Funny old world, eh.
Could Brown Call an Election This Week?
30 minutes ago
28 June, 2006
Quick, release a murderer, we need the room for.........
Josephine Rooney, 69. She has refused to pay her council tax.
Funny old world, eh.
Funny old world, eh.
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7 comments:
James
Have you seen today's Mail on Sunday or Sunday Times about this woman
If you had I think you might want to think twice about making this woman out to be some hero. She actually is a long standing owener of a number of properties and her record as a landlord is to be put it mildy controversial.
Taxes should be paid and to consistently refuse to pay them is an offence.
Cllr Mark Morris
Mark,
Perhaps you could highlight the section where I was "making this women out to be some hero"
.
James
James
I didn't say that - that comment is fair, but you thought it important enough to given her mention on your blog - I assume because you you were sympathetic with her case? On reflection on the actual facts do you think people should be given support for not paying their taxes?
Cllr Mark Morris
Mark,
As a lefty I thought that you would be supportive of a bit of civil disobedience! I also think that it is a telling that your first instinct was not to debate the actual issue but to start a thinly veiled character assassination on her.
The reports that I have read indicate that she has done a great deal for her local community and when presented with a financial reward she donated it to Darfur. She was described as “an angel” by a local homeless man.
But you would rather imply that she is somehow dishonest or worse by using the phrase “She actually is a long standing owner of a number of properties and her record as a landlord is to be put it mildly controversial”. This habit of “playing the man not the ball” seems to be endemic within the Lib Dems and is the reason I (and many others) have little respect for you as a party.
To answer your point. She has decided to make a stand by breaking the law, in doing so she has accepted that there will be consequences, she was found guilty and sent to jail, she accepted that. It is not the course of action that I would recommend but I admire her commitment to her cause.
What I find remarkable is that in a time of prison overcrowding this woman has been given a custodial sentence. Murderers, rapists and peodaphiles are out on early release because we do not have enough prison places, yet we seem to have found enough space to squeeze her in.
I think you are being a little unfair on Mark. He was right to point out the article as something worth reading from the Mail relating to the posting. Mark's remarks were quite mild compared to the 1600 words in The Mail article.
What issue is he meant to debate? your only statement in the posting was: "Quick, release a murderer, we need the room for Josephine Rooney, 69. She has refused to pay her council tax." Does this require debate?
The early release of murderers is a disgrace irrespective of the jailing or otherwise of people who refuse to pay taxes.
Jimmy,
There are a lot of unsubstantiated reports in this article and much detail is missing. Much of what is written contradicts other information about her that is currently in the public domain. The point that I made wasn’t dependent on her being a good landlord.
You ask what point was there to debate, perhaps none, but if Mark felt that there was no point to discuss why did he post a comment?
The point I was making was that people who deserve to be in prison are being let out because of a shortage of prison places and yet this woman is being sent to prison.
James,
Firstly, I trust, in terms of accurate reporting, comments that are included in newspapers far more than comments placed on blogs. There is a thing called libel laws which means that newspapers tend to take a bit of care about how they report issues than a lot of stories that are posted up on blogs. If you want to enter in a discussion about the libel laws that is a different issue - I certainly have some experience and views about them having been accused on libel, taken to the High Court by the BNP and having won my case.
Secondly, I believe any adult who breaks the law or someone who is elected to public office will for quite different reasons inevitably attract examinaition from the media. In many respects this is both right, necessary and largely a good thing in an effective democracy.
For me the bottom line is ensuring that subject to only some very specific exceptions that legal behaviour which does not take place in public should remains private.
The rights of children and other family members should also be protected. Certain basic rules should be observed even if politicians 'parade' their children.
Thirdly, I don't think this council tax case would really have created national media coverage if either the person involved was not keen to attract media coverage herself and/or there were people behind her who wanted to create political points, who I would suggest were neither Liberal Democrats or Labour members.
Fourthly, you decided to highlight this case - that simply can't be disputed. Maybe your comments were limited - but for some reason you wanted to publicise this case.
Finally, I ultimatley stand by my comments. I had read two stories about the story, with the Sunday Times investigation looking very well researched (they do actually have a good record on investigations) Also, by the way the Mail on Sunday is hardly a 'lefty' newspaper, even if that is a label you want to give to me - not that I find it an insult at all from someone who defended the 2005 Conservative manifesto and campaign.
The bottom line is that if someone purposefully breaks the law on grounds of a political campaign and is happy to attract national publicity, it is in my book quite reasonable for people to examine whether these individuals are consistent in what they are claiming to support and publicise. The stories from two national newspapers that I mentioned appeared to suggest that a degree of inconsistency applied to this specific case - put another way the serious allegations she was making against her local council could possibly apply to her.
By the way your blog appears to include stories and have links to other blogs which are dominated by very personal comments about indviduals. They are largely justified on the grounds I have set out above, but please lets not pretend that politicians from all political parties don't comment on other politicians, candidates or people that decide to enter the political arena.
Cllr Mark Morris
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