RossyG
Well-known member
- Dec 20, 2014
- 2,630
I always find it strange that 'activist' is generally used as a pejorative. I think people who stand up for their beliefs/values should be celebrated rather than sneered at.
All beliefs/values?
I always find it strange that 'activist' is generally used as a pejorative. I think people who stand up for their beliefs/values should be celebrated rather than sneered at.
John Pilger tweeted this recently:
[tweet]1370650729174556674[/tweet]
Not sure I'd entirely agree but it's food for thought.
Concerning news today allegedly coming out of the Government. Plans to Increase street lighting, cctv and put plain clothes police officers in pubs and clubs in order to " protect" women"..
I would give you street lighting as a positive but even more cctv won't prevent crime, how many times is a victim or a murderer tracked across town by overlapping cameras but the crime still takes place. Without wishing to damage the current case, the accused, was not deterred by the cctv in the area.
As for Plain Clothes police in bars and clubs, how ridiculous is this? There might be some minor crimes in bars and clubs but the crimes that need to be prevented are the ones on the trip home after midnight, for that you want policemen in uniform rather than plain clothes officers standing around on corners as that is self defeating. The new Bill being pushed through Parliament certainly looks dodgy too, Johnson was keen to puff that it would be good for women's safety although it is clearly designed to give police more powers and increase jail sentences as a deterrent ( which really don't work as all our prisons testify ) and fines.
I have never been an activist or conspiracy theorist but it does seem that Johnson and Patel are trying to pass laws that are going to erode our freedoms and rights to protest. Plus, isn't it a little bit scary that we will have secret police watching us in our pubs?
Given the levels of incompetence daily from our government I'd like to think it is not a deliberate attempt to spy and undermine public confidence rather, just another badly thought out piece of legislation... But can we be sure?
All beliefs/values?
Concerning news today allegedly coming out of the Government. Plans to Increase street lighting, cctv and put plain clothes police officers in pubs and clubs in order to " protect" women.
I would give you street lighting as a positive but even more cctv won't prevent crime, how many times is a victim or a murderer tracked across town by overlapping cameras but the crime still takes place. Without wishing to damage the current case, the accused, was not deterred by the cctv in the area.
As for Plain Clothes police in bars and clubs, how ridiculous is this? There might be some minor crimes in bars and clubs but the crimes that need to be prevented are the ones on the trip home after midnight, for that you want policemen in uniform rather than plain clothes officers standing around on corners as that is self defeating. The new Bill being pushed through Parliament certainly looks dodgy too, Johnson was keen to puff that it would be good for women's safety although it is clearly designed to give police more powers and increase jail sentences as a deterrent ( which really don't work as all our prisons testify ) and fines.
I have never been an activist or conspiracy theorist but it does seem that Johnson and Patel are trying to pass laws that are going to erode our freedoms and rights to protest. Plus, isn't it a little bit scary that we will have secret police watching us in our pubs?
Given the levels of incompetence daily from our government I'd like to think it is not a deliberate attempt to spy and undermine public confidence rather, just another badly thought out piece of legislation... But can we be sure?
Seriously though, if people are fighting for something that has a positive aim for the betterment of the world then that's a good thing innit?
Government responds to a horrific crime with improved measures to make women quite rightly feel safe when they’re out, a known government hater responds with with civil liberties issues, you couldn’t make it up!
I guess it boils down to the same problem, though. Sometimes, betterment can be a subjective term.
I am normally very suspicious of any new legislation this government pass, especially when rushed through but these seem more like feeble attempts to appease the public. Plain clothes police officers in pubs is code for "you won't know who they are, which is helpful because we won't bother doing it anyway".
In this case, it's just another badly thought out Tory appeasement I think.
As I have mentioned before, there is very little, if nothing we can do to make walking alone at night safer. It's simply a dangerous thing for women to do. That's a fact. It's unacceptable. It shouldn't be this way, it's deplorable. But it's also true.
CCTV, Lighting, they give the illusion of safety but are pretty bootless.
I'm so old I recall police on the streets regularly at all times of day. Walked home from fishing on Worthing Pier one night and was stopped by police 3 times on the walk home... nothing threatening simply " good evening.... did you catch much ? Where were you fishing ?" this was about 1am. It was a bit scary when they stepped out of doorways but once you saw the tit on their heads you relaxed.
As for mens behaviour, you are totally correct, somehow we all need to change our attitude but there will always be a mainstream reaction against change, we have seen it with LGBT issues, BLM and now #MeToo, sadly too many people in authority feel threatened by the thought of change and through the power of their Press, there are thousands of " Angry " cheerleaders encouraged and ready to stifle change...... as we well know here on NSC.
So you think that the end game should be that we marginalise these offenders, we make them have to work harder to commit their crimes? You don't think there should be a slightly more sophisticated effort to change the way we look at women in society? Look at this board, take Rachael Riley for instance, any thread about her is not discussing her and her odious cohort Tracey-Ann Oberman and their online bullying while masquerading as the bullied. No, it's almost aways about how fit she's looking on Countdown.....
Government responds to a horrific crime with improved measures to make women quite rightly feel safe when they’re out, a known government hater responds with with civil liberties issues, you couldn’t make it up!
Your lack of self-awareness is breathtaking at times.
You trying your best to bait me again sausage?
As I have mentioned before, there is very little, if nothing we can do to make walking alone at night safer. It's simply a dangerous thing for women to do. That's a fact. It's unacceptable. It shouldn't be this way, it's deplorable. But it's also true.
CCTV, Lighting, they give the illusion of safety but are pretty bootless. Plus lighting has to be done very carefully to avoid light pollution for residents, to avoid creating "shadow spaces" and to avoid making areas lit up throughout the night and drawing groups of youths who like to hang out in lit areas. It's not just a case of throwing lights up.
I totally agree and all though I do find it hard not to be attracted to attractive members of the opposite sex but perhaps we should keep our thoughts and even those double take looks to ourselves!
100% - It's not easy, change takes time but it's something to aim for innit.....
Must be awful for you to see this, I sense your fear.