No, of course not.
But if we hadn't eroded trial by jury, and if we didn't have convictions by majority verdict (i.e., where there is reasonable doubt), then no one would suggest this.
Oh, and we could go back to proper sentencing as well.
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But if we hadn't eroded trial by jury, and if we didn't have convictions by majority verdict (i.e., where there is reasonable doubt), then no one would suggest this.No, this has nothing to do with that at all. It's a result of a European Court judgement, which was based on law completely unaffected by current UK law on trial by jury or majority verdicts.
ReplyDeleteFor the record, the government is against giving the vote to prisoners. It's Lib Dem policy, though.
It will be up to the European Court of Human Rights, not the Government or Parliament. Well, of course.
ReplyDeleteAnd the Lib Dems? Well, of course.
Do you not think releasing terrorist prisoners from sentence early is a bigger affront?
ReplyDeleteDoes it not shame you that Matina Anderson, Paul Butler, Conor Murphy and several (but of course not all) Sinn Féin members of the Assembly are convicted terrorists?
In the great scheme of things, granting the franchise to Norman Stanley Fletcher in Slade Prison seems a bit trivial.
oops that last comment was mine. Sorry.
ReplyDeleteBut John, that's not what this thread is about.
ReplyDeleteYou know perfectly well that I am no defender either of Sinn Fein or of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
And no, there is nothing trivial about giving the vote to Ian Huntley.
I just think that Executive Power (indeed guaranteed Executive Power) is a bigger issue than giving a vote to (even) Ian Huntley.
ReplyDeleteBut it does not enrage Daily Mail readers nearly as much.