Penal envy
2002-07-29 || 11:53 a.m.

I'm going to have to change my radio station for the summer. BBC London Live have this total arsehole on after 9.00am. He is called John Gaunt (obviously shortened to Gauntie as always happens to men of this type). I can't quite make out if he is for real or just playing devil's advocate but either way ...

Topic for this morning: The indignation felt by the great British public that the European Court of Human Rights has had the AUDACITY to rule something British as illegal and contravening human rights. How can this be? Britain contravene human rights? NEVER.

It seems that it is out of order for prison governers to 'add on' time to prisoners' sentences if they behave badly. It seems that 'Gauntie' thinks they should be able to.

Well, what right have they got to add to an already passed sentence? Do they have judicial powers? No they don't, so clearly, logically it is wrong. It used to be that prisoners had a sentence but good behaviour meant they got out on remission early. Bad behaviour meant they served the whole of the sentence. The good old Tory government changed all this tho'. Can't have any positive reinforcement going on after all. Negative, negative, negative - that's the way to go with these people after all.

Stupid Bastards.

Any fool can tell you positive reinforcement NOT negative is the right thing. So, some people commit crimes and the way we deal with it in our society at present is to lock them up. Well I reckon the majority of the prison population don't need to be there anyway but that's just an aside. But leaving that, what is the point of further punishment? And I really do have a problem with one person being able to decide how much time to add on. In the past they had prison visitor boards who adjudicated. Tories got rid of that too. Blair is no better. He has just left it as it is. Europe knows better tho' and that is what those bastard tabloid media people can't stand. They don't like the thought that we could possibly be wrong.

Well strangely enough, Britain has been and continues to be, wrong on MANY things.

I'm angry about this. I'm angry that a whole group of our society is talked about as if they are just a concept. Fucking hell, 300 years ago we had the Howard Penal Reform and still we demonise people. How unenlightened are we?

I know I sound angry and in a way I am but I'm also feeling very alone. Waking up to comments like those above just reinforce this. I think I should just give up fighting it now. I should either join in with everyone else or accept I can't.

Either way I lose.

I can't join in because others KNOW. So I suppose I just have to stay apart. All I can hope for is an early death otherwise there's going to be a hell of a long time waiting. And its no fun to wait alone.

Ha.

Have a nice day!