Posts Tagged ‘history’
“The Only Thing Drug Gangs Fear Is Legalisation”. The Independent 26th August 2010
Superb piece in The Independent today
Superbly argued! Thank you to Johann Hari. Thank you to The Independent for giving the space for this to be heard.
Violence Breeds Violence. The Only Thing Drug Gangs Fear Is Legalisation.
28,000 deaths in Mexico in four years because of drug laws!
It could be the same in the UK. Our new drug strategy is in preparation but the only people applauding the disgraceful sham that is our drug strategy consultation are drug dealers and criminals. James Brokenshire of the Home Office, the man intent on breaking British society, is so backward in his thinking that he makes Alan Johnson look progressive. He is blind to the evidence and the facts, to what is happening in Mexico and elsewhere
There is blood on the hands of cowardly politicians in the UK too. They have shirked this issue, avoided grasping this nettle for too long. Brokenshire can only have been offered as a lamb for sacrifice here – surely? His arguments are too ridiculous, his distortion of science too crass. He is bound to fail if he persists but he will cause death, misery and degradation for thousands. He personally will be responsible for a massive increase in street crime – inevitable if he tightens prohibition. He will not have committed the crimes himself but he will have negligently and recklessly ignored proven current best practice. His attitudes fly in the face of all logic, research and science.
The government is riding roughshod over the massive outcry for drug law reform on the Your Freedom website. Surely, even if public opinion, morality, logic, science, history or common sense won’t convince them, Baroness Meacher’s claim of £19 billion per annum of waste will stir them to action!
Surely, if nothing else, the cash will make the government see sense!
Broken Society. Broken Britain. Brokenshire.
A Gift To The Opposition
Given his increasingly authoritarian, “big government” stance, his misrepresentation of science and the deeply flawed, dishonest Home Office Drugs Strategy consultation, James Brokenshire is proving himself to be a very dangerous young man.
If any coalition minister is pursuing policies that will lead to a broken society and a broken Britain, it is Brokenshire. He is so far out of step with the progressive, liberal and intelligent direction of the government that one wonders has he been put out for sacrifice? His attitude and ideas are those of a previous generation which had not yet made all the mistakes or suffered all the consequences that we already have. He needs to study some history.
From Propostion 19 to the changing views of Latin America’s leaders, Brokenshire is way, way behind. He is also in direct contradiction to the progressive policies which both Cameron and Clegg have supported in the past.
It is vital for the future of millions of British citizens, their health, liberty, freedom from crime and oppression that Brokenshire is stopped. As a Tory I am also dismayed at the huge damage he is doing to the party. He is making the coalition government look short sighted, regressive and stupid. He has got to go.
See here for the story on Nominative Determinism. What does a man’s name mean?
Keir Starmer – The Next Lord Widgery?
No Better Than A Terrorist
The scandalous decision not to prosecute PC Simon Harwood over the death of Ian Tomlinson is reverberating right across the world.
British justice has become a laughing stock and our proud history of freedom, liberty and fairness is heaped with derision – and deservedly so
When the establishment needs to dissemble and misinform it calls on its tame lawyers and paper tiger figureheads. Keir Starmer, the DPP, is clearly angling for his peerage and his place on the government roster of professional liars, deceivers and propagandists.
In 1972, when British soldiers murdered protestors on the streets of Londonderry, they wheeled out Lord Widgery who produced a report of such crass dishonesty and fundamental deception that it took a further enquiry lasting 12 years and costing £200 million to expose it as nonsense.
When millions across the world have witnessed the unprovoked assault from behind on Ian Tomlinson, they have wheeled out Keir Starmer, another tame QC, to demonstrate a complete absence of integrity and deliver a deeply corrupt, manipulative and unforgivable decision not to prosecute.
In the last 50 years more than 1,000 people have died while in police custody in the UK but not a single policeman has been prosecuted.
Is it any wonder that we have pond life like Raoul Moat feted and worshipped by the underclass when they suffer under the yoke of police oppression, when they see no justice nor fairness nor hope?
