Tony Hatfield's Retired Ramblings

Overheard@Stansted

I'm sure we've all, at one time or another, been embarrassed by the behaviour of some of our countrymen -and women- whilst on holiday. It's usually fuelled by booze. As we disembarked from our Ryanair flight from Palermo-as usual on... Read more →

Sicily 2006

The Saline south of Mozia Another week spent on the North West coast of Sicily. This time our visit coincided with the elections for the Regional Assembly and for the Presidency of Sicily. So I could indulge not only my... Read more →

Frog Docs nick Brit Taxpayers dosh?

With so much complete rubbish on the Scum's front page about the Stansted 9, gawd alone knows what Rebekah will make of this -a decision made by the EU Court of Justice, effectively ordering our NHS to fork out for... Read more →

Rights Brought Home- Really Tony?

In October 1997, Tony Blair signed to preface to a White Paper " Rights Brought Home". It explained the Human Rights Bill which, following a manifesto commitment, was introduced into Parliament shortly afterwards. Below Tony's portrait was this: "This White... Read more →

The Stansted Nine-"A Narrative".

It's hard to pick up a tabloid these days without reading billious rants here and here about one or more of three institutions. First, our liberal judges, who aren’t tough enough and don’t lock up enough criminals for long enough-... Read more →

The Lord Chief Justice and the Case for Community Sentencing

Yesterday the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, gave a speech to the Oxford University Centre for Criminology. It was entitled "Alternatives to Custody-The Case for Community Sentencing. It's unlikely to be published widely. This morning, the Human... Read more →

Update Plot#12

It's been an exceptionally busy couple of weeks on Plot#12. We have completed turning over two thirds of the plot and have now arrived at the foothills of Ernie's mound. Ernie was the previous tenant of Plot#12. I suspect this... Read more →

Cole v Hitchens (C)

Without doubt Juan Cole writes a most thoughtful and well researched blog. There's a link in my Blogroll. It is essential reading for anyone interested in current Middle Eastern Affairs. He has recently written here about Christopher Hitchens. How Hitchens... Read more →

Clarke and the Chahal Dilemma?

I'm waiting to hear just how the Home Secretary intends to put the "tougher deportation rules" into practice. He has already wide powers to deport anyone who he considers not conducive to the public good. So why on earth does... Read more →

Helena on Rebalancing the Criminal Justice System.

I mentioned here Blair's rhetorical nonsense of "rebalancing the criminal justice system". In his speech at Meridian Community Centre in Watford in September 2005 he said this. "In turn however I believe this only happens if the criminal justice system... Read more →