The Sun reports...
2,000 perverts and thugs will get the vote under new Govt plans
By TOM NEWTON DUNN, Political Editor
Published: Today
NEARLY 2,000 jailed thugs and perverts will get the vote under the latest Government plans, it has emerged.
European Court judges have said our ban on prisoners voting breaches human rights laws - but to avoid public fury David Cameron wants to limit those given the vote.
He plans to hand the right only to lags in jail for a year or less. But figures show this still means 1,551 violent offenders, 229 sex offenders and 113 robbers would still benefit.
A further 461 burglars and drug offenders would also be enfranchised by the decision.
The Ministry of Justice figures were exposed by new Labour MP Gloria De Piero.
Until recently the plan was to give prisoners serving FOUR years or less the vote - meaning nearly 30,000 lags.
Mr Cameron has told MPs the idea of violent cons voting made him "physically ill".
But he says it would cost taxpayers tens of millions in legal fees to fight the 2005 European Court ruling.
The Government faces a backbench rebellion, with dozens of Tory MPs promising to unite with Labour when the issue is debated in two weeks.
Tory MP David Davis said: "This compromise could be the worst of all worlds. One thing driving the decision is a fear of paying compensation.
"But if you give way to the court one inch, you give way on compensation."
Comment: Rupert Murdoch is paying good money to Tom Newton Dunn, Political Editor, to churn out this rubbish.
Given that The Sun is apparently concerned that 2,000 perverts and thugs will get the vote under the Coalition's proposal, how much greater would the concern be if The Sun discovered that all 75,000 convicted prisoners must get the vote according to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe? More to the point, the Coalition's present plans must be scrapped by 8 March 2011 when the UK appears before the Committee of Ministers which is to ensure that the UK fully complies with the ECtHR judgment in Hirst v UK (No2).
Tom Newton Dunn fails to understand that David Cameron is not making his platitude because of any public fury, in reality there is no public fuss. The only noises which are being made come from the 1922 Backbench Committee. And the prisoners votes is being used to hide the real agenda. Backbench Tory MPs are angry that some Frontbench places have been taken up by some LibDem MPs as a consequence of the ConLib Coalition agreement.
Given that Europe has made its position very clear that "The United Kingdom must put to an end the practice of delaying full implementation of Court judgments with respect to politically sensitive issues, such as prisoners’ voting rights", I am surprised that The Sun is failing to report on the true picture of David Cameron's embarrassment.
Perhaps, Tom Newton Dunn should read this post and listen to the podcast ?
I wouldn't worry about what the Sun says, John, it's more of a hate pamphlet than a newspaper.
ReplyDeleteI know it's banging one's head against the wall but I complained to the Beeb over the headline to their post which was similarly inflammatory.
ReplyDelete