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Off Topic Politics Thread

Discussion in 'Southampton' started by ChilcoSaint, Feb 23, 2016.

  1. Le Tissier's Laces

    Le Tissier's Laces Well-Known Member

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    Yeah, this one is insane. Happened just around the corner from me.
     
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  2. PompeyLapras

    PompeyLapras Well-Known Member

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    She's 16. Old enough to be accountable for her actions. Yes I get teenagers aren't fully developed and people change and some things can be forgiven, but we're not talking about assault or gbh or even murder as a crime of passion, but premeditated murder which is much harder to forgive.

    As for whether she dies in prison, regardless of whether she is released or not, Brianna's family are suffering a life sentence. What justice is there if after a few years, the murderer can get out and start a new life as if nothing has happened while Brianna's family have to live with what has happened for the rest of their lives? She'd only be in her mid 30s if she served the minimum, and that's without early release. If she's ****ed up her life and if she does spend the rest of her life in prison, forgive me but I have little sympathy as she's not the victim here and that'll be no one else's fault but hers.
     
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  3. ChilcoSaint

    ChilcoSaint What a disgrace
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    The judge was very explicit. If Scarlett Jenkinson cannot demonstrate to the parole board after the minimum 22 year term that she is no longer a danger to society, then she won’t be released, it’s as simple as that. She specified that the psychological assessment carried out over the time since her arrest must remain on record as a reference point.

    She has a list of contributing mental health and neurodivergent factors to work on in addition to her being a nasty, antisocial piece of work. I have as much sympathy with Brianna’s family as anyone, but I was swayed by the judge’s weighing up of all the reasons for this sentence, just as I could understand why Eddie Ratcliffe’s sentence was slightly lighter.

    I do agree that nothing can compensate the victim’s family for their appalling loss, but I would argue that even execution or a full life sentence still wouldn’t be enough in a case like this. As loading says above, a liberal society has to have a belief in rehabilitation. It's also worth remembering that societies which historically have taken the harshest approach to punishing criminals were also fairly draconian about homosexuality and gender fluidity as well.
     
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  4. Schad

    Schad Well-Known Member

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    I doubt the perpetrators will be released at the minimum sentencing point. Likely not close to it.

    In Canada, there is a maximum eligibility for parole of 25 years, but there are plenty who for all intents and purposes are jailed for life, because their crimes are so heinous and their prospects of rehabilitation are so slim. Serial killers like Paul Bernardo and spree shooters like Alexandre Bissonette and the worst people imaginable are all eligible for parole hearings beyond that point. That door should always be open, even if it's extremely unlikely that they will cross the threshold.
     
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  5. saintrichie123

    saintrichie123 Well-Known Member

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    Never heard of Paul Bernardo, quick google and what a evil piece of work he is.
     
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  6. Schad

    Schad Well-Known Member

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    His co-conspirator, Karla Homolka, was released after only 12 years despite unquestionably participating in the murder of her own sister. Not our proudest moment...while it's good that Bernardo will never see the light of day, it was really suboptimal that they gave her a sweetheart deal.
     
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  7. Libby

    Libby Derby County, we're coming for you

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    You don't get early release from life sentences. The minimum is the minimum.
     
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  8. Saintjoey

    Saintjoey Well-Known Member

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    I couldn’t agree more with you. Feel the exact same way.
     
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  9. San Tejón

    San Tejón Well-Known Member

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    Sunak’s Pharmacy First plan is already under threat of failure, before it has even started, as a result of underfunding pharmacies over the last decade.


    “RECORD chemist closures after years of “chronic underfunding” could threaten Rishi Sunak’s flagship health policy.

    The Prime Minister – who is the son of a pharmacist – this week launched his Pharmacy First scheme to free up GP appointments by letting chemists prescribe antibiotics and antivirals for common conditions.

    But NHS figures show at least one chemist outlet disappears every day in England – with 394 shutting last year as desperate owners struggle because of underfunding and rising costs.

    National Pharmacies Association chair Paul Rees said the closures have reached a “shocking rate”. He added: “More than 70% of community pharmacies are in debt and the more that close, the more difficult it will be for people to access their medicines.”

    Cash for pharmacies has dropped in real terms by around 40% over the last decade – with funding levels frozen instead of rising with inflation. The NPA estimates there is a £1.3billion black hole across the sector now.

    Mr Rees said: “Pharmacy First is an excellent initiative and should allow people to access fast clinical support from their pharmacies for seven common conditions. But it is being rolled out just as the pharmacy network is starting to fall like a pack of cards. The government and the NHS must step up support for community pharmacies now, before it is too late.”

    The UK already in the bottom 10 in the OECD rankings for pharmacies per 100,000 of population with 21 – below Turkey, Poland, Bulgaria and Latvia. The OECD average is 28.

