Best Of

Presumably Sir Keir was too distracted to call a COBRA meeting.

Man charged with five counts of attempted murder linked to terrorism, after alleged anti-Muslim attacks in Edinburgh

https://x.com/bbcbreaking/status/2069122166793150875?s=61&t=LYVEHh2mqFy1oUJAdCfe-Q

It’s not racist violence, it’s Community Feedback From The Peace Process.

Don’t you like peace?

What are you trying to imply here? I don’t think Theuniondivvie or any other PBer as ever excused terrorism in this way.

A number of people were decrying the idea of cracking down on Community Feedback in Northern Ireland. Because the Peace Process is a delicate flower.

Surely the same moral calculus applies here?

The underlying issue is the state doesn’t give a fuck about the incarcerated. .

IMO everyone held against their will should be safe. Properly safe. Safer than on the streets. The above discussion accepts that prisoners will be unsafe.

If people were safe when institutionalised, the approach to trans etc could be more positive.

(. They should have a vote too. )

Yes, our prisons are truly disgusting. It is hard to see how anyone comes out a better person.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jun/22/rats-children-prisons-incarceration-ferrets?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

One of the major problems with our prisons is that many of those who end up there are not very nice people. They are selfish, greedy, arrogant, all too often suffering from personality disorders, violent and not entirely honest. Locking them up together in a confined space is highly problematic from a risk assessment point of view.

Well obviously so. But should prisons also be rat infested, understaffed, and full of drugs?

Ideally no. But good luck with getting prisons to the top of the pile of those screaming for more money. In Scotland our solution is to let people out after ever shorter parts of their sentence. I had a death by dangerous driving case last week. The man, a foreign national, got 45 months. Of which he would normally serve about 40%. But in fact he is more likely to qualify for a tag on less than half of that. So a 45 month sentence may well turn out to be less than 45 weeks.

And the prisons are still overcrowded and dangerous.

It is a very short term saving to economise on prisons by making them "an expensive way of making bad people worse" in the words of Douglas Hurd. These convicts have a very high rate of recidivism so as well as the social and financial chaos from their repeat offending, they are soon back in prison and costing £40 000 a year, until their next release, next crime spree etc.

There is very little relationship between incarceration rates and reducing crime. America has 25% of the worlds prison polulation but isn't noted for its civil peace, while many European countries have incarceration rates of half ours, but ofyen lower rates of crime.

Properly funded prisons with an emphasis on rehabilitation, drug treatment, alternatives to violence programmes and education are very likely to pay dividends in both criminal justice and social peace.

It is the same problem in my
business. The work upstream to
maintain health rather than try to salvage something from the wreckage is also good value, though less of a photo-op for politicians.

The US recidivism rate is actually about average, Norway, Singapore and South Korea the best

"Recidivism Rates by Country 2026" https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/recidivism-rates-by-country

If I'm ever homeless I want Norway prison.

People say Burnham offers hope.

But what does "offering hope" actually mean?

It seems to me that it is nothing more than elaborate talk for the purpose of entertaining people.

It contains nothing whatsoever of substance.

But the thing is that it does give quite a few people what they want - because many people just want to be entertained.

It is about being positive, rather than simply against things, as @NickPalmer was saying the other day.

Most contemporary politicians are noted for what they oppose, and certainly relentless negative campaigning works as a political strategy. It does rather rot the national soul, and leads to things like Starmer, elected for what he is not, rather than what he is (or was).

It is rare for politicians to exude positivity and optimism in a credible way. Tony Blair did, Johnson did, Polanski often does, and now Burnham does. Lets see if it works.