Election Year or Fear!

[ramAnag]

I personally think it was wrong to hand out such a punishment to her. I do think there has to be accountability though if you say such vile hate filled racist comments.

Surely some sort of educational course , like footballers guilty of racist comments would be sufficient.

It's a case of deciding what prison is for, is it punishment or rehabilitation. yes I know it's a combination of both but I'd have thought being forced to do some course and face people admitting what horrible thoughts you have would be a punishment in itself.

Hang on Sith. You always come across as a reasonable and intelligent poster so I recognise your dilemma but let’s consider three factors here.
Who is Lucy Connolly? The wife of a Tory Councillor.
When did she say what she said? In the immediate aftermath of the dreadful Southport tragedy.
What did she say? ‘Set fire to all the f*****g hotels full of the b******s (asylum seekers) for all I care.’

Imo, in the light of such incitement to violence, arson and murder she deserves to be in prison.

Consider the consequences of what she did…half witted far right bullies actually did attempt to do what she advocated.

Had you or I, some years earlier, used a forum like this to encourage people to harm Mel Morris or damage/set fire to his property I suspect we’d have faced the full force of the law and possible imprisonment. Rightly so too, imo.

[SithHappens]

Hang on Sith. You always come across as a reasonable and intelligent poster so I recognise your dilemma but let’s consider three factors here.
Who is Lucy Connolly? The wife of a Tory Councillor.
When did she say what she said? In the immediate aftermath of the dreadful Southport tragedy.
What did she say? ‘Set fire to all the f*****g hotels full of the b******s (asylum seekers) for all I care.’

Imo, in the light of such incitement to violence and murder she deserves to be in prison.

Consider the consequences of what she did…half witted far right bullies actually did attempt to do what she advocated.

Had you or I, some years earlier, used a forum like this to encourage people to harm Mel Morris or damage/set fire to his property I suspect we’d have faced the full force of the law and possible imprisonment. Rightly so too, imo.

I'm certainly not advocating she goes unpunished.

I'm just not convinced imprisonment for such a long time is the answer. Perhaps having to face those she was advocating such actions against would have been a better punishment.

It was a vile horrible thing to say but if we look at the flames being fanned over Southport, this was not from a quickly deleted post on X, I believe the culpability lies elsewhere but those guilty maybe chose their words more wisely but we're far more incendiary.

[Geoff Parkstone]

Interesting use of words there Sith - I'd say her words were pretty incendiary given the courses of action she was proposing! that said there has to be proportionality in crime and punishment and I don't think the outcome achieves that but rather smacks of making an example.

[Andy_Faber]

I'm certainly not advocating she goes unpunished.

I'm just not convinced imprisonment for such a long time is the answer. Perhaps having to face those she was advocating such actions against would have been a better punishment.

It was a vile horrible thing to say but if we look at the flames being fanned over Southport, this was not from a quickly deleted post on X, I believe the culpability lies elsewhere but those guilty maybe chose their words more wisely but we're far more incendiary.

Agreed and the unintended consequence of the IMO significant overpunishment is that she?s become(ing) a martyr for ?the cause? in a way none of the others convicted at the same time have done.

[ramAnag]

Agreed and the unintended consequence of the IMO significant overpunishment is that she?s become(ing) a martyr for ?the cause? in a way none of the others convicted at the same time have done.

I see your point and accept that there well be some who are more guilty but?a ?martyr for the cause?? Only to imbeciles and extremist bullies who find it acceptable to advocate arson and murder.

She suggested that it would be acceptable to go out and burn people to death. Think about that.

[Trickytreesreds]

I see your point and accept that there well be some who are more guilty but?a ?martyr for the cause?? Only to imbeciles and extremist bullies who find it acceptable to advocate arson and murder.

She suggested that it would be acceptable to go out and burn people to death. Think about that.

You really are something else.

Lets recap shall we?

This was a woman with not even a parking ticket against her.
She posted something in anger without thinking, bearing in mind she had lost a child herself.
She went for a walk, thought about it and came home and deleted it. She even posted an apology online telling people not to do anything nasty.
The police come knocking, she went voluntarily and cooperated.
She pleaded guilty after being fast tracked into court(Starmer justice), yet was slapped with a 2.5 year jail sentence.

Meanwhile, the court system, has Hew Edwards walking free and the Manchester airport thugs. An immigrant child rapist gets let off, as his culture meant it wouldn't register in his head as a crime. Another immigrant rapist of 23 years of age is let off, because his brain isn't "fully developed" according to a judge

This tosser who calls Reform Nazis, has history of decisions going against UK interests. HE FEELS THE POOR WOMAN HASN'T ENDURED ENOUGH, WHILST CRIMINALS ARE BEING RELEASED EARLY. Yet YOU, feel all this is just. You have a very warped idea of what is justice Mr. Lets hope your family doesn't fall foul to it.

