Comment

Mr Ian Duncan Smith reckons that marriage is the best state in which to bring up children and wants to give them a £20 a week tax relief to this.

Now I wonder if Mr Smith had this couple in mind where a bride whacked her husband with a stiletto on their wedding day. She has been fined £200 for the assault and ordered to pay £500 compensation to the hotel for damage to the room.

I do find it rather odd. Surely its not the piece of paper that matters but the commitment the couple bring to the relationship. And surely the money is for the welfare of the children so why treat children of non-marrieds differently?

I applaud the intention to strenghen the family unit but the concept of family is different now to how it was 70 years ago.