Off Topic Politics Thread

I think there's a lot of truth here. Generally speaking how likely people are to be caught and how likely they are to go to prison at all matter more than the possible length of sentence they could get. I just don't think longer sentences matter when people don't think they're going to get caught and don't think they're likely to go to prison even if they are caught. I mean, in theory you can get 5 years for possession of cannabis but nobody believes that's going to happen.

I actually worked for the probation service in London close to 20 years ago and I spent a while supervising offenders (how I'm not sure, I got by but had very little idea what I was doing). Some of them I felt a bit sorry for. There was one lad a similar age to me who'd been done for burglary for breaking into a shed on a campsite he was staying at while pissed and trying to take some plastic chairs or something. It was hard not to imagine myself in his shoes. Although when I talked to him about getting a job we went over his finances and he was getting more in benefits than I was being paid to supervise him! Prison did work in some cases. I distinctly remember one guy who'd been put away for drink driving who said to me "I'm never doing anything like this again. They put me in Belmarsh. There's killers and rapists in there. I'm never going back. I can't."

But as you say, there were dozens of people getting community sentences despite a list of convictions pages long, not attending appointments, getting repeated warning letters and so on. I met Pete Doherty at Thames Magistrates Court and he's a decent example of someone who took the absolute piss. In court being sentenced for drug offences and when leaving heroin falls out of his coat pocket. Just no respect for the law or the situation at all. And his punishment for that? A fine.

The quality of probation officers varied hugely too. Some were fantastic, others were terrible and about half openly talked about wanting to get another job. There was one older guy who supervised more dangerous offenders but was well known for disappearing down the pub if he didn't fancy dealing with someone he was due to see that day. Other officers could be soft, while one of them actually went on a date with one of the men she was meant to be supervising. I remember one guy I saw when his usual officer, who I knew was a bit of a soft touch, was off sick. He'd been on a reality show, was quite overbearing and asked if we could speed up the appointment because "I've got 3 businesses to run." I told him he should have thought about that before getting drunk and driving and kept him there for longer than I really needed to just to prove a point. That wasn't long before I left but I'm sure his usual officer went back to letting him walk all over her.

In summary, our non-custodial criminal justice system was nowhere near "lock em up and hang em high" and I very much doubt any of this has got any tougher in the intervening years.

 

Thanks for your input Puck. So sad, demoralising to read. What a **** up.

 

And Israel have launched air strikes on Iran.

 

My "lock em up and hang em high" comment was in response to others on here and elsewhere advocating tougher sentencing and deportations not a description of the existing or previous situations.

 

Yeah not good

 

If anyone has missed it, Donald trumps interview with Joe Rogan is well worth a watch.

For those doubting his mental faculties, I doubt Kamala or Biden would be able to chat for 2-3 hours in this format.

 

I'll pass thanks.

 

I watched about 30 seconds of it. That was long enough to realise I was entering the world of the seriously disturbed. And I’d go mad if I watched any more. Not wanting to risk ending up like you Os, I turned the ****er off.

 

I take that as a compliment.

Seeing as how you’re wrong on every topic

 

It was hilarious. The orange turd’s mind has completely turned to cheese.I particularly enjoyed the part when Rogan pressed him to give some evidence for the election being stolen, and he went off on a rambling rant about Hunter Biden’s laptop.

Hopefully he’ll be locked up after the election and we won’t have to hear any more of his utter ****.

 

I didn't need to listen to it, read through a number of reviews most picked up on his refusal to provide even the slightest bit of evidence for his stolen election claims.

There's an interesting insight into Trump's controversial golf development in Aberdeenshire on BBC sounds. Some measure of the orange arsehole. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0h9zh47

 

Has no one mentioned the incident where the Labour MP beat a constituent in an early morning attack?

I have some lefties on ignore so I assume they were discussing earlier.

I’m all for self defence, but that video seems more than that.

Labour Party 2025. What a ****ing triumph.

 

We've got a poster his name is Billy. AKA wind up Willy.

 

This is the politics thread.

It is for discussing political events.

A Labour MP repeatedly punching a man in the street is acceptable to be placed on this Thread.

Let us not derail this thread with silly attempts to name call fellow posters and accusations of wummery

 

Sorry Bilbo forgot you had a broken funny bone. It's only you who's the thread jester.

It's alleged and under investigation also a possibly a serial stalker. If so not unreasonable to punch his ****ing lights out when threatened.

 

That is one leftie with too much testosterone.

 

Impossible.

 

I wonder what they can bench press

 

Shades of John 'the punch' Prescott.