Politics Today

[Alistair20000]

Quite a few people I think. Perverting the course of justice Shirley

Agreed.

Including some of the lawyers involved who ponce about braying about their integrity “officers of the court” etc.

Yeah right

 

[arthur]

The Prison Service is on the point of collapse. Good that Jeremy Hunt has cut its budget by 4.8% per year for the next five years.

Prison guards and officials have described how criminals, drug traffickers and a neo-Nazi have bypassed vetting to get jobs behind bars as concern grows about the security of Britain’s jails.

They said that a “tsunami” of illicit substances was getting into jails and that security was so poor at one prison that more than half of all inmates who were randomly chosen for testing were found to be high on drugs.

The allegations follow a Times investigation, in which an undercover reporter was able to get a job at one of the UK’s most dangerous jails where he could walk in and interact with prisoners without security searches.

Amid a nationwide shortage of prison staff, the reporter was hired by an agency to work at HMP Bedford without going through prison staff vetting. On two out of the eight days he worked at the prison, there was no one manning security scanners when he arrived for work, allowing him to walk inside and through to prisoner wings without even the most basic searches.

In response to the findings, politicians, campaigners and prison insiders have said that warnings about prison security issues have been ignored for years by ministers.

I mean, why should we care about prisons and prisoners? They're just bad guys who deserve to suffer. Only bleeding heart liberals who care more about the perpetrator than the victim care about this sort of thing. There are far more important things for taxpayers' money to be spent on. Better still, give taxpayers money back to taxpayers...

Vetting failures ‘let drug dealers and neo-Nazi join prison staff’

After a Times investigation, allegations have surfaced that criminals have been working behind bars and poor security is allowing a ‘tsunami’ of illicit substances into prisons

www.thetimes.co.uk

 

[tavyred]

Prison Guards?!!!

 

[arthur]

Prison Guards?!!!

Yes, outrageous. Too many young people employed as journalists. Still, at least they weren't called warders .

 

[Mr Jinx]

This story (Quite Rightly) refuses to go away.

Post Office: Former sub-postmasters and politicians call for police inquiry

Former sub-postmaster and politicians say evidence uncovered by the BBC should prompt criminal inquiry.

www.bbc.co.uk

Had a strange conversation with our local newsagent the other day.

He goes on about the Post Office kerfuffle and went on to say it was well known amongst that fraternity that most of them were on the fiddle. Sure, there were some that were completely innocent (due to duff IT system), but there were lots that were as guilty as sin.

I have no skin in that game, but he does and was pretty adamant.

 

[tavyred]

Yes, outrageous. Too many young people employed as journalists. Still, at least they weren't called warders .

Indeed, or even worse ‘wardens’!
On your post, the current state of the Prison and Probation service is a stain on this Government and their civil servants which even I can’t defend.
A complete disaster that would shock the country if they could ever be interested.

 

[arthur]

Indeed, or even worse ‘wardens’!
On your post, the current state of the Prison and Probation service is a stain on this Government and their civil servants which even I can’t defend.
A complete disaster that would shock the country if they could ever be interested.

Couldn't agree more

 

[Mid Devon Grecian]

For what it's worth I totally agree that politicians of all stripes should be held to the same rigorous standards.

But to suggest that this is in the same league as some of the tricks pulled by the names mentioned is just plain bonkers.

The ex Chancellor I mentioned is a multi gazillionaire who, via a complex system of family trusts, property holding companies and non resident family members, knowingly attempted to shelter millions and was forced to make a six figure tax settlement to HMRC after a protracted enquiry process and tens of thousands of accountant's fees.

Rayner may have made an error which may have resulted in a couple of thousand tax being avoided. It is NOT the same.

Tax is largely an honour system these days unless you're on PAYE and the super rich (which will not include Rayner) very much negotiate what they pay. It is naive to think otherwise but that is what all the gazillionaires like Sunak, Johnson, Zahawi, Hunt, Hammond, Osborne etc etc all want you to forget about.

Of course that vile rag the Mail has splashed it all over their front page today for their geriatric nutcase readership to gloat over. Pathetic. Smile and wave on election night!

Zahawi went as far as getting his fancy lawyers to issue a SLAPP order against Dan Neidle, that didn’t end well.

 

[Mid Devon Grecian]

Hearing both side cite the others tax misdemeanours as mitigation for their own is as tiresome as the 'you're anti-Semitic' 'but you're islamaphobic' 'but you're anti-semetic' tit for tat.

Whoever's cheated the tax system, on either side, needs to be treated with the same derision by the general electorate. Not just but those who oppose them politically. Otherwise we'll never get anywhere.

I agree which is why I find it so tiresome that a Tory MP, based on what he read in a book by Lord Ashcroft has seen fit to encourage the police to investigate Rayner over a £3k alleged tax avoidance.

When the police found nothing to concern them he’s now forcing them to ‘have another look’.

Rayners words couldn’t be clearer on her position and willingness to co-operate and this is the polar opposite of those high profile Tories who resort to expensive lawyer and in some cases SLAPP orders to scare off anyone who dares to challenge them.

We aren’t comparing apples with apples here.

Angela’s words below:-

“I am confident that I’ve done absolutely nothing wrong. I’ve been very clear on my advice that I’ve received,” Rayner told Today.

Rayner has said she had received tax advice at the time stating she had followed the proper process. She said on Thursday she was happy to hand this advice over to the police or HMRC but would not make it public.

Seems a totally reasonable approach to me.

 

[Mid Devon Grecian]

As others have said, the story with Rayner is the glorious spectacle of the hammer of the Tory Toffs being tarred with the same brush of alleged impropriety she has always been oh so keen herself to daub her political enemies with.
As Nick Robinson of the BBC suggested to a spluttering Rayner yesterday, if this were a Tory refusing to disclose information, she’d be all over them like a rash, or words to that effect.

This is what she said:-

“I am confident that I’ve done absolutely nothing wrong. I’ve been very clear on my advice that I’ve received,” Rayner told Today.
Rayner has said she had received tax advice at the time stating she had followed the proper process. She said on Thursday she was happy to hand this advice over to the police or HMRC but would not make it public.

Whats unreasonable about that?