A new report today claims that Autism begins the womb. It claims that patchy changes in the brain, long before birth may cause symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

The new study carried out by The New England Journal of Medicine raises hope that better understanding of the brain may improve the lives of children with Autism.

This is good news for parents as ASD is still a relatively unknown entity. With no known cure there is a growing amount of research but there is still little evidence to support some of the claims made by the reports. Among these claims was one recently that autism can be detected as young as 6 months.

As a father of a 6 year old boy with Autism, I am by no means an expert in the condition.

James was diagnosed a couple of years ago officially but we suspected for some time that he was different. We knew he was different to our daughter Jessica, who is a year older than him but passed that off as boys are lazy or just told ourselves that all children are different and all develop at different speeds.

On Jessica’s first birthday, she could practically hold a conversation with you. On James’ first birthday he could practically sit up- sometimes. We noticed that he would form odd habits like picking up a ball and crawling to the edge of the rug to drop the ball onto the hard floor, then retrieve it and do the same thing again and again. He seemed reluctant to make eye contact sometimes, which we read was a sign of autism, but then at other times he would make inappropriately direct eye contact- sometimes physically grabbing your face to force eye contact. Despite noticing his unusual habits he was such a pleasant baby that we thought he was just laid back.

Because Jessica was so forward as a baby, she was quite a handful, always exploring everything and needing a lot of supervision. He would happily sit for long periods of time occupying himself with a shiny object spinning on his baby walker.

As he got older he began to display aggression and angry behaviour when he got frustrated and could explode apparently without warning in seconds. Eventually, we mentioned our concerns to our GP who reassured us that all kids develop differently and there is a reason they call that age the terrible two’s. He did though refer us to specialists who duly diagnosed his condition just before his 4^th birthday.

I remember when my wife was pregnant with Jessica, I asked her if she had to choose between beauty and brains for our unborn child, which would she choose? She chose looks and I said brains were more important, (we agreed of course, like all expectant parents would, that our children would be beautiful and intelligent).

With this perhaps in mind I was reluctant to admit that James was different. I dreaded him being labelled as disabled or Autistic James. To me he was just a perfect little boy that was slightly different.

We attended a parent workshop, where no children were present- just parents talking about their experiences. What we discovered there was that we are quite lucky and that James’ symptoms seem to be quite mild compared to some. It also emerged that my feelings of denial were not unusual. There seemed to be a pattern of particularly Dads, that didn’t want to accept that their child might be different. I don’t know if there is any scientific facts to support that claim, but from the people in that room it was the majority. The other thing that struck me was that most of the children being discussed were boys.

One lady who turned up late and alone came in all flustered and told us that her husband would have loved to have joined us but he was away working in China on important business. I saw little need to share that information with us initially, but later during discussion she revealed that her and her hard working husband had noticed that she didn’t really engage with other children and seemed to have little imagination when it came to playing. They also notice she was a little clumsy or awkward. To cure this they had enrolled her in dance class. When this failed to fix her they took her to a doctor. She was 12. I may be wrong and it may just have been my perception but I suspect they were so busy keeping up with the Jones’ that they couldn’t possibly comprehend the chance that maybe there was actually something wrong with their daughter.

To the shame of this country there is still clearly some sort of stigma attached to disability and individuality, particularly if the illness is of the mental nature. All parents surely consider their children to be beautiful, special intelligent beings and parents of autistic children are no different.

As our suspicions of his autism, pre diagnosis grew, we of course read books and articles online on the subject.

As anyone who has googled any ailment will know, the symptoms and results of those symptoms are terrifying. I once self-diagnosed and convinced myself I had a twisted testicle and therefore had only a matter of hours to get to the hospital or lose it, after reading an internet article. After a high speed trip to out of hours’ emergency clinic, I was told I had a water infection.

So, I was reluctant to accept the information available on the internet but there seemed to be so many conflicting reports that it was impossible to be sure either way. I found a chart that said if your child has two out of the five behaviours in table one, and three out five in table two, and three out of six in table six then your child is autistic. The stereotypical autistic symptoms did not fit James. He displayed hardly any of the behaviours in table one and two but arguably displayed most of the behaviours in table three. 

One of the well known facts about autism is that sufferers are detached and don’t like to be touched and call feel emotions.

