at last the truth

[caminito]

The Prime Minister said 'unsustainable levels of public spending and immigration' were among the problems inherited by the Coalition when they won the keys to Downing Street. 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1351381/David-Cameron-Immigration-partly-responsible-economic-crisis-gripping-country.html#ixzz1CMAZXtUp

[Chrisjay]

Well we know he is making cuts to public spending what is he going to do about immigration?

I did like the story on the news tonight that if all the books are on loan from the library they can't close them down.  But if the council cannot afford to run them turn them over to the community that wants to retain them and man them with volunteers after all they belong to us - we paid for them through our taxes.  If the council forfits council tax on the premises and they fund raise for utility costs it is a very viable volunteer project.

[avalonmpk2]

Truth - Millipeeeeeeds lot have just stated that we will have 10, less police on the beat did we really ever have that number there is never one about when an elderly person gets mugged and in the last ten years I have never seen one walking in my part of the world the only time they are on their feet is at freebies like 'EVENTS' oh yes I for got once the last time we had the hunt in the village.

[Chrisjay]

How true - in my last village we only saw a police woman once when she came to a coffee morning for the coffee not to speak.  Since I have been here I have not seen one police person but I bet if the sun shines you will see them hidden at the bottom of a hill or in a lay-by with a camera.

I think the police are playing at politics in saying the cuts mean they have to cut the number of officers.  I agree with the government on this they can cut costs and save huge amounts of money (as some forces have already proved before these new round of cuts) by joining up to central buying schemes to get the best prices for their paper clips etc.

Maybe teaching their traffic officers to park as they had 238 'accidents' in their own car parks costing the tax payer (us) £100,000 in repair bills, and this was just in the Cheshire and Staffordshire (presumably this is replicated country wide) police forces, think of the money saved if the traffic police could actually drive.  The there is the add on cost of these vehicles not being roadworthy so replacement vehicles have to be brought in or the 'service' that day cancelled so if the officer concerned cannot go out in his/her car they are paid for doing nothing - maybe that's the idea as we know they don't want to go into the parks at night after 8pm as it's 'not safe'.
They actually justified these accidents by saying they had lost some of their more experienced officers because of the cuts (they can retire the older officers but not fire the incompetent ones) however, surely any person with a drivers licence should be able to park a car in a car park!

[caminito]

I suppose that we have just got to understand how the system works .
We , the Plebs , we don't count , we just pay the bill . (no pun intended )
Don't expect  to see a police officer on the beat . They are to busy collecting fines from the motorist .
Now the people that really count in our society . Royals and the Establishment , they will have 24/7 protection !
Never mind the cost .They don't pay the bill!


Police bodyguards to be issued with stun guns to protect the Royals from protesters
Police officers protecting the Royal Family are being issued with controversial taser stun guns following the attack on Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, by student protesters last year.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/8306051/Police-bodyguards-to-be-issued-with-stun-guns-to-protect-the-Royals-from-protesters.html
 

As I was getting into bed the other night, my wife told me I had left the light on in the garage. She could see light coming through the bedroom window. As I got up to shut the curtain (rather than go outside to shut off the stupid light), I saw there were 2 guys taking things from my garage. I immediately called 999, but was told that they didn't have anyone "in the area at this time," but would send someone over as soon as possible. I said OK, hung up, and waited one minute. Then I called 999 again. I said, "I called you a minute ago because there was someone in my garage. Well, you don't have to worry about that now because I just shot them."

Within two minutes there were 3 police cars in front of my house, a SWAT van
and the paramedics.

They immediately apprehended the burglars. However, the police officer was
really mad & said "I thought you said you'd shot them!"

I replied, "I thought you said there was nobody available." 

[Chrisjay]

I am not sure if you are joking or not but if you were not I am amazed you were not arrested for some offence or other 

[caminito]

 

“The human race has only one really effective weapon and that is laughter.”
- Mark Twain

[Chrisjay]

You are priceless 

[caminito]

More truth ...

One of Britain’s most senior judges called last night for Britain to pull out of the European Court of Human Rights following its controversial ruling that prisoners should be given the vote.

Lord Hoffmann, who served as a Law Lord for 14 years until last year, said the court had gone beyond its remit in a way that would have ‘astonished’ its founding fathers.

The prominent human rights campaigner said that in recent years ‘human rights have become, like health and safety, a byword for foolish decisions by courts and administrators’.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1354362/Europes-human-rights-court-control--pull-Call-British-judge-ruling-prisoners-vote.html#ixzz1DGSuP8lc

[Chrisjay]

OK here is devils advocate - if prisoners have to pay a TV licence, VAT and other taxes as well as rent or mortgage on their homes while in prison why should they not be able to vote?

If they are not to have any citizen responsibilities then they should have none including not paying TV licences and tax.

Lets remember only about 10% of prisoners are inside for more than 7 years.  Of the 80,000 + prison population less than 20% are inside for violent or sexual crimes.  Most sentences are under 4 years of which only about 20 months would be served.  For people serving 12 months or less they would probably miss the time to go on the voters list and frankly most prisoners would never vote on the outside as they would be traceable via the voters register, and an astronomical number of prisoners have very poor literacy skills to read where to put the cross.

Futher they would not influence to outcome of a general election as the few numbers who would vote would be spread so thinly across the country as to be negligible in a local count.

As I have said before to the lock um up and throw away the key - there but for the grace of God and if you treat prisoners like animals with no sense of responsibility that is exactly what you will get when they are released. Only a very few probably less than 100 will never be released so one day the rest will be on your streets.

I have been to enough prisons to know the ones that operate a respectful responsible (including trust) working regime have the least re-offending rates.

I have visited women's open prisons where while in the sports hall the doors opened and were open out onto the outside road, the women were trusted not to cross the line and they didn't.  Same with Menes prisons where trust and responsibility operated there was less re-offending.

