WESTMINSTER GRAVY TRAIN

So yesterday our representatives at Westminster voted on salaries and expenses. Many (well most) voted against reforming the expenses system. Some MPs wanted wanted to introduce a degree of greater transparency in allowances claimed as well as a tighter auditing control. Those who voted to reject such plans include:— Jaqui Smith, Andy Burnham, Shaun Woodward, Paul Murphy, Caroline Flint. Some MPs obviously have the sense to realise that the mass of taxpayers is getting fed up with pushing the gravy train and that the reputation of Parliament in the eyes of the public demands some restraint. Others are totally without shame.

CHILD CRIMINALS

So a 10-year-old in Rawtenstall (Lancashire) got fingerprinted by police and fined £40 for writing on a neighbour's wall in crayon. Well she was a naughty little girl to do that but hardly a criminal. I'm all in favour of stopping children, even 10-year-olds, from messing up their neighbour's property. But all it needs is a good tongue-lashing, which her mother says she got, or a spanking. I'd need to know more about the girl to decide which was appropriate. When I lived very many years ago not far from that Rossendale town nobody, had I committed such a crime, would have been upset if the neighbour had punished me or made me rub it off. But now with policemen and social services alert to every touch, neighbours tend to grit their teeth and keep hands off. Seems like overkill to me.

Perhaps not entirely unconnected is a report that Jacqui Smith, Home Secretary in Gordy's new broom government wanted to toughen up police targets to increase the number of arrests for serious offences. I don't pretend to know how the targets operate but basically at present a policemen gets as many points for arresting a 10-year-old girl as for dealing with a 17-year-old lad on the streets with a knife. Given the choice which would you choose? In fairness it seems some officers would rather deal with "real" crime and feel they are being let down by management. And though the targets may apply in reality to the force, rather than individuals, they must generate pressures from command levels which feed down to men on the beat. In any case it's all academic because Jack Straw has said he can't agree to a policy which would put more people in jail because there isn't room. So the law and order aspect of Gordy's new broom is just a sham.