None of these things are true of James. Admittedly, when the family dog died recently, although he noticed we were all visibly upset he patted his mum on the shoulder loving and said “oh dear, can I play on the Wii now mummy”.

He didn’t seem to comprehend the fact that the dog was dead and when we said “Tilly is in heaven” he seemed to think this was another country.

When I had my motorbike stolen and set fire to and was understandably annoyed by this, James talked about it endlessly, saying things like “you haven’t got a motorbike now Daddy because naughty boys stole it and set it on fire didn’t they”. He doesn’t understand tact, but then neither do many people who don’t have autism. He does though love his family very much and delights in telling us all the time. He shows his love more than anyone else in the house and cuddles and kisses us constantly. He still throws himself on the floor occasionally, if we take a different route home from school and sometimes he won’t eat anything but pizza but his odd habits are less odd to us now.

He is unable to do some things that other children his age take for granted, such as colouring or drawing but he is able to do many things that none of the other children in his class can do. His reading is more than a year advanced for his age but he has needed help to simply hold a pen or to feed himself with a knife and fork.

He is able to memorise patterns and routines remarkably well and loves game shows, often watching the same episode again and again, rewinding it when the audience laugh for an action replay like a football fan might when there is a moment of brilliance. When he watches shows such as the cube he is able to reel off statistics like Mo farrar played this in game 3, he lost two lives..

I have spent hours trying to get him to hold a pen, trying time again to get him to form a recognisable circle, to no avail.

Tonight when his sister was writing on a card for her Grandma, James picked up the pen and wrote JAMES in perfectly legible writing. By the time he got to S he was almost wetting himself with excitement because he knew it was a big deal. I have no idea how he learned to do it, or if he will be able to do it tomorrow. He says he going to.

At bed time he insisted on wearing Jessica’s pink One Direction pyjamas, untroubled by ego and blissfully unaware why he looked funny, yet knowing and delighting in the fact that he did.

He surprises me every day with his loving faithful way, and amazes me with his manipulation skills saying things like “ you’re going to watch me play on the Wii tonight Daddy aren’t you because you’re my best friend and I love you so, so much”. How can I possibly say no?

A good friend of mine said recently that I cling to James as much as James clings to me. This is possibly true and I wonder if this is common in other parents of autistic children.

I’m certain that they like me, believe their child is a beautiful, clever, loving treasure.

If I was to give any advice to parents who suspect their child has autism it would be to get a diagnosis as quickly as possible, rather than being in denial or hoping it passes. Our NHS system does have some wonderful mechanisms in place and the help and support by highly skilled professionals is invaluable. There is additional help and funding available in good schools and children can flourish and develop much quicker and much easier with that help and live a fuller and richer life.

Don’t let your pride get in the way of your child’s well-being!

                                                    

An All Woman Shortlist for Sheffield Heeley -Why Nikki Bond should be your first choice:

In January this year Sheffield MP Meg Munn announced she would be stepping down at the 2015 General Election. Sheffield-born Munn was first elected to parliament in 2001. Her Heeley constituency in the city is an interesting seat that represents traditionally poorer areas of the city such as Arbourthorne and GleadlessValley while also looking after the leafy suburbs of Greenhill and Norton.
To represent the people who live in such diverse areas will take someone with special skills. I have previously written about the differences within the city in levels of child poverty and the fact that the residents of our poorer areas will probably have quite different issues to those of the wealthier areas.

While the issues of unemployment, antisocial behaviour, food poverty and benefits might be in the thoughts of the less fortunate residents, the people that inhabit the more sought after parts of the city are less likely to be affected by such things.
It takes a talented and dedicated person to be able to empathise with the poorest and most vulnerable in society, whilst appreciating the needs and desires of the business community and the aspirations of the more wealthy. Electing a suitable candidate might well be a difficult task..

Sheffield, according to Wikipedia, boasts green spaces that cover over 60% of its land. There are over 250 parks and 2 million trees. A third of the city lies within the Peak District. In stark contrast, there are areas within the city that have been in need of regeneration for years. While parts of the city are flushed with extravagance of the wealthy and the exuberance of the tourism industry there are run down areas which have become short stay parks or people passing through or down on their luck; single parents who have been given priority housing or people who have experienced a relationship breakdown and just need somewhere as a stop gap. The result in these areas is often that the residents don’t think of it as their home and so there is no community spirit.

