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November 12, 2006
I see that New Labour in the UK is saying that the probation service has its historic roots in the 19th century Church of England temperance movement, and that it is time to bring "bring the voluntary sector back to centre stage" as an "equally professional partner" in supervising offenders.
I'm not sure what it means. It seems to mean that the private sector provides community support to give ex-offenders some options in life other than crime. What sort of options would they be? Keeping on the straight and narrow by zealous fundamentalists who believed in ceaseless hard work, the sinfulness of human nature and an avenging, wrathful God?

Martin Rowson
The temperance movement in Australia was an abstinence-oriented movement. They failed to bring about prohibition in spite of a long campaign for local option. The movement's major success was in prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages after 6:00 in the afternoon, laws which led to the notorious six o'clock swill.
The faith based temperance movement was about saving alcoholics ---today that means conquering the bottle with the help of Jesus. Prohibition is touted as the almost magical solution to the nation's poverty, crime, violence, and other ills.
Gee I hope this doesn't catch on for indigenous people coming out of jail in Australia? Faith based social services caring for petrol sniffing indigenous youth who have no jobs? Gee, we would have abstinence-only forms of sex education, politics based on those who "share our [Christian] values" ; a refusal to counsel women on the subject of abortion etc etc.
It is an open invitation for the religious right.
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