COALITION PRISON POLICIES

In my opinion Judge Trigger very rightly imprisoned the crook Kevin Howard for five and a half years for his crime spree on vulnerable and particularly elderly women. Howard needed the proceeds of his crimes to fuel his needs for drugs !!!

There are some major questions to be answered:

a During his previous imprisonment did Kevin Howard have access to drugs ?
b During his new imprisonment is there any guarantee that he will not have access to drugs ?
c Was he on a drugs rehabilitation program during his previous term of imprisonment ?
d Will he be on a drugs rehabilitation program during the next five and a half years ?
e Could Kevin Howard or other prisoners in the same identical situation in which he now finds himself, qualify for early release ?

The basic question is how to protect the honest and harmless citizens in our country. One often reads that drugs are freely available in prisons. This is also true in other countries, not just in Britain.

The Socialists had a soft approach to the problems of prisoners and prison capacities. To kill off the drug barons supplying prisons, would it not be tactically better to build specialized prisons on an island off the north coast of Scotland or somewhere else very remote ? This could provide employment in the outer reaches. Is it still necessary to have prisons next door to where a criminal is active ?

The approach of David Cameron to scythe into the excessive expenditures of the Socialists is admirable. However, not to update prisons and connected policies will prove to be a false economical policy.

Nick Clegg should also shoulder his part of the responsibility on this issue !!!

FIFA MUST ACCEPT A REORGANIZATION

The scandal of the secret FIFA voting procedure which led to the adoption of Russia and Qatar as hosts of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups has left everyone except Sepp Blatter, the President of FIFA, bemused if not simply horrified !!!

On 2 December 2010, The Times newspaper published on the morning of the votes an admirable statement of information concerning the 22 members of the Executive Committee who had the right to vote. It revealed that 6 members were under the age of 60; 7 were aged between 60 and 65, and 9 were aged over 65 !!!

Sepp Blatter has been involved in the organisations of the last 8 World Cups, either as General Secretary of FIFA on the first five occasions or as President during the last three World Cups. He is now aged 74, having served FIFA in one capacity or another since 1975, i.e. during 35 years.

A perusal of the Statutes of the FIFA Organisation reveals that there is no age limit concerning the re-election of the President or any member of the Executive Committee.

An obligatory retirement age would certainly rejouvinate the Executive Committee and avoid the number of problems and abuses encountered recently. On the internet at least three current members (not suspended) are cited as having been involved in bribes a few years ago.

The Statutes of FIFA, which can be easily consulted on the internet, make no mention of whether the President or Executive Committee members can be or are remunerated. Likewise, who has the power to authorise any payments of remuneration if they are made ?

What the Statutes of FIFA do make clear is that Elections are to be carried out by a secret ballot !!! This is understandable generally but in retrospect regrettable in view of the recent elections of Russia and Qatar as World Cup hosts. Everyone wants to know what motivated Executives of the Committee to vote the way they did.

Finally, is it morally right to permit Zinedine Zidane, a former international footballer for France, to present the candidacy of Qatar ? Who accepted or endorsed this ? Presentations are normally proud, national duties !!!