Sheffield is crying out for someone who will work tirelessly to improve those areas, to create spaces where even the passing through can feel they belong and the lost and vulnerable can feel safe.

I have for a long while been a believer that a city like Sheffield needs an MP who can relate to the needs of Sheffield people on council estates but still be able to appeal to more affluent voters in areas such as Heeley.
Nikki Bond is hoping to step into that role and having met
her recently, I believe she is the right person for the job..

 

I caught up with her today in a coffee shop in the thriving Ecclesall Road area.

I went with open mind knowing little of her other than what I had read on Twitter. I knew she was an advocate for feminism and equality. I have seen her support the No Page 3 campaign and the living wage, and was aware she had attended rallies against the evil bedroom tax and fascist EDL movement; but chatting to Ms Bond for a while it is clear that she is much more than just a feminist and activist.

Nikki travelled around the world as a child and enjoyed the luxury of boarding school; not because she was born into wealth or is the daughter of aristocracy, but because her Dad was a Private in the Army and stationed abroad. The Army paid for her education in boarding school so the Army kids were able to get a stable education - a privilege her parents would not otherwise have afforded. Her mother works as a special needs Teaching Assistant, which may have been where her passion for high quality education (and public services) for everyone, rather than only for those can afford it comes from. Just this week she was at the NUT rally showing her solidarity and support for the teachers on strike.
Since settling in Sheffield, where she studied at
Sheffield University, she has worked tirelessly to help the underprivileged and the most vulnerable in society as a local councillor. She is a passionate campaigner for women’s rights, as well as working with domestic violence charities. She has previously worked in admin roles and as a waitress. She still finds time to do the administration work for her husband’s gardening business, despite her busy schedule. Last December she worked on “small business Saturday”, which was a national day to support small businesses. Nikki somehow managed to find the time to distribute posters to almost every business in Nether Edge to encourage people to shop and buy local.
Although my intention was to interview Ms Bond and ask her some testing questions about how she can relate to real peoples’ issues, I found myself talking about many of my own experiences as she listened to what I had to say and empathised with the plight of everyday life.
She told me her first inspiration to get involved in politics was her Grandfather, who used to tell her stories of when he worked in the factories. She recently found out that her Great Grandparents worked in the cotton mills in Manchester. She is clearly and rightly very proud of her family’s working class background and this has had a big influence on her politics. It also accounts for the work she does to strengthen communities. She is involved in projects such as refurbishing local amenities, engaging the help of volunteers to mend the damage done to a community building by anti-social behaviour and vandalism.

She clearly relishes the challenge of getting people engaged and involved with this kind of project and she is in the process of enlisting the help of builders, plasterers and painters to create a space that can be enjoyed by everybody in the community. .

She told me she wants to be a community politician, not hell bent on looking after the interests of the Westminster village but listening to and providing a much needed voice for the people.
High profile politician’s parachuted into marginal seats purely because the seat is winnable should not be the motive.
The Farages and Cleggs of this world might be highly polished orators, able to debate with pizzazz on live TV and impress us by remembering our name when asked a question on BBC panel shows. But to understand the needs of a constituency and represent its electorate with honesty and integrity takes someone who cares more about the people who elected them than the rewards and social standing the office offers them. Nikki Bond makes no claim to be working class. Nor does she defend the system which allows only the well off or retired to be in politics. Despite not being poor or uneducated she seemed perfectly comfortable in the company of a clearly less well educated working class Yorkshire man.
She is part of an all-woman short-list for Sheffield Heeley.I suggested that all women short lists aren’t ideal, just like all working class short lists aren’t because they can result in a lack of respect for the winner, giving room for sceptics to suggest that the successful candidate would not have won in an open race.

Nikki accepted the suggestion with a glint in her eye that gave me the impression that she would be a formidable opponent, were any one to suggest such a thing of her. While my point was arguable, she believes it is undeniably high time that something was done to break the mould of middle aged, middle class white, male politicians that dominate both the government and opposition benches in the House of Commons to promote more diversity in politics. Even Education Secretary Michael Gove was complaining about this at the weekend.
Many young people are said to be disengaged with politics
because they are unable to relate to the grey, off the rack politicians we see on TV.

