Author: R Court
Friday, 26 July 2002 - 07:12 am |        |
Hi all,
Coming back to Ronnie, long-term guest of HM, it is true that the world loves a rogue and deals lightly with him. Exception, the law.
Ronnie had probably have been let out years ago if he hadn't escaped but the law is arrogant and self-opinionated to the extreme and doesn't like being made a fool of. Ronnie made this unpardonable blunder and will, I suppose, continue to rot in his fouling dungeon as reward.
I would let him out. The hillarious times as Slipper went tripping over his own feet all over South America, to return with a Hispano-flea in his ear but no escapee, are not forgotten.
Thanks, Ronnie.
Best regards
Bob |
Author: stephen miller
Friday, 26 July 2002 - 09:25 am | |
Hi Bob you only have to think about American Wild West outlaws to realise that the world likes to make heroes out of these types.
all the best
steve |
Author: R Court
Friday, 26 July 2002 - 01:44 pm | |
Hi Steve,
Yep, so is the world. Billy the Kid was portrayed as a sort of wild west Robin Hood and Superman rolled into one in penny dreadfulls as I was a kid.
Best regards,
Bob |
Author: Peter Wood
Friday, 26 July 2002 - 01:59 pm | |
Martin, Keith.
One word: Humbled.
But Martin, Keith raises an important point, this all has nothing to do with Ronnie Biggs, so all who want to discuss the diary please retreat to the diary boards and allow Martin to keep his diary thoughts to himself.
How clever of Caz to make me think that I was in the same room as herself Martin Fido and Keith Skinner all at the same time.
Anyway Martin, Ronnie Biggs got married recently, so hopefully his son will now have the passport he richly deserves.
I don't suppose you read about the UK case recently where a man stabbed his wife to death in front of his four(?) children?
The eldest was fourteen and on the phone to the police whilst the attack was taking place, she had to attempt CPR on her mother's corpse.
The two year old walked in from the garden and found her mother lying in a pool of blood on the floor.
Why do I mention all this?
Simple: The man got 7 years for manslaughter.
Ronnie Biggs? 30 years for stealing money.
How can we possibly square that?
I'd be interested for your views Martin.
Take care
Peter. |
Author: Martin Fido
Monday, 29 July 2002 - 12:58 am | |
Absolutely agreed that long sentences for abstraction of property as opposed to short sentences for injuring or killing physically are usually an outrage, Peter. But make some allowance for the fact that physical injury in close and family situations usually represents no general social threat; greedy Enron-type ruiners of their employees' lives are far wickeder than spouse-killers motivated by instant (and previously provoked and stoked) rage. I would imprison the serious white-collar frauds who have undermined hard-working people's pension plans for far longer periods than killers who were unable to cope with stressful family life. (In fact, I would never release any sort of fraud or thief until full restitution has been made to the victim/s, or the fullest possible restitution over a period, given all circumstances, (which should not include making over ill-gotten gains to a spouse or third party) has been agreed, with the certainty of return to prison if there is any failure to come up with the periodic repayments.) But then, I would like a victim centred penology rather than a vindictive punitive one.
All the best,
Martin F
(Cor! I'm putting brackets in brackets with the gay abandon of an Oswald Bastable!) |
Author: R Court
Monday, 29 July 2002 - 06:59 am | |
Hi Martin,
As draconish as they may sound, I have to agree with your conclusions. Unfortunantly the seven years for killing and thirty for theft bits can tend to induce the social view that human life is worth less than property.
In Ronnie's case the theft included old, used banknotes bound for destruction and, which is why he got so much support from the general public IMHO, the money was pinched from the Establishment (or thought to be).
It is the Establishment that is treating him so badly now, getting their own back. The public may well have been right about who got smacked in those days.
Best regards,
Bob |
Author: Howard Brown
Monday, 29 July 2002 - 04:16 pm | |
| I don't know if you have financial "setups" at British companies like we do over here in America( like 401K..) You could probably win a seat in Congress,Mr.Fido,for what you said. To steal and intentionally steal someone's earned retirement at that,should result in "hard time",like at Angola or Parchman Farm type prisons....... |
Author: Peter Wood
Monday, 29 July 2002 - 05:36 pm | |
I knew they'd find us again Martin.
I respect your views on property crime and offences against the person - I don't think there will ever be a hard and fast answer to the problem.
I do think it is ridiculous though, that mobile phone theft is now often met with a prison sentence of four years, whilst the 'chap' referred to above got 7 years (out in 3 and a half) for ruining his children's lives.
Perhaps prison isn't the best punishment for him.
I forget Martin - do you support Capital punishment?
Perhaps we should hang murderers and institute heavy jail sentences for those who ruin people's lives by plundering pension funds etc.
Whatever we do, we must stop putting televisions and video recorders in prisoners' cells, stop giving offenders treatment that the victims aren't entitled to .
Regards
Peter. |
Author: Martin Fido
Tuesday, 30 July 2002 - 05:49 am | |
Hi Peter,
I am categorically opposed to capital punishment on religious grounds, so there's little hope of your getting conclusive rational argument from me on a topic where my final conviction is one of faith.
All the best,
Martin F |
Author: James Jeffrey Paul
Sunday, 19 January 2003 - 11:10 pm | |
| Ronnie Biggs played a part in a major crime, received a major sentence for it, and then skipped to live the life of Riley abroad. Still, he PROBABLY would have been released by now if he hadn't bolted. Keeping him in prison any longer seems to me more an act of spite by the authorities for having embarrassed them so flagrantly than an act of justice. So--let him go! But don't give him a free rail pass! |
