Cato_the_middle

Cato_the_middle

11p

7 comments posted · 4 followers · following 0

5 years ago @ http://www.conservativ... - A jobbing criminal hac... · 3 replies · +1 points

I disagree. Here are ten reasons
1. Where do we draw the line? Driving convictions? Fights outside the pub? Where does your state takes all assets plan start? (Remember most criminals don't have anything)
2. In our current system people are encouraged to plead guilty if they have committed a crime. More money will be lost on desperate hail Mary not guilty pleas and crown court trials than you'll ever recoup - unless you want to erode our civil liberties further.
3. A crime is committed. That is bad. Our state and society have agreed (sort of) that crimes carry certain penalties both financial and in terms of an amount of time from someone's life. Why should you punish someone beyond the time appropriate to their conviction?
4. Can we trust a state not to view this as free money?
5. What about mistakes?
6. What about taking what little someone has built for themselves and giving it to the state, and then having them and their family (who haven't done anything) not only suffer but be on the dole for life?
7. Its contrary to our human rights law (whatever form it survives in). Either way it's crushingly disproportionate and reeks of punitive justice - which doesn't actually work.
8. An English Man's home is his castle. You want to allow the state to change that? The conservative party stands for your opportunity to build a life for yourself - or it should.
9. This is so easy to abuse especially in a time when house prices are so high and our criminal justice system is failing. Don't like your neighbour? Accuse him of rape. Our police forces will believe you, the police won't investigate and won't disclose what they find, he's convicted and his family are thrown into the street. Seem fanciful? Not really given all.of the above.
10. What if any of the above applied to you? Again there are a wealth of offences out there which can be committed easily and even inadvertently that aren't murder or theft.

5 years ago @ http://www.conservativ... - A jobbing criminal hac... · 0 replies · +1 points

I'm grateful. I don't mean to sound so angry but this quite genuinely is *our* mess (not sure if can use stronger words on here but it is the antonym of celibate down). The party would gain an enormous amount of respect for going back to the status quo pre-New Labour.
This for very little investment could be a flagship and Lord knows as we extract (I might say cauterize) the EU's influence out of our law we are going to need a strong independent Bar, judiciary and criminal justice system.
If the party wants younger voters it could go a long way by owning up to a mistake and fixing it.

5 years ago @ http://www.conservativ... - Our survey. Over half ... · 0 replies · +1 points

Given the demographic trends and complete lack of support amongst the young for the party I will be surprised if there still is a Conservative party in 2032.

5 years ago @ http://www.conservativ... - A jobbing criminal hac... · 5 replies · +1 points

Excellent.
How many criminals have any assets at all?
What happens when they are released? Recidivism is already a problem and our prisons are already overfilled.
What happens to their families?
If you have conviction and sentence for say ten years that will eventually go away when your debt is paid to society through your imprisonment and any other non-custodial sentence, in time the conviction will be spent. Why should the person be punished further?

We already have unexplained earnings and the proceeds of crime act which if you're imagining punishing millionaire drug barons (of which there don't seem to be many prosecutions) then fine. However your suggestion fails to account for the massive number of regulatory and quasi criminal offences which carry a sentence of imprisonment. I can guarantee everyone on here will have committed at least one in the last six months and not been caught but should our police force catch you (if they were funded enough to still be investigating crimes...) then that is likely your house and family home gone.

5 years ago @ http://www.conservativ... - A jobbing criminal hac... · 1 reply · +1 points

That they work eighty hour weeks to fill gaps in a broken system for less than minimum wage is a step beyond what should be asked of a professional.

5 years ago @ http://www.conservativ... - A jobbing criminal hac... · 1 reply · +1 points

With the utmost respect and I do not mean to venture into hyperbole but too far but I must disagree.
While it is Labour's job to "progress" and generally break that which didn't need fixed, that the Conservatives have failed not only to remedy a problem but have instead decided to tear a massive hole in the Criminal Justice System through which we are haemorraghing the protection of our rights and at least one generation is deeply concerning. I am starting to feel like Chicken Little but this time the sky really is falling.

5 years ago @ http://www.conservativ... - A jobbing criminal hac... · 3 replies · +1 points

I'd like to declare some conflicts of interest here
1. I am a member of the Bar
2. I have read the book
3. I have also read the review
4. I am a long term member of the conservative party

With that out of the the way, what the review and the comments don't discuss is that the system is failing because of horrific conservative mismanagement. With Grayling as hatchet man, Truss who is clearly unsuited to ministerial appointment entirely, Liddington who wasnt in the job more than five minutes we had three non legally qualified lord chancellors. This is very important. Gauke appears to be a slight improvement but the MOJ has had its budget cut (2nd steepest cut of any department) to the bone and we are as a society losing not just our "best in the world" legal system but the most effective check or balance on state intervention on the private citizen.

Given the Tories are meant to be the party of law and order and of civil liberties this is deeply concerning. That so many of these decisions have been made and supported by our party is shameful. Bear in mind that the MOJ budget is less than that for free TV licencses for pensioners.
I am having enormous trouble reconciling my support of the party with the flagrant disregard for our society evidenced by it.
Every £1 spent on legal aid saves up to £7 elsewhere in the budget and enormously affects our citizenry.
Consider the removal of legal aid from those earning over £37,500 a year (as a couple) this means a person could be charged by the state (remember our police have only just stopped believing every rape allegation) and should he or she try to defend themselves effectively they will rack up a bill into the tens to hundreds of thousands with little recompense from the state.

Please do read this book. Please do reconsider your views and pray that the party changes its mind.