Nikki donates much of her time to working with young people and it probably helps that she is relatively young herself. At 31 years old, she was younger than I expected; but her mature attitude combined with a great amount of energy and enthusiasm made me feel confident at her capabilities to fulfil this important role.
She is a Cabinet Advisor for environment, a member of the GMB and is known to run the occasional marathon.
She is able to associate herself with the younger voters, the business community, and being a trade union member gives her the ear of the workers. She is a big supporter of the Living Wage campaign and regularly appears on local radio and in the Sheffield Star and has written articles on her
experience of online trolling for the Guardian. She has also had press releases in ILM news, a monthly newspaper written in Urdu and distributed free across Sheffield.
I was struck by her normality and enthusiasm, while feeling slightly daunted by her natural belief that what she is saying is true. In a world where politicians talk in disingenuous riddles, Nikki Bond will stand out for me, as a beacon of humility and honesty. I would absolutely urge anyone who has the chance to go along and meet her, to do just that.
To enable Nikki Bond to stand as Heeley’s next Member of Parliament, she needs Labour party members to vote for her. So if like many people, you want an MP who cares about the community she lives and works in, who works relentlessly for people less fortunate and is a genuine real person then I strongly urge you to give your support to Nikki by retweeting, reposting or sharing this with friends and family members.
Hopefully come 2015 Nikki Bond will be the next Member of Parliament for Sheffield Heeley.



                                       
 

Just over two years ago, in February 2010 I wrote my first blog article. I have just re-read it for reference and it was quite shabby really. An attack on the media for the constant habit of banker bashing. In retrospect it’s difficult to remember why I was defending the bankers. Perhaps a little naïve and perhaps I have changed my views. It is equally difficult to remember what my motivation was to begin writing the blog. I had previously written to local MP’s with little success, although I did manage to manufacture an audience with Paul Blomfield MP, who was very polite and accommodating.

I suspect the main reason I began to write it was my growing frustration at the lack of diversity in politics, in the media and in the legal system, which are all dominated heavily by middle aged middle class white males, giving a very narrow view of how the country ought to be run. I wondered who was going to speak for people like me and decided that I would try to give myself and people like me a voice. I have since written 75 articles, including one published in the local news-paper, The Star,( http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/letters-opinion/viewpoint-how-the-other-half-now-have-to-exist-1-5826928 ) I have amazingly had over 5000 views on posts about football, racism, mental health, the elderly and trade unions. I have also read a lot of other people’s blogs including my friend and colleague James’, which I will post a link to at the bottom, who I am proud to say I coerced/bullied into writing, as I have a couple of other colleagues.

 Some of the blogs I have read are by people who clearly are frustrated wannabe journalists and some are simply on an ego trip. Others are for information purposes and others are just people wanting an avenue to get rid of their anger at the every-day humdrum agitation of existence. I suspect some of them are written by people who are too shy to speak out publicly in real life and some may contain hidden messages to loved ones or even poorly veiled criticisms of employers or friends. Blogging gives a platform to all.

Some are deeply touching and some have occasionally moved me to tears. Some inspire and some are just rubbish. I have tried since 2012 to write something profound. As yet, I haven’t managed in my opinion as I tend to have a reluctance to give no more of myself than my opinion. I struggle to share my actual emotions on events in my own life.

I wish I was writing when my first child was born so I could have shared the joy and optimism of being a new parent. I would have liked to have written in real time about the anguish of my divorce or the shame of my bankruptcy, or the grief at the death of my ex father in law and my wife’s Granddad. I was not and did not and so probably will not but I envy the people who are able to share their most intimate thoughts and fears with an anonymous audience. Those who are brave enough to bare their souls and warts to all deserve to be respected and those who dare not write such self- analysis should probably not judge those who dare.

I generally tend to avoid the topic of myself and write about atrocities such as the fatal gang rape of a young woman on a bus in India. http://fitandproperopposition.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/india-and-pakistansappalling-record-of.html or the disgraceful lack of coverage by the right wing media about things like the illegal blacklisting by some of the country’s biggest construction firms against trade union members.

