Prisoners and the Vote - No Change required!

The BBC's Nick Robinson published an article earlier this morning (0515 20 Jan 2011) with the title: Ministers in climbdown over prisoner vote rights in which he writes that the government is preparing to scale back plans to give the right to vote to thousands of prisoners serving sentences of under four years. They now propose to limit the right to those sentenced to a year or less.

But this misses the point, Belgium and Eire, and indeed 11 other countries who signed the 1953 European Convention on Human Rights do NOT allow Prisoners the vote. Yet they are not being singled out by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Belgium goes further and can deny the vote to Prisoners even after they are released.

So why has Britain been singled out? Because the ban is automatic rather than part of the sentencing procedure. So just change the law, so that every year handed down as a sentence is given the same number of years voting ban (this to remain in force even if paroled, or early release).

However better still face down the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and MPs will have the opportunity to defy the court's ruling in a couple of weeks' time when the Commons debates a motion tabled by Conservative David Davis and Labour's Jack Straw (I for one will be watching how the MP for my constituency votes on this).

Actually I would much rather the vote was on withdrawing completely from the 1953 Convention and instead preparing over the next few years a British bill of Human Rights which is based on the safety of citizens and the protection of victims of crime rather than the rights of those whose Criminal or other acts endanger the Citizens of this Country.

Related Post in this blog:
EU Law overrides UK Law and (some) Convicts will get the Vote 02nd November 2010
Douglas Carswell MP: Governed by judges? 05th November 2010

Other Articles:

• Tory rebels given green light to crush prison votes
• Far fewer prisoners will now get the right to vote
• Votes for (some) prisoners to get a vote in Parliament

Students Protestors, no Criminal Vandalising Hooligans

Actually I am being unfair, firstly only a proportion of the student protestors in London actually were involved in the attacks on People and Property. However far too many of those non-involved seemed to have found these actions at least in part acceptable and only a tiny minority tried to stop it.

Also I think I am being slightly unfair to Vandals and Hooligans, who are locked in a world with little future and lack the ambition and/or intelligence to escape from it. Whereas those involved in the Mob Violence in London are supposed to be well educated, bright people who will make a positive contribution in the future.

Well I hope those who participated in the Vandalism and Violence discover their future is blighted not only by being brought to justice and having a criminal record and a really hefty fine,  furthermore, if they are indeed students being excluded from their current university, or college and banned from attending any other in the UK for life. 

For the small number who attempted to stop the Vandalism and attacks, I salute you as it was a brave thing to do. Whilst Policing of the Protest may draw criticism (and it wouldn't matter how it was policed there would be criticism), the Police Officers on the 'frontline' who faced the Mob deserve the highest praise and once more they took causalities in the performance of their duties.

However in general the 'Students' have lost the last smidgen of my sympathy for their plight and as a tweet I received put it: After the childish behaviour today/tonight if the govt had another vote tomorrow the fees would go up to £12k. A view I can understand, but probably in time I won't totally agree with.