Disgraceful

PS you showed yourself up, by introducing a Tory connection into it Since when has that had anything to do with being convicted?

[ramAnag]

You really are something else.

Lets recap shall we?

This was a woman with not even a parking ticket against her.
She posted something in anger without thinking, bearing in mind she had lost a child herself.
She went for a walk, thought about it and came home and deleted it. She even posted an apology online telling people not to do anything nasty.
The police come knocking, she went voluntarily and cooperated.
She pleaded guilty after being fast tracked into court(Starmer justice), yet was slapped with a 2.5 year jail sentence.

Meanwhile, the court system, has Hew Edwards walking free and the Manchester airport thugs. An immigrant child rapist gets let off, as his culture meant it wouldn't register in his head as a crime. Another immigrant rapist of 23 years of age is let off, because his brain isn't "fully developed" according to a judge

This tosser who calls Reform Nazis, has history of decisions going against UK interests. HE FEELS THE POOR WOMAN HASN'T ENDURED ENOUGH, WHILST CRIMINALS ARE BEING RELEASED EARLY. Yet YOU, feel all this is just. You have a very warped idea of what is justice Mr. Lets hope your family doesn't fall foul to it.

Disgraceful

PS you showed yourself up, by introducing a Tory connection into it Since when has that had anything to do with being convicted?

For the purposes of clarification only.

It wasn’t a ‘Tory connection’, could have been any councillor’s wife but as such she is, one imagines, a woman of some ‘standing within the community’ and she actually advocated people indulging in arson with the aim of killing people in a burning building.

You have no more idea than I do as to why she deleted it so quickly. Might just as well have been because someone with a bit more sense warned her of the possible consequences of inciting the incidents that were to take place.

Either way it was a despicable thing to do, I have no sympathy and, as you wish to make it personal, I hope your family never find themselves alone and unwanted in a foreign country at the mercy of those bullies you consistently seek to defend.

[Trickytreesreds]

For the purposes of clarification only.

It wasn’t a ‘Tory connection’, could have been any councillor’s wife but as such she is, one imagines, a woman of some ‘standing within the community’ and she actually advocated people indulging in arson with the aim of killing people in a burning building.

You have no more idea than I do as to why she deleted it so quickly. Might just as well have been because someone with a bit more sense warned her of the possible consequences of inciting the incidents that were to take place.

Either way it was a despicable thing to do, I have no sympathy and, as you wish to make it personal, I hope your family never find themselves alone and unwanted in a foreign country at the mercy of those bullies you consistently seek to defend.

What a weak evasion.

So , have you suddenly gone right wing and want a rigid and stern justice system, that comes down hard on the convicted?
Or is it relevant only to those that clash with your own moral compass?
You seem comfortable, that a woman, who pleaded guilty/ apologised/ her first offence / said a nasty clump of words on social media gets 2.5 years for it? Her parole hearing was quashed as well, whilst far worse criminals are being released early under Starmers, clear out the prisons policy.
Yet two rapists I example, get let off by weak judges and don't get a mention from you in comparison?
Perhaps your warped knowledge of fair justice, can explain to me, why this man isn't doing 2.5 years? Is it possible, that being a Labour mouth piece and an ethnic, gets you special exemption? His trial still hasn't been run, yet Lucys was fast tracked all the way to sing sing

https://www.itv.com/news/london/2024...e-cut-at-rally
I suspect this has everything to do with your political leanings, more than justice.

[Trickytreesreds]

On the same note of justice. A Pandoras box is being opened, with the arrest and conviction of the Qur'an burner.
It seems blasphemy laws are now coming into place at this decision, as is the right to freedom of choice and right to offend.
If that was his Qur'an, then he committed no crime under the law, it was his property to burn. Yet someone's hurt feelings trumped that right.

But if we are going down this road, where does the hurt feelings and offense end? Or is it selective on the offended?
What about this bunch and their actions? I see offence here as well. But was it illegal? No action was taken either?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uig1...nnel=APArchive

This country was/is based on free speech, within the law. But seems those fundamentals are now being changed / challenged.

[SithHappens]

It's interesting though that a certain Mr farage refers to two tier justice, yet demanded his milkshake attacker receive a custodial sentence yet thinks someone calling for the murder of innocent people should walk scot free.

Perhaps on the face of it (pun intended) the milkshake attacker couldn't have complained had she been in receipt of a short custodial sentence, corbyns egger got 28 days after all.

I still think the X post led to an excessive punishment but by no means should that be mistaken for sympathy.