The truth is that PC Simon Harwood and Raoul Moat are two peas from the same pod. Police websites, such as the notorious Inspector Gadget, reveal serving police officers’ attitudes just as perverse as those that supported the Raoul Moat Facebook page. The police are completely out of control, ineffective, mismanaged and corrupt.
It took 30 years for the Metropolitan Police to admit that one of its officers was responsible for the death of Blair Peach.
The suggestion from the extreme left is that we are being softened up and desensitised against a future where with swingeing public expenditure cuts we can expect to see riots in the streets and more police violence. I don’t buy this conspiracy theory but I am desperately worried for the future of British justice when men like Keir Starmer are in charge.
It isn’t just incompetence. It isn’t just misjudgement. There is clear intent to pervert the course of justice. He knew that the six month limit on bringing a charge of common assault was passing. He knew that the conflict between expert evidence was for a jury to determine. He knew that never was it more essential “in the public interest” for a prosecution to be brought.
Keir Starmer is every bit as dangerous to the fabric of our society as any terrorist or subversive. Look at how many lives Lord Widgery’s behaviour was responsible for. Look at how his lies prolonged the violence and fed the divisions within Northern Ireland. The same thing is happening all over again.
PC Simon Harwood, Raoul Moat, Keir Starmer. They are all the same. They are all a danger to society. They should all be behind bars.
Ian Tomlinson’s Death Puts the Final Nail In the Coffin Of British Justice
The Man Who Destroyed Justice
Keir Starmer’s decision not to prosecute PC Simon Harwood, who clearly assaulted Ian Tomlinson at the G20 protest, while concealing his identity, is an outrageous scandal. It is perhaps the most shameful episode ever in the history of British justice, a system which has long held a much higher opinion of itself than it ever deserved. Today it is proved to be utterly useless and Starmer’s conduct proves him to be both incompetent and entirely unsuitable for his responsibility.
Starmer’s weasel words in his statement are truly pathetic and demonstrate weakness, a complete inability to see beyond legalese to the truth and are a clarion call for his dismissal.
We the people of Great Britain care not one jot for the disagreement between medical experts. We want this matter put before a jury.
We want PC Simon Harwood’s head. He is a murderer.
We want Keir Starmer’s head. He is an apologist for police brutality and an incompetent Director of Public Prosecutions.
Obama From Britain
After Bush, to my knowledge, the worst US President ever, I was excited about the prospect of Hilary Clinton in the White House. The election of Barack Obama was simply stunning. For me, it rejuvenated the whole idea of America – the noble principles of the Constitution, the idea that anyone can rise to the very top based on merit alone. It updated that dream by transcending race, prejudice and history.
Ordinary And Extraordinary
As it happened, I watched his inauguration with my parents. I wept at Obama’s words, at the huge symbolism of his achievement, at Jesse Jackson’s overwhelming moment. My Mum & Dad said that it was like Kennedy was for their generation – the sense of new hope and optimism. The same idea that makes me think of Churchill’s “broad sunlit uplands”.
So what’s going on now? I ‘m sure I don’t understand a lot about American politics. I can only see it from my perspective. That means I get most of my news from the BBC. I balance that with a daily trawl through the blogs and online newspapers on the issues that interest me.
In some ways I think the BBC is more British than Britain. In fact, I trust the BBC more than I trust any politician. Its standards and independence preserve our national integrity better than any political leader.
Going online gives me a broader view, often composed of ridiculous extremes as well as mainstream media. There are so many highly literate, super clever bloggers who are completely deluded and beyond any reason. Going online provides an overall summary of all different points of view and sources of information.
I think Obama is a fundamentally decent man. There is a coterie of bloggers who believe he is a Chicago politician just the same as when Al Capone was in town. I think he is bigger than that.
There is also a sisterhood (men and women) of Democrats, bitter supporters of Hilary, who are determined to undermine him. Republicans say he is un-American and claim that he won the election through fraud.
I still have faith in the man. In the horribly murky world of American politics I don’t think he would have risen to the top unless he was very special. I detect authenticity.