    And research shows pressure on GPs would soar if pharmacies closed.

    Jay Badenhorst, boss of 34-branch northern chemist chain Whitworths, which is up for sale, said: “We’ve been central to communities for decades. Pharmacists and patients knew each other by first name. That’s all coming to an end because of underfunding.”

    He added while most chemists welcome Pharmacy First, it is “too little, too late” for many.

    The Department of Health said it has “£645million of new funding” for expansion of community pharmacy services” and it commits £2.6bn a year to pharmacies.”
     
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  10. San Tejón

    San Tejón Well-Known Member

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    #42730

  11. St. Luigi Scrosoppi

    St. Luigi Scrosoppi Well-Known Member

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    Hidden away inside the front cover of the Times was this absolutely scandalous report about the health of the nations children. I read it with absolute disgust and contempt for this government which has neglected the health of the nation and to allow it's inaction to destroy the lives of young people. The infant mortality rate beggars belief.

    Please read it. You will will end up angry and in near tears like me if you really care.

    "Infant mortality rates are worse in the UK than most other developed countries, with experts warning of an “appalling decline in the health of our children” linked to obesity and deprivation.

    A report by the Academy of Medical Sciences has highlighted wide-ranging evidence of declining health among young children, particularly in poorer areas of Britain. This included a fall in childhood vaccinations, with uptake at the lowest level for more than a decade, leading to a major outbreak of measles in Birmingham in recent weeks.

    The report states that the UK ranks 30th out of 49 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries for infant survival, which is the proportion of children born who live until their first birthday. Reductions in infant mortality have stalled in recent years, linked to a rise in child poverty. Meanwhile 20 per cent of five-year-olds are overweight or obese, with one in four suffering from tooth decay. Those living in the most deprived areas are twice as likely to be obese than in affluent areas, and the number of children living in extreme poverty tripled between 2019 and 2022.

    The report also warned of a surge in mental health problems among young children since the Covid pandemic. It said early intervention was vital, as the brain is most adaptable in younger children when it is still developing.

    Report co-chair, Professor Helen Minnis, of the University of Glasgow, said: “It is shameful that the UK is failing to provide this. Child deaths are rising, infant survival lags behind comparable countries and preventable physical and mental health issues plague our youngest citizens. The science is clear — we are betraying our children. Unless the health of babies and young children is urgently prioritised, we condemn many to a life of poorer health and lost potential. The time to act is now.”
     
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  12. ChilcoSaint

    ChilcoSaint What a disgrace
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    Any government led by this despicable **** is incapable of any act of humanity, whether for its own citizens or for asylum seekers
     
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  13. StJabbo1

    StJabbo1 Well-Known Member

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    The sick man of Europe never more appropriate as the above shows. Not just in terms of health but financially and culturally too. The tory bullshit and bluster cuts no ice.
     
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  14. St. Luigi Scrosoppi

    St. Luigi Scrosoppi Well-Known Member

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  15. ChilcoSaint

    ChilcoSaint What a disgrace
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    But even our government are novices when it comes to the wholesale slaughter of innocent children. Please watch the whole thing:
     
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  16. St. Luigi Scrosoppi

    St. Luigi Scrosoppi Well-Known Member

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    Suffer the little children and forbid them not to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
     
    #42736
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  17. San Tejón

    San Tejón Well-Known Member

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    I see the age for receiving the state pension is under discussion again, with the retirement age potentially becoming 71, as suggested by the International Longevity Centre.
    For perspective the average life expectancy of someone born now is 78.6 years (men) and 82.6 (Women), but those in the poorest areas live on average 10 years less than those in richer areas.
    Plus by the age of 70 it is said that only 50% of people in England and Wales are disability free and able to work.
    I appreciate the difficulty in providing a pension for a growing number of pensioners, with a smaller workforce subsidising it, but the working population are just becoming cannon fodder in a system that continually rewards the richest to the detriment of the poor.
     
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  18. ChilcoSaint

    ChilcoSaint What a disgrace
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    This has long been a bugbear of mine, and it became more closer to home when the age for retirement on an NHS pension began to creep upwards. Even now, nurses, healthcare assistants, porters, domestic assistants and people in any number of NHS jobs requiring physical strength have to work into their late 60’s. I question the sustainability of raising the retirement age still further, although I accept that increasing longevity is a problem for the system as it stands.
     
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  19. garysfc

    garysfc Well-Known Member

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    So sad. I just don’t get it. There must be a better way.
     
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  20. ......loading......

    ......loading...... 25 undefeated

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    I don't know if it was on here, but when they interviewed the Israeli diplomat and asked him if they would bomb Israel in the same way to get at the same terrorists and he said "no" that was pretty stark. There are other ways but Palestinians don't count.
     
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