Prison is not about punishing people the punishment is being locked away from family and friends and not having the freedom to bathe and eat when you want.  Prison is about addressing the offenders behaviour so they do not continue to commit offences.  Remember not all people in prison are violent, sexual, burglars and muggers the majority are for 'white collar' crime which although still a crime I would not put a pensioners not paying their council tax or TV licence in the same category as a rapist.

Remember I did say devils advocate 

[bromers]

Prisoners who have savings or own there own house,should pay bed and board whilst at her majesty's pleasure. About one thousand a month that seems fair.

[Chrisjay]

And again I will be devils advocate 

If they lose their house while inside where do they go when they get out and what happens to their families?  On the streets, back to the gangs, on benefits and social housing, how would they start a new life crime free?  Remember many of the people in jail are there because they are drug addicts (and in the case of women mules) if they have nothing to come out to when and if they get clean they start a crime free life how?

Also although it is reported that it costs £600 per week to keep someone inside people forget there is approx £1.20p per day allowed to feed them all the meals and drinks.  For that the inmate male of female is required to work a full working week  for which they get 'spends' of about £3 which has to provide all their toiletries including razors, soap, toothpaste, skin creams (for the coloured people) shampoo, stamps and writing materials etc all at inflated store prices.
The prison charges companies who have their products either made or packaged the going rate and pockets the difference so the figure of £600 is vastly distorted. So they already work for their room and board!
As recently seen in a prison riot there were only four guards on duty for some 100 plus inmates so staffing costs are hardly huge.

If you got 'done' for not having motor insurance (forgot to renew it and no reminder because you moved house or your wife had cancer and you had other things on your mind), no TV licence (same reason) smacked someone in the mouth for assaulting your wife or hitting a yob for attacking your home would you expect to come out minus your house and your family made homeless while you were 'banged up'

Your comments are perfectly reasonable for someone who has not seen or worked on the other side but please think with a more open mind before you make such sweeping statements.  One cap certainly does not fit all and offenders seldom think of the damage to their families before committing a spontaneous crime but it is more often than not the families who suffer the most.

Even playing devils advocate I can still see huge problems with public perception and the media seldom says anything positive.  Look at George Best, Paul Gasgoine, and other sports people with records did they lose as much as the ordinary Joe Bloggs locked up   No they came out almost if not hero's and made money 'telling' (bragging) about the experience.

[caminito]

This e-mail has been going  around .......


Let's put the pensioners in jail and the criminals in a nursing home.  This way the pensioners would have access to showers, hobbies and walks. They'd receive unlimited free prescriptions, dental and medical treatment, wheel chairs etc and they'd receive money instead of paying it out.
They would have constant video monitoring, so they could be helped instantly, if they fell, or needed assistance. Bedding would be washed twice a week, and all clothing would be ironed and returned to them. A guard would check on them every 20 minutes and bring their meals and snacks to their cell.  They would have family visits in a suite built for that purpose.
They would have access to a library, weight room, spiritual counseling, pool and education.
Simple clothing, shoes, slippers, PJ's and legal aid would be free, on request.
Private, secure rooms for all, with an  exercise outdoor yard, with  gardens.
Each senior could have a PC a TV radio and daily phone calls. There would be a board of directors to hear complaints, and the guards would have a code of conduct that would be strictly adhered to. The "criminals" would get cold food, be left all alone and unsupervised. Lights off at 8pm, and showers once a week. Live in a tiny room and pay £900.00 per month and have no hope of ever getting out.   
 

Everyone seems to get better support from the government than pensioners 

BENEFIT    BRITISH OLD AGED PENSIONER    ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS / REFUGEES LIVING IN BRITAIN
Weekly allowance                                 £100                    £250
Weekly Spouse allowance                      £25                    £225
Additional weekly hardship allowance    £0.00                    £100
TOTAL YEARLY BENEFIT                            £6,000                    £29,900
If I were a refugee, why would I look for work?

[Chrisjay]

It might be going around but that does not make it accurate although there are some jails I have visited that are reasonable but most prisoners do not get PCs in their cells, nor do they get private secure rooms they normally share with less than desirable people, they get a family visit once every two weeks (if there is room), they can be moved anywhere in the country often hundreds of miles from their family and spend up to 23 hours a day in solitary.

Why do you think solitary confinement is the worst punishment terrorists (other than torture) carry out on their captives??? try spending 23 hours speaking to no one, reading nothing, writing nothing, listening to nothing, having absolutely nothing to do but stare at a blank wall.

The email may be funny to some but it really is far from accurate.  Remember there is an all male exclusive sex offenders prison in the midlands that is used for 'ordinary men' when there is no room in other prisons.  How many pensioners would like to go there for the 'cosy' life of care???

[caminito]

I can only read about prisons and prison life . Never been in one !
From a BBC article on prison officers.at Wormwood Scrubs .......

Luke Stone and Mark Richards look every inch prison officers.
Mr Richards, 34, who has worked at the prison for seven-and-a-half years says they need to be taught trades, such as plumbing or bricklaying.

He says: "There is not a lot for them to do. The workshops aren't constructive. It ticks all the right boxes, but they are not learning."

The pair say all of this is happening against a backdrop of improved conditions.

Aside from the overcrowding and fewer staff to look after the increased number of inmates - prisoners have everything they could possibly want, according to the pair, and that is half the problem.

'Necessary evil'

Both men laugh at the government's so-called "tough stance" on crime.

They say the system is "absolutely soft", with everything - from televisions to canteen access - guaranteed.

"Some prisoners talk of the old days, when there was discipline and they had to earn everything they got," says Mr Stone.

"And when you reward everyone, there is nothing to strive for. You have already fed the donkey the whole carrot. "