Richard Hawley

Richard Hawley Forum
It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 3:30 pm

All times are UTC [ DST ]




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 18 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1, 2
Author Message
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 12:38 pm 
Offline
Hawleytastic!
User avatar

Joined: Thu Sep 09, 2004 6:06 pm
Posts: 1376
Location: sheffield
merseybeatle wrote:

I'm pretty sure you don't get a prison sentence for a first offence of benefit fraud, not according to the adverts on the tv at the moment anyway. If you steal, you should be arrested and prosecuted, with a suitable sentence depending on the severity and duration of the crime.


Maybe you don't get a prison sentence, can't say I know for sure. You do get prosecuted though. The MP's who swindled their expenses? They won't get prosecuted. There's the rub. If the laws say the MP's didn't break it then the law should be changed *before* any new policy comes in on benefit cheats because in many of the cases it was fraud, pure and simple.


merseybeatle wrote:
The reason we have our justice system is to decide fair sentences based on circumstances.. for people (not necessarily yourself) to suggest it's ok for a person to commit a crime because someone is a bit hard up or say "well, the mp's swindled a few quid, so what's the harm?" is quite honestly the logic of a child copying someone's bad behaviour in a playground and using a similar excuse of "well they did it" when reprimanded.


The difference is that a lot of benefit cheats do so out of necessity - 64 quid a week is almost impossible to live on these days once accumulated debt such as utility bills start coming into play. Do you think in a developed country anyone should have to decide whether to have the heating on or eat properly or buy some more clothes? Because those are the kind of choices that have to be made.

The MP's fiddled their expenses out of pure *greed*, from claiming for plugs, irons, 450/month for food etc to claiming for two houses. Why should *any* of this be on expenses? The most risible display during the whole expenses episode in my opinion came from Hazel Blears who made a big deal on TV brandishing a cheque she was going to pay back to the Inland Revenue for tax she obviously knew she'd swindled through a loophole. She made *£80,000* on the sale of two *taxpayer-subsidised* properties (why is *she* making money on this?) without paying capital gains tax as well!

Fraud! She should be in jail before anyone else, before any new witch hunt of people in desperate situations. Anyone else would be and for these shameless people to start having a go at anyone less fortunate than them, cynically trying to win votes in an election year...? Jesus.. Is this the best they can do, get the proles to snitch on each other?

_________________
new websites!
- http://www.chrismsaunders.com

- http://www.chrismsaunders.co.uk


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 1:06 pm 
Offline
Too much time on my hands
User avatar

Joined: Fri Feb 22, 2008 7:11 pm
Posts: 541
Location: South East
Agreed - divide and rule mate, divide and rule. if they can convince the poorer end of society that their neighbours are doing them over they won't have time to look at what those with their snout in the trough at the rich end are doing. Get us all spying on each other whilst mp's and managing directors bankers and so forth do us over big time.

_________________
http://www.myspace.com/shambolic-charm


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Mar 30, 2010 3:23 am 
Offline
Donkey Cock
User avatar

Joined: Tue May 02, 2006 5:21 pm
Posts: 962
Banksy to the rescue once again:

Image


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 18 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1, 2

All times are UTC [ DST ]


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 37 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group