The State We're In...

Britain 2006 - what kind of country are we living in? In the past week I've read about a woman being taken to court for allegedly putting the 'wrong type of rubbish' in her recycling bin (she was found not guilty) and police deciding not to pursue allegations of racism against Tony Blair (according to a book written by an ex-aide he shouted disparaging comments about the Welsh at a television as the results of the Welsh Assembly elections came in). Don't people have anything better to do with their time? Have we really grown so petty that we think such things are actually worth invoking the full force of the law to deal with such trivial matters? Does anyone really think that it is right to try and prosecute someone for alleged comments, apparently made in private and reported second hand in a book? Is it really racist to shout "Stupid Welsh twats", say, not at actual Welsh twats. but at a television? Surely it is just an expression of opinion (A pretty widely held one, at that)?

It wouldn't be so bad if these were isolated incidents, but they aren't. If it isn't people having draconian ASBOs made against them for, basically, annoying their neighbours, rather than actually committing a criminal act, it is some busybody or other reporting public figures to the police for supposed racism (usually against the Welsh) or abuse of office. Take that recent business of John Prescott allegedly bonking his secretary in his Whitehall office - no sooner had the story broken then we had some retired police officer trying to get the police to prosecute him for misuse of government property! "It isn't politically or personally motivated, I just think the law has to be upheld", claimed the individual in question. Fuck off you pompous little cunt. You miss the power you probably used to abuse as a police officer and you just saw this as another chance to puff yourself up and feel important. Not surprisingly, the police didn't pursue the complaint.

Most recently, of course, we've had the sight of Lord Levy being arrested by the police as part of their investigations into the so-called 'honours for cash' scandal. A quick digression here, when I first saw the headline 'Levy Arrested', for a moment I thought that they meant Daniel Levy, the Spurs chairman. Obviously, once the term 'Lord' was mentioned, I realised my mistake. Daniel Levy, of course, has not, so far, been ennobled. Although, frankly, he deserves a peerage for finally managing to stir Tottenham out of mid-table mediocrity... Getting back to the issue at hand, am I alone in not giving a toss as to whether honours have been 'sold'? It is hardly news that individuals who make generous donations to political parties tend to end up with peerages. If the House of Lords actually had any real legislative power, this might matter. However, the Upper House is largely toothless, so it is all a moot point. With all of these things, I really can't help but feel that the police surely have better things to do with their time. Mind you, for conspiracy theorists, it does suggest that, if they do have the resources to devote to investigating this sort of thing, then the terrorist threat Tony keeps banging on about can't really be that serious...