Yet another politico-media lie...
Some of those serving very short sentences can be released up to 17 days earlier than normal, as a measure to ease overcrowding. About 70,000 have been so released in recent years. Fact.
The Tories and the Daily Mail argue that some of these prisoners have gone on to commit crimes, including a handful of murders and rapes. QED, Labour is soft on criminals.
The sleight of hand is this. How many of these new crimes were committed within the first 17 days out of prison? Because if they were committed after that, then these prisoners would have been released anyway within the normal course of their sentence. These crimes would have nothing to do with the emergency early release scheme, turning a 'news story’ into a big fat 'so what?'
The cynical will know the answer and yet again I can claim - with weary disgust - that our political leaders will spin any lie and obscure any truth in their quest for power. And shame on us for allowing it. Lest it be thought I'm taking a swing at the Conservatives, it must be said that Labour played the same tricks in Opposition. A plague on both their Houses!
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Career politicians have their own interests at heart in my opinion. Look how many of them took advantage of expenses in a way any honest person would have known was taking the piss.
ReplyDeleteThat and they continue to target the poor for revenue (Eg Benefit fraud. I have been investigated for their mistake even though I don't have a pot to piss in) when stopping the tax havens of Jersey et al, would garner many times the revenue lost by the former.
That's not to say I oppose the reclaiming of benefit fraud, just that it would be more effective to pursue other revenue. BUT that would come out of the pocket of the rich.
Goodness, that turned into a bit of a rant.
Anyway, the solution is to boycott the mainstream parties and vote for a party based on principle. The Green Party.
Now I am not an eco mentalist as Jeremy Clarkson would say, but to me they seem different.
Not career politicians from a political dynasty because lets face it, if power was the aim, then the greens are not who you would choose to help you in the short term.
My hope is that a vote for Green not only tells the mainstream party that I am disatisfied with their conduct, but Green policies are not stuck in the ancient rigmarole that the others seem to have little interest in changing.
I'm not sure that I have articulated myself well. What do you think?
Those 17 days are crucial to the rehabilitation process. Every hour counts!
ReplyDeleteYou did just fine, Zoe.