Real politics, not farrago politics

What a pity that the succession farrago (Leader, 11 September) should overshadow Tony Blair's speech to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. In it, the Prime Minister foreshadowed the launch of a Social Exclusion Plan that promotes early intervention to prevent the development of a range of health and related problems among children and families. There is much evidence to show that well-resourced and well-implemented interventions can bring real benefits while easily paying for themselves.There are many challenges - for instance, developing existing services without alienating staff and avoiding stigmatising the most vulnerable people. But in the context of historically high spending on dealing with illness and criminality after the event, it is cheaper and wiser to prioritise prevention to help offset some of the consequences of inequality. Surely, this is more important than tedious Westminster machinations and the attendant speculation of the political class?