The Bloody Assizes

Following the imprisonment of a woman who slept soundly throughout the riots but accepted a pair of stolen shorts comes the imprisonment of a man - who had spent his last £4 on alcohol and presumably had nothing to eat - for stealing doughnuts. My feeling is that the public mood is changing. There is no sympathy for the rioters, especially those who engaged in actual violence. But the vindictiveness of the sentencing vis-a-vis those not involved in violence (those guilty of petty opportunist theft from high street stores)- and the departure from previous norms - is being noticed, and especially the contrast with the treatment of those at the top. The MP's have largely "got away with it", the bankers have got way with it, the police who took money from the News of the World have got away with it, and so far the phone hackers have got away with it. I don't believe that Andy Coulson knew nothing about phone hacking by the NoW - I don't think any sensible person thinks this - and I don't believe that when Cameron employed Coulson that he - Cameron - believed that Coulson knew nothing about it. Cameron believed Coulson would get away with it, so he would get away with employing him. People can see this hypocrisy.

ADDENDUM

In October 2010 a man with defective eyesight driving a 32-ton tipper truck knocked down and killed a 30-year old cyclist. He was fined £200 by Kingston magistrates court. Just as well he didn't steal a doughnut.