Crime and Punishment

Is it true that police in the UK are not allowed to carry guns? If so, that would seem very dangerous for them. I hope I'm wrong!

The whole "we can't judge them" attitude toward criminals really bothers me. It just allows the lawless and violent to continue on without consequence. Sounds suicidal to me. I think it's okay ethically to 'judge' someone when it involves protecting others!

Here's a hint from the article for all those bleeding hearts: "More effective than trying to tackle the 'social causes of crime' is for the state to deter criminal behaviour by increasing its costs."

Hmmm... actually PUNISHING people for committing crimes? You mean a greater guarantee of suffering the consequences will make people think twice before knifing or raping another? What a novel idea!

Thanks for the comment.

Many socialists within my extended family SHARE my anger at the 'bleeding-heart' liberals.

That's because the older generations within my family grew up in dire poverty after the second world war.

maybe you/we should just make everything legal - no more crime stats. I'm being facetious!

I really like the idea of 'parenting orders', this would eventually stop a lot of crime here and the UK, sad that we all need a law to force parents to be parents.

nothing really to do with your blog - but, scary interesting is this article posted by Jevica:
http://www.thebulletin.us/site/news.cfm?newsid=18763638&BRD=2737&PAG=461&dept_id=576361&rfi=6

Thanks for your feedback, and thanks for the link.

I hope I have made it clear to anyone who readsd this blog that this is not necessarily a partisan issue.

I think the poverty card is a cop-out because it denies the honour of the vast majority of decent working-class people who are trying to scratch a living. They are often the ones most affected by crime.

Usually it is the right that bang on about this issue because law and order is a traditional issue for the right, in the same way that like poverty is for the left.

However, increasingly there are people on the left and centre who are also speaking out because they have had enough of a particular type of 'liberal' judge or police officer.

Although people are split along partisan divides as to root causes, I think campaigns against lawlessness could be made bi-partisan if there was enough political will.

A united front against this is required!

Here's a story from the UK:

A man was STONED TO DEATH by a bunch of children whilst he was playing cricket with his son:

http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/society/law_order/boys+stoned+man+to+death/747852

(The first time the kids have shown ANY upset over this was when they were found guilty ... of manslaughter)

Poverty my a$$

something is terribly wrong that anyone could be capable of this - yes, lock these freaks up forever, but what is going on with humanity?

"what is going on with humanity?"
I don't know, I really don't know.

This stuff is being reported in our press all the time, and we have all become a little more cautious and a little more fearful.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/02/nrhys202.xml

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/02/nrhys102.xml

Some people are trying to link this to a gun culture, but handguns were banned in the UK in 1997 after the Dunblane massacre.

I'm not saying that we would be any safer if legal ownership were expanded (e.g. like in parts of the US), but I am pointing out that the ban hasn't been too successful. As the BBC admitted over the years, gun crime is on the increase in the UK:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1440764.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2640817.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6960431.stm

Some people complain about the atomisation of society due to Margaret Thatcher, but we have had 10 years of a moderate Labour government, and UK society is still degrading.

You would never now go out in town at night unless you are in a group, and even then in some UK town centres you see police vans and rowdy drunks.

I personally don't blame government: I think people need to take responsibility for their own actions. I think culture has degraded into a ME FIRST society.

Previous generations had much tougher more austere lives, but they didn't descend into this level of barbarism ... at least not in civil society.

(The WW1, WW2 historical debate is for another day)

"(The WW1, WW2 historical debate is for another day)"

That's how bad it is in the UK.

One ends up coming out with stupid phrases like this, because of a relentless, relentless liberal drumbeat.

Rush - hurry up and come back from your holidays!

I use the term 'liberal' as a pejorative term, to mean those people who value ideologies above basic common humanity.

Unlike most conservative posters, I do not use it to mean centrist or leftist.

My debates with the centre and left are of a wholly different, and far more respectful nature.

What is truly astonishing about our liberal elites is that they believe that they are above ideology.

They believe that they have some kind of kingly authority to dictate a set of creeds that they arrogantly believe to be self-evident truths.

But their self-evident truths are a denial of centuries of collective human wisdom, that is common to all cultures.

They are cuckoos; they appear in various guises and hijack various political parties.

Sometimes they manifest themselves as the working man, as Marxists. Other times they worm their way into conservative movements.

Sometimes they act from the centre, posing as moderates.

They use the mask of 'liberal', the most inoffensive of political doctrines, to disguise their true motives.

I see it as my duty to anonymously blow the whistle on a truly insidious movement.

warped - sort of like 'gay', remember when that word meant cheerful/happiness.

I still use liberal as defined in American Heritage dictionary:
# Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from bigotry.
# Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded.
*********
I know that people grab these words and appropriate them for their own purposes - BUT I do not give them up easily!

I try to be a 'liberal'!!!!!

obstinately yours,
marie

You want to use the traditional definition for liberal.

Okay. Hayek was a liberal, as was John Stuart Mill. Dennis Prager calls himself a Kennedy liberal, and I respect his views.

