Ann MacMillan's London

Abstract

IT IS STRANGELY REASSURING that three big issues in Britain this autumn were sex, spies, and sovereignty. All are familiar themes that have cropped up regularly in this country for the past century, if not the past millennium. Politicians and pundits talk of a new, vibrant, forward-looking country, but some things never change. As Britain moves into the 21st century, there is a sense of continuity.Sex is always a popular subject in Britain. Next to the weather, it's probably the most talked about matter in the land. So far the new look, new labour leaders have failed to deliver the sorts of sex scandals that threatened to destroy the last Conservative government. No cabinet ministers were discovered disporting themselves with Spanish actresses this year. Instead, British tabloids have been full of the perils of teenage sex. Recent reports of twelve-year-old girls made pregnant by fourteen year-old boyfriends have set tongues wagging and heads shaking. They also provoked a serious debate over the problems caused by children having children.In certain parts of Britain teenage pregnancy is an accepted part of life. Three young mothers who became pregnant at the age of twelve became headline stories lately. The mother of one is only 28 years old herself. News that the Catholic church in Scotland has set up a special fund to help financially strapped youngsters bring up babies has not been welcomed by reformers. The latest girl to benefit from the Church's munificence is a 12-year-old with severe learning difficulties. When her father asked her boyfriend's family for help, he got this response: 'Oh Christ, we've got 18 grandchildren already.'Britain has the highest number of pregnant teenagers in Europe. In 1996 (the last year for which figures are available) there were 63 teenage births per thousand or 93,000 annually - double the rate in Germany, four times the French rate, and seven times higher than in the Netherlands. Being top of the teenage pregnancy tables has led to national soul-searching. So far no one has come up with a convincing explanation for exactly why so many underage British girls have babies, but there have been plenty of suggestions about what should be done. Prime Minister Tony Blair has called for a new moral code in which parents take responsibility for their children. The aptly named Social Exclusion Unit is currently working on ways to reduce teen pregnancies. The Dutch model is being vigorously studied because social attitudes to teenage sex and pregnancy are very different there. Sex education in the Netherlands starts early at home and at school. Contraception is freely available and has become an accepted part of teenage life. Young people are encouraged to take a responsible attitude to sex and discouraged from having babies too young.While teenage pregnancies led to debate about whether Britain is suffering from some sort of social malaise, the recurring problem of spying has raised questions about the competence of the country's security forces. In September two rather unusual 'enemies of the people' were outed by Victor Mitrokin, a former KGB archivist. He defected from Russia in 1992 with six suitcases full of KGB secrets. When he tried to turn himself in at an American embassy he was told embassy staff didn't have time to look through all his documents. The British embassy was more welcoming and, after taking a look at what Mitrokin had to offer, gave him asylum. In a recently published book, Mitrokin revealed details that led to the identification of two spies: Melita Norwood, a great-grandmother, and John Symonds, a former Scotland Yard policeman. Norwood, who until now was famous only for her jam-making skills, was unrepentant about spying for the Soviet Union from 1937 to 1972. A former secretary at the British Non Ferrous Metal Research Association in London, she handed over top-secret information about Britain's atomic programme. She told reporters she had never made money from her activities and that she would do it all over again if it meant helping the communist system to flourish. …