The oil spill has been his greatest challenge. I feel that when he speaks for himself, from his heart, he speaks the truth. When he is confused and manipulated by those around him he fails. Many will say I am naive but how can anyone triumph without support? We need leaders who can inspire, who can make us believe in them.
From the very beginning Obama has “extended the hand of friendship” towards Iran but it becomes clearer every day now that the current regime must be condemned without reservation. He has stood up against Israel better than his predecessors and in the overall moral balance that was well overdue. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt on the attempted kidnapping of Gary Mckinnon It’s probably not high enough in his priorities to have had his proper consideration yet.
No one was more critical of Gordon Brown and his foolhardy, self-serving government than me but the way that some Americans criticise their leader horrifies me. Some of the conspiracy theories and charges levelled against Obama are worse than those against Hitler or Mengele. There are are so many complete nutters in America I really do wonder what they put in the water.
After re-consideration, from my British perspective, I still have faith in this extraordinary man. I urge him to continue to have the courage of his convictions. I wish he could put aside short term political considerations. I think, almost whatever happens, he will win a second term so he can afford to look at least six years in advance and ignore his critics. I still believe in him.
Theresa May Must Act On Gary McKinnon And Ian Tomlinson
It's Decision Time
After defence there can be no higher priority for any government than justice. The new government’s honeymoon period is over. The cases of Gary McKinnon and Ian Tomlinson need urgent attention from our new Home Secretary.
A Victim Not A Villain
Gary McKinnon’s case raises profound issues. He is in danger of “extradition” to the US but any idea that this is some legitimate process is nonsense. He is actually in danger of illegal rendition or kidnapping which the previous Labour government seemed ready to sanction. Any alleged crime was committed on British soil so there isn’t even any question of “extradition”. If he is to be tried he must be tried where the alleged crime was committed.
There seems though to be no progress at all on the murder of Ian Tomlinson at the G20 protests. This is a scandal and injustice of the very highest order and those responsible for prevaricating and filibustering over bringing charges are criminals themselves.
Murder
Ian Tomlinson’s family waits helpless while the dilatory DPP, Keir Starmer, and the CPS quibble and procrastinate over facts that the whole country has seen revealed on its TV screens. Obviously they intend to delay long enough so that the case be consigned to history like the murder of Blair Peach by a police officer in 1979. It was only last month that the Metropolitan Police came clean on this, 30 years too late.
There is some nonsense excuse being peddled that there is a problem with obtaining expert medical evidence. This is a dreadful miscarriage of justice. These are issues for a jury to decide. Keir Starmer should be dismissed for gross misconduct and should consider himself lucky if he doesn’t go to jail for perverting the course of justice.
Thug
We have already seen the inexcuseable acquittal of Sergeant Delroy Smellie, the thug who assaulted Nicola Fisher at the G20 protests (see here). This must be one of the lowest points ever in the history of British justice. There can be no other description of this verdict and District Judge Daphne Wickham who made the decision than corrupt. She deserves to be tarred and feathered for what she has done.
What can be higher in priority on Theresa May’s todo list than these matters of great principle and injustice? She should put everything else aside. There can be no more excuses.
Nick Clegg – The Boy’s Own Politician
"Is it a bird? Is it a plane?"
It’s a film script, a comicbook cartoon, a dazzling adventure story. It lifts the spirit and refreshes the soul. It’s a politician you can believe in! It’s Nick Clegg!
I hope so. I really, really do. I hope I am living through a huge moment in history when two bright, inspirational leaders take the helm of HMS Great Britain and steer us through the storm to calm waters and the broad sunlit uplands beyond.
Nick Clegg’s speech today was as inspirational as they come. If history views him kindly then this speech will rank with Churchill, Disraeli, Martin Luther King, Obama. He deserves our trust. If he has got it wrong or can’t deliver there will be plenty of time for recriminations and to return to dull cynicism.
For now, let us believe.
Nick Clegg
Well there you go then!
Who? Me?
What a day!
The big winner is Nick Clegg.
Imagine, “noone had heard of him” before the first leaders debate. Tonight he is Deputy Prime Minister!
