I have been following the respect debate and what truly concerns me is how we tend to rationalise wrongdoing and how liberal we are in giving reasons for unacceptable behaviour. There is no excuse for criminal/anti social behaviour period and once the line from right to wrong is crossed then the wrongdoer forfeits all democratic rights. We learn respect and this starts in the home. The most crucial years in a child's development is under the age of ten and if we do not get it right before then, great difficulties will abound should we try to correct the child's behaviour later. So parents should take full responsibility for their child's behaviour and should be accountable. I hope the respect agenda works. The measures do not go far enough but it is a start.
Frank Williams, DerbyWe will never recover respect in this country until individuals begin taking responsibility for their own actions, rather than blaming everyone else any time something goes wrong. Dominic Graham de Montrose, London
Respect has been lost in this country because of Blair and his government. Since 1997 they have set the agenda for Britain, starting with the mantra ‘tough on the causes of crime’. Everything that has worsened since then can be laid fairly and squarely at Blair’s door. He has introduced one initiative after the other, yet nothing improves. Asbos were meant to sort out antisocial behaviour; now there's to be summary justice and parenting orders. Name and address withheld
The problem isn’t Blair’s respect law but the police who seem to be scared to carry such instructions. Where I live young hooligans terrorise the streets with not a dickey bird from the police. Apart the usual bookings, warnings and returning to their parents and there after repeat episodes. Those hooligans can terrorise because they have no respect for the police, knowing full well they will be in action after the police’s limp response. What we need is for our law inforcers to be accountable to the public and if they don't perform, as the people they represent would like, they are then punished/ removed or whatever is effective and get things moving. Once you put the wind up our constabulary then you will see a marked performance and hopefully the end to such neighbourhood terrorism. The problem isn’t the kids so much but the under performing and lethargic police force we have currently got. Glenn Renshaw, Newbury
It is easy to identify what is wrong with our society today. It isn't rocket science to trace the deterioration of our education system, parenting skills and the like. What struck me most, listening to Tony Blair this morning, was the repeated fact that it doesn't matter if you are referring to old ladies being spat at in the street or antisocial behaviour in general, we already have laws in place to deal with the offenders but these laws are not being enforced. Tony Blair moved into 10 Downing Street in 1997; after all this time as the political leader of our country, he is telling us that laws are not being enforced. He is the Prime Minister. It is his job to kick someone up the behind and enforce the current legislation to its fullest extent. To introduce new - and by his own admission, seemingly unnecessary - measures has all the hallmark of spin, of seeming to deal with the situation but really pulling the wool over the public's eyes. Someone is accountable. It could be a policeman for not arresting a yob spitting at an old lady; it could be a magistrate for not punishing that yob, or it could be Tony Blair for not doing his job. Keith Downer, London
Respect? Pah! Complete piffle. None of this is new. Tony Blair says he's proud Asbo has become a household word. He should be ashamed. Stiffer fines? A whole £20 more? Wow! How about addressing the issues that have created this yob society? Oh, yes, parenting classes for teenage mums. What a stunning breakthrough. Blair and his Government are busy failing everybody from grave to cradle and now he wants to wreck the future too! How about creating schools where one size does not fit all, where all children have a fighting chance of a future whether it be as a plumber or a dentist (two professions in short supply). What good is unpaid work for offenders, when after their unpaid work, they have no paid work to go back to? What we need is radical measures to yank this country into the 21st century. What we're getting is weak "sticking-plaster" moves to appeal to the surface of public anxiety. Sarah Marquis, London
As a member of a family who were driven out of their own home by the activities of neighbours - the strain of which brought on my father's heart attacks and destroyed my mother - I don't have any faith in this initiative at all. It is too late for a lot of these antisocial people and I feel that Blair's hopeless policies and "it's everyone else's fault, you just do what you want" culture has made things worse. Carole Tyrrell, London
These latest measures might appear to be well-intentioned but they are only belatedly addressing serious problems of behaviour which have been created or are being exacerbated by this Government's policies, or lack of them, over many years. Surely there are enough existing laws on the statute books to deal with the problems as it is? The real problem is the inability or unwillingness of the justice system to enforce existing laws in the face of overly-tolerant politically correct public opinion. Andrew Whiting, Paris
Since my daughter was attacked last summer, I have been campaigning through politicians, papers and police to have antisocial behaviour addressed. Several letters on the subject were written to ,The Times and other newspapers but never published. It is my strong belief that if we start educating our children now on the basics of mutual respect and understanding and encouraging parents to take a more active role in the upbringing of their children, that a society free from the shackles of antisocial behaviour could eventually be achieved. All religions are based on a mutual respect and it would not be too difficult to produce a non-denominational teaching model that would be agreeable to all religious leaders. Parents have to be taught to control their children, children have to be taught the difference between right and wrong and understand the principles of crime and punishment. Police have to be given the power to control anti-social behaviour, the courts must stand beside the police and the educators must be allowed to restore order in their schools, even if that means sending the unruly few to specialist teaching units. Religion should be brought back as part of the national curriculum, disinterested parents should be "encouraged" to conform and take responsibility. Vincent Fox, Ballymoney, Northern Ireland
Mr Blair had no "respect" for the views of the majority of the electorate over the Iraq war and the giving up of billions of pounds of taxpayers cash to the EU for no return whatsoever. Also it is his party's policies over the past 10 years that have given rise to many of today's problems. We have listened to the hollow New Labour rhetoric before. What we need is someone with enough nerve to carry through a zero tolerance policy without making u-turns. Come back Maggie! Anthony Martin, Eastwood
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