What term do you think is appropriate for the group of people I'm referring to?

I mean people who feel compassion for the wicked, without a corresponding compassion for the victims.

It is an insidious worldview, because when people deny the existence of evil, they are unable to face up to it.

I'm not engaged in points scoring here, I'm genuinely interested in what term you would use.

People normally use terms like centrist or moderate when they wish to identify with the political centre, but don't want to be confused with that particular group of people who feel overwhelming compassion for violent criminals ... and indifference to their victims.

It's difficult to find a term that doesn't offend someone, but unless we can agree on a term it's also difficult to have the debate.

I'm open to suggestions.

Here's what happens when political parties lose their nerve, and core values, and lurch all over the place:

http://www.melaniephillips.com/articles-new/?p=531

These terms apply to anyone right or left with an agenda.
It is not unique to liberals. Call them out for what they are, 'liberal' is not pejorative - LOL, I think that you are liberal in the sense that 'live and let live' is fine with you! :D another LOL - the Golden Rule is the ultimate liberal principle, the fact that many who call themselves 'liberal' and don't practice it makes them authoritative hypocrites.

da*n, da*n,,,,,, - was searching stupid dictionary - "left-wing

A descriptive term for liberal, radical, or revolutionary political views, particularly the view that there are unacceptable social inequalities in the present order of society. Communists and socialists, as well as moderate liberals, come under the term left-wing. Left-wing groups are sometimes known collectively as the Left. (Compare right-wing.)"

!!!!!!! ticks me off.

- "right-wing

A descriptive term for conservative or reactionary political views, particularly those supporting the current social order or calling for a return to an earlier order. Right-wing groups are sometimes known collectively as the Right. (Compare left-wing.)"


************
oh well, I don't want to return to some 'earlier' order. woe is me - guess I'm still a liberal.

"Thus opportunism quickly turns into the even more lethal perception of incoherence and incompetence. It’s what comes from having no solid beliefs except the belief in getting elected."

terribly horribly true - I was griping on another blog about not being able to tell who was - red,blue,lib,con,,,,,,,
sort of leaves us with nothing to vote for.

I like Dennis Prager's maxim:
Seek clarity rather than agreement.

What we have in UK politics at the moment is no clarity ... and little agreement either.

What does a conservative like me do?
Vote for UKIP?

I suspect that David Cameron will lose the next election, and then a traditional Tory will take his place as conservative leader.

Meanwhile, Gordon Brown will show his real socialist colours (e.g. through his desire to control lending, as expressed on BBC Radio 4 today program ... even the presenter was surprised and asked him what he thought of the sub-prime lending problem in the US)

Then normal politics will resume.

If you and I were in UK Parliament, we would be in different political parties. However, given the amount of blogging we do, I suspect that we would be friends.

That happens in UK politics. There is even a band called MP4 which has MPs from different political parties:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/humber/content/articles/2005/05/11/mp4_music_feature.shtml

That kind of politics I like, where people vigorously debate a topic, and then at the end of the debate go off and get a pint in the House of Commons bar.

I don't see it as a problem if Labour reverts to being a proper socialist party, and the Tories become a proper conservative party.

In fact, the very muddling up of the political scene appears to be causing more disenfranchisement within UK politics and less people voting for what they believe in.

voting 'against' something - as opposed to voting 'for' it.

I am not, by the way, a socialist, I suppose I am closer to being a Libertarian (most decidedly am Independent). I do admit to wanting a minimal safety net for those actually not capable of taking care of themselves. I think I've been extraordinarily lucky in my life (yes, I've worked all of it) - but, no medical disasters, no uncontrollable events. As to being 100% responsible for all actions - YES, no dopey excuses about a tough beginning, etc.

Finally what is "UKIP"? Independent?

shoot one more - was there really only 2 seasons of "Black Books"? LOL love that one almost as much as Fawlty Towers. :)

the term...left-minded thinkers. Yes, in a heated discussion I will throw 'liberal' out there for the sting. It deosn't matter to them how you say it, many are offended anyway, I think. I reject the term "neo-con" much like a left-minded thinker rejects "liberal". Why? Well, To me that is a term filled with hatred only for Bush. I have never heard it used any other time.
I have seen your comments elsewhere and popped in to read your blog. Enjoyed it...Cheers!

As this is a political blog, you forgot "Yes Minister"

I think the funniest thing on TV in recent times is Curb Your Enthusiasm by Larry David!

One reason for its success is that it is an HBO show and therefore doesn't have to be censored in the same way that a network show has to be censored.

For BBC comedies, I particularly like:

Extras
Man Stroke Woman
One Foot in the Grave

I would provide clips, but the funniest ones often contain adult humour and I don't want to put links on the net that offend anyone.

Try searching in YouTube if you are interested.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/b/blackbooks_66600660.shtml

Ah! Now I know what you are on about.

Yeah, I haven't followed the series, but that's the right kind of stuff.