Thursday 4 November 2010

Commissioner Speaks Out

Louise Casey - now there's a name that can still strike fear into the heart of any self respecting liberal. The great survivor, self publicist and architect of many of Tony Blair's big ideas, has decided to offer her thoughts on yet another part of the Criminal Justice System. I have to say I think the link between Jury trials for either way offences and her role as Victim Commissioner is a bit tenuous, but maybe she just feels the need to get back into the public eye again for some reason. She seems to be saying that victims will get a better deal if people are denied their current constitutional right to opt for Jury trial when wishing to deny an accusation of theft. Her contention is that the Crown Courts are clogged up with unnecessary, time consuming and expensive trials for trivial matters, thus delaying more serious trials with victims and witnesses kept waiting for long periods.

This is the person that, having shot to fame and the attention of Tony Blair, as 'Homelessness Czar' suggested that charities were perpetuating rough sleeping by handing out soup and sleeping bags. She said this only months after leaving the employ of the housing charity Shelter. Having supposedly sorted this problem out, she then of course became the main architect of that other great Tony Blair success story, the Anti Social Behaviour Order. After that, she again courted widespread publicity by insisting that offenders doing Community Service were visible to the public by making them all wear orange tabards. One of the many sad aspects to all this is that she says she's a regular Guardian reader. Oh dear, things just aren't what they used to be and it's even got Joshua Rozenberg using terms like 'Has the world gone mad?'

PS I notice the Commissioner will be giving evidence to the Justice Affairs Select Committee next Tuesday 9th November at 10.30am

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