Indeterminate Sentences for Public Protection (IPPs) are abolished, but there's more to do (19 comments)

Brian on May 17, 8:51 PM
Veronica, thank you for your comment of 17 May (here). As regards what you can do to encourage improvements in the procedures for IPP prisoners...
Veronica on May 17, 6:30 PM
My son was sentenced to an IPP with a nine year tariff at the end of January 2012. He has just told me that the...

Abu Qatada: what Yvette Cooper should be saying, but isn't (4 comments)

ObiterJ on Apr 24, 7:09 PM
Much as you might wish it Brian there is no chance of Labour saying this. Regrettably, in the Blair years the Labour Party became little...
Iain Orr on Feb 17, 9:00 AM
An excellent blog. You are right to speak and act as though the Labour party has just mislaid parts of its soul, rather than despairing...
john miles on Feb 11, 9:30 PM
Do you really think Ms Cooper - or any other New Labourite - would ever say anything so obviously honest and sensible? If so, who?...

Cash for access: shocking, but all parties are funded by selling influence (4 comments)

john miles on Apr 03, 12:26 AM
"Whenever the choice was exercised, it would tend to reflect ephemeral crises (jerry-cans and pasties and a freak by-election result) rather than real long-term issues."...
Brian on Apr 01, 11:40 AM
Brian writes: Thank you for this, John. The idea of giving voters a choice of party to which their tax contribution would be sent (I...
john miles on Mar 31, 10:34 PM
Like you, I'm a bit allergic to the idea of funding the parties out of taxes for them to spend on lying to us every...

On the fate of prisoners now indefinitely incarcerated as IPPs (8 comments)

Helen on Mar 29, 4:07 PM
Following some previous excellent advice about appealing against not being given an oral review, our son's solicitor did the necessary, and hey presto, an oral...
Helen on Mar 17, 12:12 PM
Dear Bob, Thank you for that, and yes, you are right about the SARN report, and its recommendation, which has now been seized upon by...

Lille: Christmas 23-28 December 03

Lille

View through the window	Sculptures, La Piscine	La Piscine's first swimmers
In Paul bakery, tea-shop and café		La Piscine museum, Roubaix
Christmas Market, Place du Rihour	Jane, Owen, Nicola, Virginia at l'Huitrière	L'Huitrière restaurant: Christmas lunch
L'Huitrière restaurant, Lille	Hotel Bellevue Lille from Grand'Place	Big wheel from our window
Grand'Place, Lille	Hotel Bellevue Lille from rue Jean Roisin