Last night, as I left the Society of Labour Lawyers’ seminar on prisons policy, I thought surely my excitement for the day was over and proceeded with said lawyers to the St Stephens Tavern.
Quite by chance, I bumped into a prestigiously lashed Tory Blogger, Devil’s Kitchen who launched into some diatribe about how the British legal system unjustly values more highly “the life of a black man over that of a white man” for reasons based on a spurious misunderstanding of race hate laws.
The excitement in the tavern increased somewhat when the police arrived and started clearing out drinkers from the pub before inspecting an unattended bag on the premises.
It was therefore quite amusing a few minutes later to see the same Tory blogger sheepishly trying to look both apologetic and sober while the two policemen gave him a serious talking to about leaving his laptop bag unattended in a Westminster pub. He crept into the corner, uncharacteristically speechless as drinkers returned to the pub.
editor[at]recessmonkey.com
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Isn’t he actually a UKIP chief luminary? Do they all look the same to you?
Guido Fawkes said this on July 4th, 2007 at 6:32 am
He’s not up to much. I removed him from my bookmark to make space for better political bloggers.
Howler monkey said this on July 4th, 2007 at 7:03 am
Tories/UKIP… meh
Recess Monkey said this on July 4th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
I wouldn’t describe myself as Tory, no. I’d only gone to the loo, for heaven’s sake! And the guy I was drinking with should have recognised that it was my bag ‘cos I was wearing it as we walked there!
You’re right: I was pissed though…
DK
Devil's Kitchen said this on July 4th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
British legal system unjustly values more highly “the life of a black man over that of a white man†for reasons based on a spurious misunderstanding of race hate laws.
Yes and no. DK may well not have expressed himself with his customary elegance, but - to put the example slightly differently - the British government clearly does think that an old lady who gets punched in the face and called a “white bitch” is more hard done by than an old lady who gets punched in the face and called a “bitch”, or they wouldn’t have bunged an extra few years on the sentence just for the racially aggravated element. Difficult to justify that to the second lady, really, isn’t it?
A racial element has always been an aggravating factor in sentencing and I think that is right, but I for one don’t think that turning a racially aggravated ABH into a different and more serious offence altogether is the way forward. Personally.
Katy Newton said this on July 4th, 2007 at 4:24 pm
RM,
Believe me, I can see the humour: I would have had a giggle too, were I in your situation! I don’t begrudge you a snigger at all…
DK
Devil's Kitchen said this on July 4th, 2007 at 4:47 pm
Don’t listen to him. From my, slightly drunken, vantage point the stressed bar lady repeatedly asked whose bag it was, not while this evil tory/ukip/whatever was having a slash, but while he was stood about a foot away. Blaming your bladder will get you nowhere.
alice said this on July 4th, 2007 at 5:03 pm
Alice,
Pissed I may have been (alright, I was absolutely hammered) but don’t you think that “evil” is just slightly hyperbolic?
DK
Devil's Kitchen said this on July 9th, 2007 at 2:13 am