I try to write in a balanced way and often give both sides to an argument but I have been criticised by some for not being controversial enough. Does one have to be controversial to attract readers or is this simply a result of sensationalised tabloid journalism we are all sadly too familiar with? In one my early posts I tried to court controversy by saying that asking the opinion of multimillionaire businessman Lord Beecroft on changes to employment law was like asking Gary Glitters opinion on the age of consent. A line I stand by and still agree with but these days I try to avoid such comments. Does this make me a sell out? Should I go balls out to offend purely to get more views on my page to pander to my ego? Perhaps. Mainly I write this for me. I don’t really seek approval on my opinions and they are just that- my humble, often uneducated, ill-informed preconceived opinions. If no one ever reads them at least there will be a diary of my opinions for my children and grandchildren to read. Which once again leads me to the desire to write about the people I love and experiences I have shared with them. I would very much like to write about my ambitions and aspirations and my fears and failings so that at least I may be understood one day when I am long gone. Alas, I suspect I shall continue to write about the failings of government and the success of football teams rather than sharing my own innermost thoughts but I salute those who do. keep blogging..

http://jamestringham.wordpress.com/

 

 

Home secretary Teresa May has said that policing has been damaged by the investigation into the Stephen Lawrence murder investigation.

The report found that a police officer had spied on the Lawrence family and it failed to rule out that corruption may have compromised the investigation. It is over 20 years ago since Lawrence was stabbed to death in an unprovoked attack by a gang of white men. There is now to be a judge led investigation into undercover police activity.

It said that Detective Sergeant John Davidson, involved in the Lawrence enquiry was guilty of corruption, even though this was not revealed in the McPherson review, a previous 1998 enquiry. It was though previously revealed by BBC’s Panorama in 2006. The report also said key evidence into corruption had disappeared.

The damning report puts the spotlight on the police force once again after damaging recent reports into corruption and dishonesty in the Hillsborough disaster and during the miner’s strike.

A new inquest into the Hillsborough disaster which cost 96 Liverpool fans their life in 1989 is set to start at the end of this month. It is likely to find that officers on duty on the day lied to the media and altered police reports. The South Yorkshire force has claimed for years that extreme drunkenness by the Liverpool fans was to blame for the tragedy. These claims have always been denied by the families of the dead.

Police have also been accused of brutality in the ‘80’s during the miner’s strike.

These reports and others, do nothing for the reputation of our Police men and women despite many of the incidents in question taking place over 3 decades ago. As more details of corruption, racism, violence and dishonesty come to light, the public’s trust of police sinks lower and lower.

The average starting salary of a Police constable in England and Wales is £22,680 rising to just over £25,000 on completion of training. The average wage of a primary school teacher is £24,000 while the average for a bin man in some parts of the country is over £30,000.

In 2012 seven police officers were killed while on duty making a total of over 4000 in the last 180 years.

When I was a young lad growing up in the 1970’s I would have been terrified of going home and telling my parents that I had been told off by a Bobby, because people had respect for the law. There is barely any respect for the profession any more or the authority they hold. We are constantly hearing bad story’s about the actions of police from brutality to criminals in custody and violence against protestors to senior officers hiding evidence of corruption and institutionalised racism. But the question remains – where would we be without the thousands of honest conscientious and brave men and women who risk their lives every day to protect us?

We should not judge the many by the actions of the few and should instead acknowledge the noble job these people do. They have a thankless job. If they do nothing they are attacked. If they act they are attacked. They face hatred and hostility each and every day, in town centres around the country, purely for pulling on the uniform to serve and protect us. The dangers they face in situations such as the wave of demonstrations by the EDL and other groups sweeping the country or simply at a football match on a Saturday afternoon are such the most of us will never begin to imagine.

While it is fair and correct that the bad apples and guilty are sought out and punished we must not penalise the entire police force. They deserve respect and gratitude for their endeavours in keeping us safe in our homes and on the streets or we would live in a vigilante wild west.

21/08/13

                          Life for a life?

On the 23^rd October 1983, Suzanne Laitner planned the most memorable day of her life- her wedding. It was to become the most memorable day of her life for a very different reason. Hours after her wedding reception, her parents Basil and Avril Laitner were murdered in their home. Her brother Richard was also stabbed to death and her 18 year old sister raped at knife point by Arthur Hutchinson. Hutchinson, who was already wanted for rape and had spent 5 years in prison for attempting to murder his brother-in-law, was sentenced to life imprisonment in September 1984. It was recommended that he spend at least 18 years behind bars, meaning he could have been released in 2002.