This is a huge personal triumph, surely reserving his place in history as he could never have dreamed.
Village Idiots Or Village Idiocy?
We are very fortunate in Great Britain to have clearly defined borders. Our status as an island has enabled us to avoid much of the evil and wickedness that has plagued continental Europe. Throughout history neighbour has turned upon neighbour and viciousness and persecution have been rife. Hitler did not start the persecution of the Jews. Particularly in France and the low countries, they were persecuted across the centuries. Between Poland and Romania there is an enmity that defies belief.
Much that is great in Britain has evolved from our island culture but we have not escaped the darker side of human nature. Much that is worst in Britain can be seen in the petty jealousies and behaviours of village life. Just as insidious and cruel as the persecution of the Jews is the way that gossip, resistance to change and selfishness runs deep in British village life.
You Know Who You Are!
They nearly always start with “I’ve lived in the village for more than X years…”. X needs to be at least 20 and for real seniority you need to be able to boast of 30 or 40 years residency. Then, according to this idiotic doctrine, you have some sort of right to impose your view of the world on your neighbours. Just because you were there first?
It is to the eternal shame of rural villagers in Britain that the Vestas wind turbine factory on the Isle Of Wight is to close. There is simply no market for onshore wind turbines in Britain because the “NIMBYs” (Not In My Back Yard) object at every stage and shove the problem of energy and ecology onto someone else.
I won’t be actively campaigning for, say, 10 wind turbines along the top of White Horse Hill but what right would any of us have to object? If you want to switch your kettle on or watch TV or enjoy a hot bath in the depths of winter, you need to be prepared to compromise, particularly if you want your grandchildren to enjoy a future on this planet. In any case, wind turbines have a beauty and elegance of their own. Look at the way that we now revere some of the great aqueducts built in the 19th century – before the days when the small minded, selfish, blue rinse brigade were able to resist any and all change.
It’s not just about planning and environment though. It’s a more general problem about attitudes towards others and our own selfishness. Gossip, whinging and a failure to welcome and include others and the change that they bring are the symptoms of this British disease. So next time you hear them start with “I’ve lived in the village for more than 40 years”, be careful. The chances are that what comes next is going to be selfish, small minded rubbish.
Peter Reynolds 
Censors And Abusers Of The Blogosphere
with 11 comments
By comment on this post I will record all those bloggers and website publishers who have chosen to bar me from their sites.
Book Burners
You might think for a gentle if opinionated Brit like me that’s unlikely to happen but it already has – several times. I am profoundly distressed that most of the censors are from the US. In fact I have learned a lot about America recently that I don’t like very much at all. I’m disillusioned by the sheer nastiness and level of abuse that has been directed at me just for expressing my opinions.
I NEVER descend to abuse when commenting on other people’s words. I NEVER censor comments that other people post about what I have written.
What amazes me is that so many of these people just can’t take the debate. They descend into abuse and then they bar me. If I did as they do I’d be so embarrassed and ashamed of my behaviour I don’t think I could carry on writing. That’s how important integrity is to me and how irrelevant it seems to be to these people.
Some of the craftier censors don’t bar me completely. It’s almost unbelieveable isn’t it (?) but what they do is edit my posts or allow some while deleting others! It’s incredible isn’t it that people can stoop so low?
So I do intend to embarrass these cowards here. At least by posting links to their sites they will learn that they’ve been placed, deservingly, into the same category as book burners and censors the world over and throughout history.
Of course, anyone who wishes to explain, argue or defend their actions has only to post here. All comments will be published in full.
Welcome to my hall of shame.
Written by Peter Reynolds
June 10, 2010 at 7:27 pm
Posted in Politics, The Media, What is this blog about?
Tagged with abuse, America, ashamed, bar, bloggers, book burners, Brit, censors, commenting, comments, cowards, craftier, debate, deleting, disillusioned, distressed, edit, embarassed, embarrass, gentle, hall of shame, history, incredible, integrity, nastiness, opinionated, opinions, publishers, stoop so low, unbelievable, US, website, writing