SD on 25/4/2006 at 18:34
Well, just when you thought Labour's running of the United Kingdom couldn't become any more comically hamfisted, they go and announce that they've (
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4944164.stm) accidentally released 1,023 foreign thieves, drug dealers, rapists and murderers onto the streets instead of deporting them.
Whoops-a-daisy!
Headphones on 25/4/2006 at 18:38
Quote:
He said he does not know where most of the offenders, who include three murderers and nine rapists, are.
SLEEP WELL!
Fafhrd on 25/4/2006 at 21:11
If only the UK still had the death sentence.
Myoldnamebroke on 25/4/2006 at 21:15
As much as I'd like to lay into Charles Clarke, it's really not as bad as it sounds. They had all served their sentence and were supposed to be shipped off as they were FOREIGNS, but they weren't. The government releases hundreds of dangerous criminals under almost identical circumstances every day - it's what happens when you've done your time. They probably don't know where any of those are either.
fett on 25/4/2006 at 21:21
fett quickly removes all personal information from TTLG database...:erm:
SD on 25/4/2006 at 21:22
Well there's quite a substantial difference: we haven't got a good reason to ship out British thugs, else I'm damn certain we would. Keeping hold of someone else's crooks is a bit generous, even by our standards, and there's no excuse whatsoever for this at all.
Paz on 25/4/2006 at 21:26
The BBC coverage of this at 6pm was pretty hilarious/disgraceful.
EXT: A PEACEFUL LONDON SUBURB. MAN IN HOODIE WALKS MENACINGLY ALONG PAVEMENT AS CAMERA BLURS MYSTERIOUSLY.
VOICEOVER: COULD ONE OF THESE CRIMINALS BE LIVING IN *YOUR* STREET?
Fuck me, just start up the creepy stalker-and-slasher music already. Reporting the facts? Analysing the cock-up? No, let's just wheel out the SCARE TACTICS AND BOOGEYMEN - Rarr!
Myoldnamebroke on 25/4/2006 at 21:27
I'm not saying it wasn't an act of spectacular incompetence, and this isn't specifically directed at you, but the coverage has centered on HUNDREDS OF DANGEROUS FOREIGNERS ARE ON THE LOOSE! Which rather misrepresents the situation - while the bureacracy has messed up and not considered these people for deportation, it actually makes no real difference to everyone but them since they would have been allowed to roam if they'd been born here. Loads of murderers get released every day - these 3 aren't more dangerous because they're not British.
SD on 25/4/2006 at 21:54
Quote Posted by Myoldnamebroke
Loads of murderers get released every day - these 3 aren't more dangerous because they're not British.
No, and I'm fairly sure that nobody is trying to say that because they're foreign, they pose more of a threat.
However, we were perfectly within our rights to eject these particular criminals from the country, at no loss to the native populace. That's a quite unforgiveable error, and at the very least it makes a mockery of Labour's TOUGH ON CRIME stance.
It also raises pretty serious questions about how much the government is doing to protect us; if they can't even keep track of the bad guys that they've caught, how can we trust them to have an inkling about the ones they haven't got hold of yet?
Myoldnamebroke on 25/4/2006 at 22:00
Actually, that's the impression I've been getting from the coverage. The emphasis especially is on them being 'released' as if it was before they were sent to jail.
I'm not sure it makes a mockery of being TOUGH ON CRIME, as that would imply they've done it on purpose - they can still be TOUGH ON CRIME but just be RUBBISH AT GOVERNING
I'm also not sure shoddy tracking of criminals leads to poor detective work trying to catch people that might have committed crimes.
I'd love to see Fungus the Bogeyman go (actually, maybe I wouldn't...last time we lost a horrible Home Secretary in Blunkett we got Mr Clarke - who knows what they'd sink to this time?) but this seems just an excuse to stick the boot in. He's done things far more worthy of vilification for, and we've not counted ministers personally responsible for mess ups lower down in their department for years.