Former home secretary Leon Brittan placed Hutchinson on a list of prisoners, whose life sentences should mean life, meaning he would probably never be released.

Hutchinson appealed the sentence, his solicitors arguing that an actual life sentence was in breach of the treble murderers' human rights. In July this year the European Court of Human Rights ruled that it was inhuman and degrading to never have the possibility of parole and was indeed in breach of his human rights.

In August 1985 25 year old Jeremy Bamber shot dead his adoptive parents and sister along with her 6 year old twins. He was given 5 life sentences for the crimes which prosecutors said he carried out for inheritance money. He claimed and still pleads to this day his innocence. Like Hutchinson, Bamber also claimed the sentence breached his human rights and the European Court of human rights has ruled in his favour also.

The government now has six months to respond to Strasbourg’s rulings.

These rulings by the ECHR begs the question, should life mean life? Should a man or woman convicted of crimes like these be locked up until they die, or should their human rights be protected and their liberty granted at some point? If killers like Hutchinson and Barber are freed by Strasbourg what message would it send to criminals? Would it lead to prisoners such as serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, who murdered 13 women in the ‘80s and is serving 20 life sentences having the right to appeal?

Some will no doubt say that if we take away the civil liberties and breach the human rights of murderers, then we are no better than them. They will argue that the fact we have the decency to grant these people their dignity is what grants us the right to sit in judgement. There will, inevitably, be those who say everyone deserves a second chance and prison should be about rehabilitation.

There will also be those who say an eye for an eye, a life for a life. Some might say the likes of Bamber, Hutchinson and Sutcliffe should be executed. There are still many people who believe that the death penalty should be brought back for crimes such as these.

Some opportunist political voices will use this story as proof that we should get out of Europe and make our own rules.

 Personally, I can see a case for all of these arguments but ultimately, we must treat even the most savage of criminals like human beings. It is wrong to intentionally take another life under any circumstances. It is wrong to deprive someone of their dignity, even if they have deprived others of theirs. It is vital that we show humanity and compassion to people convicted of the most terrible crimes if we are to protest when other countries do not treat prisoners the way we would like them to. If we are to be held aloft as an example of fairness and decency as a nation, then we need to demonstrate this to our monsters, not just our petty criminals.

 That said, I also believe that some people are incapable of rehabilitation, and even aged in their 70’s pose a threat to the general public. One would hope that these people would not be released but that should be for the parole board to decide, not a single home secretary.



update 27/2/14

 

In August last year the European Court of Human Rights ruled that all convictions should be reviewed after 25 years. This ruling would mean that whole of life sentences – with no possibility of release would no longer be allowed, putting hold some high profile cases, such as soldier Lee Rigby’s killers.

Last week a panel of five judges backed the principle of whole life terms, overturning the Strasbourg decision. It said that the ability to pass whole-life orders was entirely compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.

The court increased the 40 year minimum term handed to Ian McLoughlin who murdered a good Samaritan during a robbery while on day release from prison, to a whole-life tariff. Even McLoughlin, who was on day release from a life sentence for a 1992 murder, said the family of victim Graham Buck, deserved to know that he would die in prison. McLoughlin had previously served 10 years for manslaughter after beating a man over the head with a hammer in 1984.

The court also rejected an appeal against a whole of life sentence given to Lee Newell, who murdered a child killer while in prison for a separate murder.

Tory MP, Dominic Raab said “the UK courts have definitively rejected the ludicrous ruling from Strasbourg demanding that the most dangerous criminals are given the chance to be freed. It is a victory for common sense and democracy- and shows the government is right to fight the human rights mission creep tooth and nail.”

 

 

There are currently forty nine prisoners serving whole-life sentences including Rose West and cop killer Dale Cregan.

Some would argue that the heinous crimes these people have committed should mean they are punished severely and should give up the right to their freedom for ever, along with any other rights such as voting.  Other more liberal people may argue that no matter what the crime there has to be a portion of rehabilitation to prison and one could argue that hope is an integral part of that process. If we are simply punishing, and are to throw away the key, then there is little chance of (or point to) rehabilitation.

