Its Another Tory Cop-Out

Ken Clarke, speaking at the Not-The-Conservative Party conference in Birmingham has decided that prisoners should be paid to work and as Goodnight Vienna posts, there is talk of their paying tax, which of course entitles anyone so doing to vote.

This idea will be sold to the British people as (a) a scheme to rehabilitate prisoners; (b) a scheme whereby they might learn a trade; thus helping them to revert to the 'straight & narrow'; (c) that by paying taxes they are helping the economy, etc, etc .

What they won't tell you is that prisoners have the right to vote as a result of a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights - the adherence to which is a condition of membership of the EU - and that this latest announcement by Clarke is just a way round introducing the right to vote for prisoners (which have subsequently been confirmed by the EU with the threat of a fine for non-compliance)

What they will not tell you neither is that unless the end product of the work that prisoners will do is marketable - ie, it is something that can be sold, from the proceeds of which prisoners can be paid - it will require funding from the taxpayer.

Transparency? Where? Oops - Hush my mouth!