Kate Hoey MP, via TheyWorkForYou.com:
Will the Leader of the House find time next week for those of us who disagree with the Justice Secretary’s decision to overrule the Parole Board on the Ronnie Biggs case to discuss that, given that we allowed hundreds of terrorists and murderers to go free in Northern Ireland, and we also allow murderers who have done much worse things than Ronnie Biggs to go free? The Justice Secretary overruled the Parole Board, which he could not do under today’s law. Will the Leader of the House find a way for us to discuss this matter and bring it to the House’s attention?
And we wonder why the criminal justice system is failing!
Let me get this straight. Because the UK government let a load of convicts out early as part of the cease-fire negotiation with sectarian terrorists, we should now let all criminals out early? Because the UK government has utterly failed to provide enough prison space and has to let some convicts out early we should let everyone out early?
And there was I, a naive citizen, thinking that the reason the state puts people away is to stop them from causing further harm. What does Ms Hoey think the reason is? To appease the mob? To keep them safe from the hands of the vigilantes?
Ms Hoey does have a point about consistency, though. Life should mean life, 30 years should mean 30 years, suspended sentences should be abolished and the law should be applied uniformly to all criminals no matter what hand-wringing excuses their lefty lawyers come up with. I suppose that is the difference between someone who can see the consequences of their thought processes and those who cannot.
For once, Mr Straw has got it right. If Biggs had not skipped jail in the first place he would have been a free man a long time ago. It also goes to show that, no matter how cleverly you design a system, there will always be curious results thrown out by a complex machine. There should always be room to overcome clearly “immoral” decisions. Three cheers for the old law. Up yours, Hoey.






