Crime

I was as appalled as most people were to learn of the foreign murderers, paedophiles and rapists being released to roam freely around this country. I was equally appalled to learn how little of their sentences they had actually served before they were released. Surely it has got to be the case that a convicted foreign national is deported automatically after they have served their sentence. We are going to get Gary Glitter back.

Alcohol

MPs have suggested that Britons on stag and hen parties abroad should be charged for the help that they get from UK diplomats when they call on them to bail them out of trouble. Apparently, only 323 people have been charged out of 84,000 cases and officials have said that it is difficult to charge someone who is drunk and has no money. Words almost fail me!
What is it about the British yob or ladette and alcohol? The rest of Europe must think the same thing when their cities are invaded by the British Stag and Hen parties. The more respectable Briton must feel ashamed when they visit cities such as Prague or Dublin to be confronted by their young countrymen and countrywomen behaving in a drunken fashion.
Every one of them should pay the full price for the help they receive. Their passports should be confiscated until they cough up the money and, if they have been convicted of antisocial behaviour whilst abroad, the passport should not be returned for a couple of years.

Council Tax

Sir Michael Lyons is currently conducting an independent inquiry to consider the case for changes to the present system of local government funding in England, including reform of council tax. I wrote to him, as I fear that he still thinks that council tax should be based on property values.
I did not have any strong feelings on the subject until the poll tax replaced the rates. At the time my two adult sons were living at home and they were required to pay. I thought that was fair as they used local services as much, if not more, than me and they certainly had more disposable income than me. I thought that it was only fair that they should pay their share.
I was rather disappointed when the government of the day rolled over in the face of protest from those who, for the first time, were required to pay their way. I understand that not everyone could afford it and perhaps appropriate adjustment in deserving cases was all that was required.
Now, however, we have the council tax. The amount for which you are liable to pay is based on the value of the property you own or rent and assumes that two people live in the property.
Therefore, two people living in a three-bedroomed house pay substantially more than two people living in a one-bedroomed flat, even though they make identical use of local services. Under this system my two sons were not legally required to contribute a penny for the local services they used. Meanwhile, our next-door neighbours, who were retired and living on a pension, were required to pay the same as me, even though the gap between their income and the council tax was getting smaller and smaller every year.
Someone please convince me that it is a fair tax, and please don't suggest that my neighbours should move out of the family home to somewhere smaller. I have no objection to paying council tax, even paying extra for those who can't afford to pay, but why can't it be based on income? The value of the property in which I live is no measure of how much I should or could pay.

Watershed? What watershed?

Whatever happened to the TV watershed? I hate soaps but in order to be sociable I sit through a few with Mrs Murdo. I watched Eastenders last week. Gangster executions? Fratricide? Drunkenness? I kept checking the time. All of this before 8.00pm. I know parents can prevent children from watching, but you and I know a lot don't. What are the BBC doing? What are the watchdogs doing? Does anyone care anymore?

Who is in charge?

Sigh
Just back from a quick trip to the shops. On walking out of Sainsbury's I found myself in the middle of a group of lads, probably aged about 14 or 15 years-old, certainly no older. They had clearly been up to no good in the shop and one was heard to say "I suppose that is me banned for another six months". He repeated it a couple of times so that everyone had a chance to hear him. The smell of stale cigarette smoke on their clothes and on their breath was quite strong and I wondered whether their parents would notice and, if they did, would they care. Did their parents even know where they were?
The thing is, these youngsters have no fear. I am not saying they are fearless. I am saying they have nothing to fear. There are no sanctions for bad behaviour that would prevent a recurrence. Parents certainly don't wield any discipline. Teachers try but are constrained by the law and are not supported by the parents. The police have their hands tied. Those youngsters inclined to misbehave see the paper walls and walk straight through them.
A few days ago I heard a teacher say that she couldn't prevent pupils having mobile phones in the classroom. She could ask a pupil to hand it over but could do nothing if they refused.
The tail is definitely wagging the dog!

The Heavy Straw

For a number of years anger and frustration have been increasing and the sighs have been louder and more frequent. The heavy straw has finally broken the camel's back and I can contain myself no longer. Where are we going?
What happened to common sense, values and honour? Don't get me wrong, I am not merely a cantankerous old git. I still get immense pleasure from life, but life is changing around me and I have to adjust to ensure I can retain that which is important to me. Rising crime, rising taxes, parents abrogating their responsibility, poor service in shops, restaurants, etc. The list gets longer.
I have tried to vent by sending comments and opinions to various websites and discussion groups but the moderators and I don't seem to get on. Perhaps this blog will provide me with what I need. I need some release. So, let's give it a whirl and see what happens.