If we are to say once convicted of serious crime we give up on you and you in turn give up your rights to be treated like a human being then surely we are no better than the cold blooded killers we seek to punish.

I’m not saying set them free- far from it. I think stiff sentencing is crucial as a deterrent and to say we as a society will not tolerate this behaviour but to take away all hope will lead to desperation. Desperate people do desperate things. There should be a minimum term with a review to follow. The word review does not guarantee freedom but gives hope. If in forty years’ time these people are still a threat to the public or if they fail to show any remorse then they should be kept locked up- that simple.

I fear too many people will use this case to bang the drum for getting out of Europe. We always hear that parliament is sovereign meaning it makes its own laws so the EU argument ought to be irrelevant but whether in Europe or not we simply cannot remove all hope and dignity from people in prison.  Again, I’m not advocating Xbox and movie night, I’m saying if you take away a person’s rights completely you will only make a bigger monster.

 There are people alongside the life term prisoners who have not committed such crimes. Some are purely victims of circumstance and have a second chance on release. People who have all rights and all hope taken away have nothing to gain from behaving and nothing to lose from not. The less dangerous criminals locked up alongside such caged animals will be at risk of never rehabilitating either and may even continue to commit crimes in jail, leading to longer sentences like in the case of Lee Newell. Other young vulnerable prisoners will also be at risk of being radicalised by the two men jailed this week for the horrific killing of Lee Rigby.

We need to make a decision whether we want our prisons to places of rehabilitation and education, providing offenders with a chance of life after prison or simply a nasty place to punish criminals we have given up on as a society.

London underground was brought to a halt today by Bob Crow and the RMT union. The dispute is over government plans to cut 950 jobs and remove ticket offices. They say only 2% of the public use the offices and closing them would save £40m. London Mayor Boris Johnson condemned the action and called for new laws to outlaw striking. While many have great indifference outside of London, the government and large portions of the media were also less than supportive of Crows action. The RMT however claims that Johnson refused to negotiate and would not meet to discuss the plans, despite him claiming during his election campaign that he was against closures of ticket offices. 

This year marks the 30^th anniversary of the miner’s strike. Thatcher’s government claimed at the time that it planned to close 20 pits. NUM leader Arthur Scargill, claimed the Tories and National Coal Board chairman Ian MacGregor had a secret hit list to close 75 mines.

American industrialist, Sir Ian Kinloch MacGregor, was hired by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to run the coal board after originally bringing him in to cut 177,00 Steel worker’s jobs to 71,000 in less than four years. It cost the Tory Government £1.8m to free MacGregor from his Lazard’s contract. In March ’83 MacGregor was installed as Chair of the NCB to the opposition of Scargill, who was less than happy with the Americans business methods and the reputation he had gained closing the steel works.

Thatcher’s plan had little to do with economical ideology and a lot to do with political ideology. She deliberately set about dismantling the coal industry because she wanted to crush the trade unions.

In March of 1984 Scargill brought his members out on a long and bitter strike. MacGregor wrote to every miner denying Scargill’s claims that 75 pits faced closure.

Not only did the actions of the Thatcher government and the strike action of Scargill affect the industry, it wreaked absolute havoc on communities up and down the country, many of which still have not recovered.  In the early ‘80s jobs were already scarce (not helped the steel work closures),  and many villages were full of school leavers who’s only intention was to work down the mines like their fathers, and their fathers’ fathers’ before them. Some villages relied almost exclusively on the local pit for any form of employment and without the pits most other local businesses would not have survived.  So when these communities were fighting for their survival, some families could not cope with hard ship any longer and crossed the picket lines and returned to work. They were called scabs by the pickets and feuds broke out which linger and fester to this day. Such were the emotions of the times that on Lady Thatcher’s death last year, many villages threw parties.  During the dispute there were scenes of serious brutality from Police drafted in to marshal the sites.

On the 18^th of June ’84, the NUM arranged a mass picket at a coking plant in South Yorkshire; the NUM had 5,000 members from across the UK travel to Orgreave in an attempt to temporarily force the closure of the pit.

