As a retired magistrate aged 70+ I have been plagued with arthritic issues as many of my contemporaries have been. In an attempt to tolerate the discomfort without the benefits of the world`s pharmaceutical industry I recently offered myself to a profession the history of which is lost in 2,000 years of Chinese time. Lying on a trolley with incredibly sharp needles piercing my limbs for twenty minutes I was subjected to what seemed an endless loop of piano playing and harp plucking which combined in a sophomoric lullaby with no discernable melody endlessly repeating itself. I was reminded of the new government`s pronouncements on knife crime and simultaneously pledges, assurances, intentions etc from an earlier Labour government in 1997. On 21/09/2008 Jack Straw then Minister for Justice in his speech at the Labour Party Conference said; " Yesterday we saw the determination of those affected by knife crime as they marched through London. We stand firm with all those who know too well the devastating impact these crimes have and as Jacqui will be spelling out later, all of us pledge that we will relentlessly keep up our efforts to tackle it." Every minister responsible for policy on criminal activity since then has repeated a similar mantra as if it were looped on the internal sound systems of the Home Office and Ministry of Justice. So..........here we go again just like clockwork..........a government promising to go down hard on those carrying knives. We`ve been here so often before that it appears to be a right of passage for newly installed ministers at Justice to proudly announce their latest attempt to make our streets safer although no one name is more associated with this latest pronouncement than our esteemed Prime Minister who reminds us regularly of his history as the hard man DPP of 2011. And who can forget the oleaginous tones of his predecessor when he pledged in 1997 to be "tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime".
And so to today when figures show that nearly half of all knife possession cases recorded by police in 2023 led to no further action. The government has stated that it intends to “end the practice of empty warnings by ensuring knife carrying triggers rapid intervention and tough consequences”. There is also the promise to ban ninja swords, lethal zombie-style blades and machetes and strengthen rules to prevent online sales with the executives of online companies that flout these rules being personally held to account through tough sanctions. In short this government, like those which have gone before, since the the time of the saintly Thatcher who bestowed rose petals wherever she walked, tells us it will make the streets safe for all to walk through the witching hours even with £50 notes stuck to their foreheads and targets on their backs.
And so the loop plays on. The justice system in its entirety from arrest to zombie knives and all matters between might be termed the cinderella of a failed economic policy since 2008. Unless they face a penalty for a road traffic infringement on one hand or have the misfortune to have had a bike or mobile phone stolen from the other most people are distanced from the courts which are in a spiral of despair for all connected with them. Of course that disconnect does not seem to have affected the lawyers and oligarchs arguing over the sources or destinations of billions of $$$$$$$ in often ill gotten gains.
Like those in charge of our armed forces those controlling the law and its constituent parts continue to fob us off with their words with no meaning as the generals and admirals do about an army with no ammunition and aircraft carriers with no aircraft.
Last night there was a super Moon owing to its distance from Earth being 15% closer than the furthest point in its orbit. That looping or elliptical lunar orbit was observed by the ancients and will continue until the solar system is consumed by a black hole. Although Justice delayed is justice denied is an old adage with biblical origins I fear the resurrection of our justice system might take a little longer.
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