jonatnan aitken

[lovejoy]

I've just read that this jailbird is to be appointed to a position in law concerning prisoners what are the tories going to come up with next , perhaps giving giving jeffrey archer the job of touring schools in Britain to teach them about the need to be truthful at all times

[ludwig]

Whatever next eh? perhaps Tony Blair will be appointed as some sort of peace envoy to the middle east.

[jake-the-peg]

Maybe it's a kind of "children in need" sponsored Alice in Wonderland day for politicians.

I've just heard Tory shadow minister, David Davis on the radio arguing against longer detention without charge for terrorist suspects.

Only explanation I can think of

[Yorkie580]

Jaqui Smith in charge of promoting open and transparent press releases...

Des Brown to be listed as the Armed Forces' Hero...

[andy-hughes]

The general concensus is that Johnathan Aitken has regretted his crimes, and paid the agreed penalty iin law, and that everyone deserves a chance at rehabilitiation.

I find the notion that he tired to perjure his own child in order to save his slimy arrogant Tory skin to eb utterly abhorent, but having said that, when ever i hear him interviewed, he shows no trace of that in-built Conservative superiority that allowed him to look down on the entire human race.

We should be prepared to let people use their experiences to prevent others making the same mistakes - that's how we learn.

[Gromit]

It does sound like a notion that I should be shocked and outraged about, but I am not. If you are looking at the prison system then the insiders' view should also be considered (amongst all the others). Seeing as he is a Tory who has done time, he is a natural choice.

My misgivings are that he seems to be a self-appointed spokeman spearheading another crusade. And also, a convicted perjurer might be perceived as an unreliable witness.

[vehelpfulguy]

lovejoy, based on your "jailbird" theory Nelson Mandella should never have been allowed to be president of South Africa.

And Ghandi (who was imprisoned by the British) should never have been allowed to have any position of authority in India.

And course Oscar Wilde's plays should all be banned as he went to prison.

And we should also ban Stephen Fry from TV because he spent time in prison.

While I agree that Jonathan Aitkin was a loathsome character to do what he did, it does not preclude him from getting involved in any official job for the rest of his life.

[vehelpfulguy]

>he shows no trace of that in-built Conservative superiority that allowed him to look down on the entire human race.

Not wishing to get into a slanging match about Tory and Labour but there are plenty of Labour politicians in the last few years who have had that attitude.

Tony Blair, John Prescott, Peter Mandellson, and Geoffrey Robinson to name a few.

They all felt they were above the law, and they have all done pretty well out of things.

[Sweep2k]

Yeah, let's not let this turn into a Labour v Tory thing, because I really could do on about the self-serving chinless gits...

But, I think this is a good idea. The man is better qualified than most.

It's the same thing as when politicians are hounded about taking drugs when they were young. How on earth are they supposed to bring their experience to bear on drug policy when none of them have any expereince of drugs? If nothing else, a group of 600 adults who have never taken any drugs is demographically freakish.

[lovejoy]

Vehelpful guy, your analogy is ridiculous, Mr Mandela was an innocent man incarcerated for 26 years for crimes which he did not commit.

Mr Ghandi was not guilty of any crime

Jonathan Aitken WAS guilty of criminal acts BEYOND ALL DOUBT

[kempie]

You may not agree with the validity of the offences, but Gandhi must have since he pleaded guilty to the charge of 'conspiracy to overthrow the government' during the 1922 trial which led to his first of four prison terms, and Mandela admitted the capital crime of sabotage.

[lovejoy]

Leviathen, was this when he was trying to free his people from racist tyrranny or when he had tea and cucumber sandwiches with Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth the 2nd ???

[lovejoy]

I can see the application form now wizard:

wanted,staff to rehabilitate convicted prisoners, only time served convicts are eligable to apply

[wired]

Surely this has less to do with who has or hasn't been inside than to do with political honesty (oxymoron).Aitken said that the British sword of justice would prove him right, then that he'd seen the light and taken a vow of chastity , released from prison soon after to get married! yeh he's right for the tories and prison reform.