 Many claim that the notorious Battle of Orgreave was an ambush. The pickets were guided to a field where they were surrounded by Police.  The 5000 miners were outnumbered by 8000 police officers deployed from 10 counties. They included over 50 mounted officers and 50 dogs. Those beaten and arrested that day included journalists, members of the public, teenagers and miners who had turned up to exercise their right to peaceful demonstration. In 2001 a biography by a former  M15 director general, admitted that the organisation had tapped the phones of union leaders, which possibly led to the carnage that day.

 The excessive violence and brutality metered out by the Police that day resulted in South Yorkshire Police being forced to pay out half a million pound in compensation in 1991.

The miners finally returned to work, exhausted by extreme poverty,   after almost a year without wages, on the 3^rd of March 1985, having lost the battle, although around 87% of miners in Yorkshire remained on strike to the end.  Pit closures followed to the point where today there are only a handful of mines in operation.

National archive records recently released prove that Scargill was in fact right in his claims that the Government intended to close 75 pits at a cost of 75000 jobs in a plot to dismantle the trade union movement.

following the release of the papers, Tory leader David Cameron has refused to apologise to the families of miners, insisting it is Scargill and the Labour party that should apologise.

His cold and callous attitude proves that Tory ideology has not changed and that the party is still in favour of privatising the nation to benefit their millionaire donors while wrecking the lives of the workers and the trade unions.

India and Pakistan’s appalling record of sexual violence against women continues to be dragged further down as reports surface of yet another gang rape case.  The world was shocked and outraged when a 22 year old woman was gang raped in New Delhi, so violently that she died in 2012, but in some ways this latest story is even more shocking.

The “punishment” of being gang raped was ordered by a village elder after the 20 year old victim was accused of an illicit affair with a man from another village. 12 men were arrested for the horrific assault after the woman’s family were unable to pay the 25,000 rupees fine imposed by the kangaroo court.  

The woman was allegedly assaulted in public view by several men of varying ages as other dwellers stood by and did nothing to help her.

Despite laws being tightened after the fatal gang raping in New Delhi, and the subsequent death penalty imposed on the attackers, the alarming regularity of gang rape seems to be on the increase.

 

Amazingly, a female politician in India recently sparked fury when she implied that gang rape victims invited the attacks by their clothes and behaviour. Asha Mirje, who is a member of the state women’s commission said this week, “rapes take place because of a woman’s clothes, her behaviour and her presence at inappropriate places”. She went on to question whether the student killed in the New Delhi case needed to go to a movie at 11pm.

Tribal courts in Pakistan and India are metering out gang rape punishments for a variety of crimes, some of which aren’t even committed by the woman attacked.

A 45 year old widow was allegedly gang raped by 6 men on the orders of a tribal council after her brother was accused of an affair with a woman in the village.

In a lawless part of Pakistan in separate incident, 4 women were shot dead by relatives, in what were described as honour killings after one of the women left her husband. Again, sadly this is not an isolated incident. The human rights commission of Pakistan says 943 women were killed in 2011 after “dishonouring” their families.

Another report claims that six men has been charged with murdering three men in honour killings after footage emerged of three men dancing with women at a wedding. The men in the video could not be located so instead their three brothers were killed. The report went on to say that the women are also believed to be dead, although their bodies have not been found.

Anyone who is foolish enough to believe that these are unusual and rare occurrences is sadly mistaken. With the ever growing multi- cultural society in this country, it is terrifying that this behaviour is acceptable in some cultures. If this despicable treatment of women and girls is allowed to continue in India and Pakistan unchallenged, it is inevitable that it will be replicated on the streets of Britain. I said before, following the New Delhi case that action needed to be taken and I am even more convinced following these recent events.

It’s not however a hopeless case where we can’t change this trend. The growing outrage of the watching world must swell until the authorities in these countries are forced to take action.  Tribal elders who give the orders for these vile crimes must be as severely punished as the actual rapists and a message has to be sent that the world will simply not tolerate the rape and murder of women.

Pakistani woman Mukhtaran Mai gained international recognition 15 year ago after she challenged taboos to fight back against her own gang rape. Following the successful conviction of her attackers she now runs rehabilitation for rape victims. Asian and Pakistani women should follow her example and help mould their own children’s future by teaching them that female lives have the same value as male lives. The attitude of men in these cultures has to change if the behaviour is to be dragged kicking and screaming out of the dark ages.