An investigation into a £3,500 bill for takeaway food for prisoners at a Cambridgeshire maximum security jail has led to the meals being banned.Takeaway food…? Were the kitchens out of order? Was this an emergency order for an unexpected and uncatered-to rise in the prison population?
Ah, no. Turns out it was ‘diversity’ in action once more:
It was revealed in November that prison staff bought curries for some 200 Muslim prisoners at the jail, near March, in celebration of Eid which marks the end of Ramadan - the month of fasting, at a cost of around £3,500.Can’t the prison canteen cope with knocking up the odd curry, then? What do they eat at other times? I mean, when they aren’t all rioting ...?
Sadly for the diversity wonks, news of this got out:
Raising the issue at Commons question time on Tuesday, Peterborough's Tory MP Stewart Jackson asked if Ms Prentice thought it was appropriate prison staff were "running errands to pick-up takeaways in the name of diversity for prison inmates".I’m rather surprised the reply wasn’t ‘Yes!’. But (perhaps mindful of the fate of the last person to show an arrogant lack of comprehension of how she was caught bang to rights), the government spokesperson fessed up:
He said: "Do you think that is acceptable to my tax-paying, law-abiding constituents that that is the case under your government?"
Ms Prentice replied: "No, we don't think it is appropriate and steps have been taken to make sure it doesn't happen again."Curses! And she would have got away with it if it wasn’t for
I believe the real issue is the prison kitchen can't servce hal-al food which the Muslim inmates requried to celebrate Eid. Of course, this doesn't make a nice media story so unfortunately Stewart Jackson and the media chose to ignore this element of the story. Nevermind.
ReplyDeleteSteps have been taken to ensure that news about this will never emerge again.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, aren't curries English? Was the meat halal? Why do criminals get free curries delivered while people I know can't afford to order one for themselves? should they commit a violent offence to be guaranteed an Indian takeaway every week?
I hate this fucking country.
"I believe the real issue is the prison kitchen can't servce hal-al food which the Muslim inmates requried to celebrate Eid."
ReplyDeleteJust to celebrate Eid? I was under the impression that eating halal was for life, not just for Eid.
Wouldn't it be a much, much bigger story if they were forced to eat non-halal every day? I can imagine Buglawala would have blown a gasket if so...
No, there's a bit more to this story, I suspect.
"...should they commit a violent offence to be guaranteed an Indian takeaway every week?"
Not just that, but thery'll go to the head of the queue for NHS treatment to!
JuliaM
ReplyDeleteI think we can all congratulate ourselves - and the prison authorities - that "lessons have been learned", unfortunately however, to no effect whatsoever. I know, you know, Mr Jackson and Ms Prentice know that next Eid (or this weekend) the same thing will happen and keep happening. As you imply, it's "diversity" in action.
Another celebration of diversity took place at Alexandra Palace in North London earlier this week. We were treated to a magnificent (and, I'm sure, ludicrously expensive - mind you, it's only council taxpayers' money, not the real stuff) firework display put on by the London Borough of Haringey - yes, that one - to celebrate yet another Eid. Funny, there are never any fireworks to celebrate Christmas or Easter, the end of Yom Kippur or the Jewish New Year, or Diwali or any other specifically religious occasions. Is there a pattern developing here? Or am I being over-sensitive?
BTW "halal" is dependent on content and (in meat products) how the animal was slaughtered as this website informs us. However, if the criminals involved are so keen on observing the tenets of their faith and the prison kitchens can't cope with their demands then they can become vegetarians for the duration of their stay. Since AFAIAA even the Koran prohibits "normal" crime it's odd that these "believers" are encouraged by the prison authorities to pick and choose what parts of their religion they choose to observe.
"...firework display put on by the London Borough of Haringey - yes, that one - to celebrate yet another Eid..."
ReplyDeleteCouldn't they have merged it with Guy Fawkes Night, and burnt a useless, stuffed effigy on top. I believe it'd be the most useful (albeit brief) thing Shoesmith could do for the borough...
"it's odd that these "believers" are encouraged by the prison authorities to pick and choose what parts of their religion they choose to observe."
Because no doubt thay'll riot if they don't?