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Cherie "Booth" sticking her ugly nose in it..again
BillieTheBot
Posts: 8,721 Bot
Once again Tony Blair's pet has been sticking her nose into affairs of state that she has no buisness concerning herself over.
Last time it was an ill thought out comment about Palestinians, now she's going on about the prisons and how they are overcrowded.
Yes, prison numbers have increased, however Mrs Blair is suffering from a well known left wing problem. Nothing is ever right. let me explain. The public demand tough prison sentences for repeat and dangerous offenders. The government obliges by locking people away for longer. As soon as they do, left wing busy bodies like Mrs Blair stick their noses in and complain about "overcrowding".
However, the largest percentages of increase have been for unpaid motoring offences, with a 20% increase since 1998. The largest proportion of offenders however are violent offenders with previous convictions, with 22% of all offenders being there for a violent offence.
What Mrs Blair fails to realise is that it is necessary and essential to keep violent offenders away from the rest of society. People who are inherently violent aren't going to be reformed and have their personalities changed overnight, regardless of whatever regime to subject them to.
However Mrs Blair in her stupid left winged blindness thinks the best solution would be to release them and rehabilitate them.
On the subject of overcrowding, the prisons as an average are only 1% overcrowded. Some prisons are 30% overcrowded, however many are at capacity or undercrowded, meaning a wiser approach to simply releasing people would be to send them to another prison. Building a large prison, with a 5000 inmate capacity would be sufficient to alleviate national overcrowding.
Last time it was an ill thought out comment about Palestinians, now she's going on about the prisons and how they are overcrowded.
Yes, prison numbers have increased, however Mrs Blair is suffering from a well known left wing problem. Nothing is ever right. let me explain. The public demand tough prison sentences for repeat and dangerous offenders. The government obliges by locking people away for longer. As soon as they do, left wing busy bodies like Mrs Blair stick their noses in and complain about "overcrowding".
However, the largest percentages of increase have been for unpaid motoring offences, with a 20% increase since 1998. The largest proportion of offenders however are violent offenders with previous convictions, with 22% of all offenders being there for a violent offence.
What Mrs Blair fails to realise is that it is necessary and essential to keep violent offenders away from the rest of society. People who are inherently violent aren't going to be reformed and have their personalities changed overnight, regardless of whatever regime to subject them to.
However Mrs Blair in her stupid left winged blindness thinks the best solution would be to release them and rehabilitate them.
On the subject of overcrowding, the prisons as an average are only 1% overcrowded. Some prisons are 30% overcrowded, however many are at capacity or undercrowded, meaning a wiser approach to simply releasing people would be to send them to another prison. Building a large prison, with a 5000 inmate capacity would be sufficient to alleviate national overcrowding.
Beep boop. I'm a bot.
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Comments
Regardless of how misguided her comments may have been, you cannot dismiss the fact that she is a barrister, and therefore part of the legal process.
If anything she is in a better position to discuss this issue than either you or I...
I'm doing criminology, a large part of the course is the criminal justice system, how it works, what happens to people e.t.c.
Law is completely different.
Any decent society should welcome open and sensible debate from all quarters. I think you have an ulterior motive simply because she's Blair's wife.
She's also talking bollocks.
Yes, the prisons need an overhaul, however what she is proposing is that people need to be rehabilitated, not punished. You cannot rehabilitate a violent offender, or someone who likes to steal things. Especially if they come from a poor background. Recidivism rates for violent offenders are nearly 40% within 2 years of release. What that suggests to me is that these people aren't fit for release. As for early release, which is what the government has now implmented, all that does is give the image of a small jail stint, slap on the wrists and being allowed out 3 years into a 7 year sentence.
I am perfectly able to read past the Daily Mail rhetoric, I got that story from Sky News and Reuters. I am also perfectly able to use the large amounts of information given to me at uni on the CJS and form my own opinion.
Judges, despite what they say are heavily influenced by the government and the people.
For outspoken women like Mrs Blair to comment and try and influence their decisions undermines the whole system.
However i do agree that prisons are over crowded and I don't think shorter sentances are the answer.
bigger prisons (big building contracts), more staff (less unemployment) and better conditions (prisoners work for state -> state makes £££ -> £££ pays for improvments) would be much better than simply releasing prisoners early.
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largest percentages of increase have been for unpaid motoring offences, with a 20% increase since 1998<b/>
I didn't know that. If i ever get a speeding fine remind me not to pay it
She is using her posistion in an attempt to influence government policy, and sentencing procedure. What she is doing is undermining the whole system, something that is unacceptable.
Freedom of speech is unacceptable? It's unacceptable for an expert in a field to voice their expert opinion on a relevent issue? How exactly is she "undermining the whole system"? Can we really attach that much weight to what she says?
Also, your assertion that some criminals simply cannot be rehabilitated is generalistic, simplistic and wrong.
She is using her posistion in an attempt to influence government policy, and sentencing procedure. What she is doing is undermining the whole system, something that is unacceptable.
</b>
So she cannot express an opinion for the next 3 years just because of who her husband is?
If the gov. lets her saying this effect their policy, then something is wrong...
<i>change that</i> : If the gov. lets her saying this effect their policy more than other comments and letters from the public, then something is wrong...
Does George Bush's wife appear in public speaking about her opinions on public services? Or on the war in Afghanistan? No, she keeps her mouth shut. She realises that it is unacceptable to use the "not what you know, but who you know" system to change things.
If the government changes anything because of that bint I think there will be a lot of unhappy campers.
Is Laura Bush a leading human rights lawyer, widely regarded as one of the experts in her field, and a Queen's Councillor? No.
Cherie Blair isn't using her relationship to get attention; she's giving the same statements and lectures that any lawyer in her position would be accustomed to giving, it's simply that the press picks up on her more. If you have a problem, it's them you should blame; there's no reason that she should be prevented from doing her job simply because she's married.
I cant remember the last time I read about any other QC in the news.
That's not her fault though - she can't make the papers report or not report her. All she can do, all she should do, is continue to act as she would if she weren't in the public eye.
Not sure I agree with that.
She knows that what she says is likely to be reported, especially if it has political overtones. You can bet your arse that Number 10's media controllers had input and notice about what she was going to say.
Other QC comments are pushed into smaller column as don't get the same focus. many have criticised national policies on prisons for some time, including many judges.
But since when have they been a real barometer of the general public's opinions?
But she doesn't though. She knows that she will recieve more media attention than anyone else. I don't recall EVER seeing a QC appear in the press to speak about prison conditions
But I'm sure other QC's speak on similer issues. And I'm sure if they had the chance of national newspaper coverage they'd jump at it.
Blame the newspapers for either
a) reporting what she says too heavily
b) Not reporting the other strongly enough.
I'd rather blame them for B. I'm sure I'd rather read a human rights lawyer rant and give some opinions and suggestions that I may have not heard beofore, than hear how beckhams foot is healing, or what big brother house mates are doing.
But thats just me, and unfortunatly I'm still lacking the final ingredient to the magic formula that will allow me to rule the world with my clones.
I'm off down tesco's to see if its in yet.
Her outbursts will do her other half more harm than good.
Paul
When has Cherie eversupported bombers or paedophiles?