We are betraying our children

The UK is bottom of a league table for child well-being across 21 industrial countries, a report by Unicef says today.

This comes as no surprise. Children are ignored, their views unlistened to, their needs unmet.

Instead children are subjected to a barrage of conflicting pressures from educational to commercial, while their parents ae encouraged to extend their teenage behaviour into middle age.

Their conceptions about their bodies are attacked by deskbound and sedentary activities on the one hand and commercially driven fashionistic images on the other.

At the same time they are given few opportunities to experience the joy of being in their bodies - through activities, physical work, play, sport - and affection.

Significantly, over half of UK children report that they can't trust their peers. This is scandalous - the worst of all the statistics. They are divided amongst themselves by the competitive nature of these pressures upon them, whether this is to be smart, dumb, aggressive or cool.

Do we ask children what they want and need and respond properly? Not nearly enough. Instead, we live in a society where the disparity in income between the poorest and richest creates envy, personal unhappiness, stress, and crime. The countries where the wealth gap is smallest have the best overall sense of wellbeing.

In short, our priorities are topsy turvy and we are betraying our children - despite all the New Labour 'interventions' and misguided 'nanny state'.

This is why I'm glad I moved out of London to this part of Wales to bring up the kids, and that they have been members of the Woodcraft Folk (misleading name, great ethos) all their lives.

It's a theme at the core of most of the books I plan to write for kids in the future because I feel so strongly about it.

Keep Britain Normal! - the rap

I'm working on a rap to go with Hybrids that we'll put up on myspace nearer publication day. Right now I'm looking for teenagers who want to evolve and record the music and words. It can be performed at signings etc. Here's what we've got so far:

Keep Britain Normal!
- Hybrids out! Hybrids out!
Keep Britain Normal!
- Hybrids Hybrids Hybrids out!

Banish strange diseases
Chuck out the wicked
Except for coughs and sneezes
We don't want no sickies!
Anything unusual
Gotta be reported
Watch the technology
Keep yourself sorted!

Keep Britain Normal!
- Hybrids out! Hybrids out!
Keep Britain Normal!
- Hybrids Hybrids Hybrids out!

Laptop ipod digital gizmos
Gameboy lameboy Stole his charisma
Mobile Camera Never been the same
Since I pressed that button
Now I'm self-cutting
Got a DNAberration Electronic nation
Wired up blanked out Missing generation
Creep! Creep!
Panic on the streets
Paranoia is what greets
Me everywhere I go
No one wants to know

Keep Britain Normal!
- Hybrids out! Hybrids out!
Keep Britain Normal!
- Hybrids Hybrids Hybrids out!

Hunted Shunted on the run to Nowhere
Nothing's fair No peace
No hiding place from the Gene Police
Just cos I'm different
What's your frame of reference?
Help me Save me
Give me salvation
There's no cure but
Genetic Rehabilitation

Keep Britain Normal!
- Hybrids out! Hybrids out!
Keep Britain Normal!
- Hybrids Hybrids Hybrids out!

Pre-order Hybrids on Amazon! And new cover info!

Great news! You can pre-order Hybrids on Amazon now! Just click on the following link and you can preorder it for £4.79 - a 20% discount on the cover price of £5.99!

>> Buy David Thorpe's Hybrids on Amazon UK. What are you waiting for?!

New cover image

And I've just received from my editor the latest image for the front cover design with Johnny Online's face changed, as previously mentioned on the last Hybrids update blog entry. Do you think it's an improvement?


Funny how both his face and mine on my profile are backlit. Do you think Harpers are trying to tell me something?