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Originally Posted by Sirius
I personally feel its wrong, why punish the mother for what the son did and additional what happens if the mother is disabled or out of work ???
He did the deed he should be the one punished
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Interesting article in the
Guardian
Quote:
Coalition efforts to present a united front over the riots have come under strain as senior Liberal Democrats call for an end to "kneejerk" reactions by politicians and warn that stripping those involved of their benefits could worsen crime on the streets.
In a clear sign of tensions between the governing parties, the Lib Dems' deputy leader, Simon Hughes, insists that long-term solutions lie in supporting communities by offering opportunities and redistributing wealth, not slashing help from the state and cutting taxes for the rich.
Writing in the Observer, he says: "We need to demonstrate ambition to have a responsible society where all people understand and are aware of their obligations to each other. This means we must not cut taxes for the rich or take away public support for the needy."
Referring to plans, backed by many Tories, to cut benefits and evict families of rioters and looters from their homes, Hughes, whose south London constituency of Bermondsey and Old Southwark has one of the highest concentrations of council homes, adds: "We should be careful not to rush into kneejerk solutions including over-hasty moves to change the social contract and approaches to sentences which may have the reverse effect to that intended."
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Strange though. As I recall, it was Clegg who first floated the idea of evicting looters. Also:
Quote:
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As Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg also cautioned against "kneejerk" reactions, Hughes's comments were backed by the Lib Dems' welfare spokeswoman, Jenny Willott, who said she was "very worried" about moves to cut benefits for those involved in the riots, when the same punishment would not apply to others who had committed equally serious offences.
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Seems eminently sensible to me. Do we really want to punish council house dwellers twice compared to those living in private housing? Just because we can?
And the icing on the cake, found through the comments on that article.
Five months in prison for wearing stolen shorts.
Quote:
Mum-of-two Ursula Nevin has been sentenced to five months in prison for handling stolen goods after she accepted and wore a pair of shorts stolen during the Manchester riots.
Nevin was asleep at home when her housemate, Gemma Corbett, took part in the Manchester disturbances, and looted an unguarded Vans shop in the area for £629 worth of stolen goods.
Ursula Nevin Mum-of-two Ursula Nevin has been jailed for accepting a pair of looted shorts (Picture: Manchester Evening News)
The court heard how the following morning, Ms Nevin went through the pile of goods that had been brought back to her house, picked out a pair of shorts and choose to keep and wear them.
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Really. Five months in prison? Over a pair of shorts stolen by someone else? Now there's a cost-effective way of drilling some sense into people.