"There is nothing inevitable about young people from deprived backgrounds ending up “doing nothing”… Much of the current problem results from an outlook on life that places little value on education, the work ethic, thrift, honesty or respect for others, and this is encouraged by popular culture that trashes such values while glorifying the trivial and the vacuous, the cult of celebrity and the “something for nothing” society. Harsh as it may seem, the responsibility for not making the best of their opportunities often lies with the youngsters themselves."

- From a letter to the Times, December 2006.