:

Now, I know we can’t do this at a stroke of a legislator’s pen. There’s nothing we can do in Whitehall to force fathers to get involved. But what we can do is make it easier for fathers to do the right thing than the wrong thing. (...) We’re investing in relationship support to help prevent family breakdown; and when it is inevitable, to make sure that it is well-handled. And yes, I want us to recognise marriage in the tax system so as a country we show we value commitment.

At the same time, I also think we need to make Britain a genuinely hostile place for fathers who go AWOL. It’s high time runaway dads were stigmatised, and the full force of shame was heaped upon them. They should be looked at like drink drivers, people who are beyond the pale. They need the message rammed home to them, from every part of our culture, that what they’re doing is wrong – that leaving single mothers, who do a heroic job against all odds, to fend for themselves simply isn’t acceptable.

Ponadto uważam, że powinniśmy uczynić Wlk. Brytanię prawdziwie wrogim miejscem dla dezerterujących ojców. Najwyższy czas, aby ojcowie, którzy porzucają rodziny, byli z całą mocą piętnowani i palili się ze wstydu. Powinni być oni traktowani jak pijani kierowcy, jako robiący coś zupełnie nieakceptowalnego. Cała nasza kultura powinna im dać jasny sygnał, że to co robią, jest czymś bardzo złym – że porzucenie matek, które wykonują heroiczną pracę, aby radziły sobie same – jest po prostu nieakceptowalne.

All this will help make a difference. But in the end, it will be the daily habits and decisions of Britain’s fathers that will determine if we succeed. On their decision to financially and emotionally support their child even if they’ve split up from their mother; to spend time with their kids at weekends, taking them to the football or the playground; to go to the nativity play and take an interest in their child’s education.

I say this knowing how difficult being a parent is. As the American writer Kent Nerburn brilliantly put it: “It is much easier to become a father than to be one.” And I don’t for one minute claim to be a perfect father to my kids. Just ask Sam. But this is too important an issue to remain silent on. This is about our children’s futures, and with that, our country’s future too. We owe it to them to be there for them, however hard we may find it.

So on this Father’s Day, let’s embrace and celebrate the responsibilities we have.