Jokewood Jail
G4S are running Jokewood prison, where it is easier to come
by drugs than to find some soap. G4S are very cosy with our political leaders,
they have killed people they were meant to have been looking after, including
an Aboriginal Elder (transported over three hours in a metal pod without
windows or air conditioning, a healthy 46 year old cooked to death. He was
going to face some drunk driving charges). They have been nominated at the
World’s Worst Company by Private Eye (there’s some stiff competition, these
guys must be right up there to get that award), and are known for holding and
frisking young children as part of their border control subcontract.
I know that ever since Thatcher’s dogma (private good,
public and nationalised bad) became urban myth, it does not do to question the
benefits of privatising everything (coming soon, G4S GI Joe), but, when you’re
copping £750,000,000.00 of the taxpayers dosh over a fifteen year contract
(with more to come from your mates in the ministries), where’s the incentive to
reduce reoffending rates?
Business-wise, if I were G4S, I’d be getting the prisoners
to:
- Attend lectures, such as safebreaking for beginners, advanced hotwiring, intermediate embezzlement.
- Visit the prison library, where there’s a fine stock of books and publications, including The Burglars’ Bible, The Jemmy Journal, Mad Vern’s Memoirs, and The Times Shoplifters Supplement.
- Take all the drugs they can.
- Plan for their new jobs upon their release. Bank jobs, mainly.
That’s capitalism, the power of the market, all that stuff.
Where they’re not so hot on the power of the free market…
…is in controlling the press. They got their pet Leveson to
produce an unreadable, unworkable, multi-phone directory document, and now,
oddly enough, a self-regulation offer by the press isn’t ‘independent’ enough.
Of course. What we need is a government-appointed independent body to make sure
the press can’t criticise the government don't overstep the line.
When it comes to finding and publishing uncomfortable
truths, the market forces can go hang and they’re up for interfering as much as
they like.
Modern Scouts…
…will have the choice when they make their pledge. They will
be able to opt out of honouring and serving god, if they so wish (not such a
bad thing – there must be non-believing scouts mumbling that bit all over the
place). The bit about the Queen, however, stays. So if you’re an anti-monarchy atheist (like me) the scouts is no place for
you (I’m way over the age-limit in any case).
Modern. Just not that modern, eh?
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