Wednesday 18 June 2008

Joined Up Government...

Labour rottweiler Louise Casey is desperate to get some good headlines for Brown:
Ms Casey, the government's crime and communities adviser, and former "respect tsar", undertook the year-long review, which is based on the views of 13,000 people in England and Wales who were consulted over an eight-month period.

She said people do not believe crime has fallen, and think the law is stacked in favour of offenders' rights.

"We're all a little tired of hearing about the human rights and civil liberties of people who break the law.

"For years we have been listening to that - who is speaking up for the rights of law-abiding decent people?" she told BBC Breakfast.
That should keep the 'Daily Mail' readers happy! But on the other hand:
Escaped prisoners will not have to serve all of the time they spent on the run behind bars once they are caught and returned to jail, prison governors have been told.

There are currently 110 prisoners on the run. Typically, escapees are on the run for around three years while one offender has been at large for five years.

However, new rules from the Ministry of Justice state that the day of escape and capture both count as time served in jail - effectively shaving two days off the time they should spend behind bars.

The guidance also states that governors are allowed to count up to a month of time spent at large as having been served, without referring the case to the Justice Secretary.
Never look at what the government says it will do - look at what it actually does...

3 comments:

  1. The government does exactly the opposite of what it says on the tin.

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  2. Presumably Casey knew - or should have known - about the guidelines concerning escaped prisoners but I can understand (if not sympathise) with her for keeping quiet about them. What I find despicable is the interviewer on Today this morning not knowing or (if knowing) not mentioning them to Casey. The BBC is forever burnishing its journalistic credentials and banging on about its devotion to reporting in the face of extreme danger (cf the memorial to the "Unknown Journalist" on the roof of Broadcasting House). However, when it comes to the bread and butter matter of doing a bit of research before interviewing another government apparatchik all the "journalism" goes straight out of the window and the BBC's function as a transmission belt for the Ministry of Propaganda takes precedence.

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  3. "The government does exactly the opposite of what it says on the tin."

    Heh! It's the 'anti-Ronseal'.... :)

    "..the BBC's function as a transmission belt for the Ministry of Propaganda takes precedence."

    I've taken to checking out everything that the BBC reports on via other media. There's something missing or glossed over in approx 60% of cases.

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