Tony Hatfield's Retired Ramblings

Sentencing!

Today convicted News of the World phone hackers, Neville Thirlbeck and Greg Miskiw have been released from prison. They have served 37 days of a 6 month sentence and have been released on Home Detention Curfew.This has raised the hackles... Read more →

Lord Carey's Intervention ver1.01

In September this year, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) will deal with cases involving workers dismissed for 'expressing' their Christian beliefs. According today's Daily Telegraph, Lord Carey has filed a statement in the ECtHR to support the applicants.... Read more →

The European Court of Human Rights usually gets it right?

Today, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has decided that Abu Hamza and four other alleged terrorists can be extradited for trial the the United States. The decision is a powerful one, that could not have come as much... Read more →

Raoul Moat- the use of taser-did the police follow ACPO guidelines?

'The Police have commenced the operational deployment of the taser. This equipment has been made available to specially trained firearms officers to provide them with a less lethal option in incidents where they are confronted with an armed individual, and... Read more →

A Couple of Questions for Lord Goldsmith

When the former Attorney- General, Lord Goldsmith appears before the Iraq Inquiry tomorrow, I have little doubt that the panel will spend some time on his advice given to the government at the beginning of March 2003. This forms the... Read more →

New powers given to the Attorney by the Guardian

I often despair at the inaccuracy contained in some newspapers! The Attorney General has no power to increase sentences. She has the power to refer the case to the Court of Appeal on the grounds that the sentence was 'unduly... Read more →

No wonder McKinnon is considering suicide!

No wonder Gary McKinnon feels suicidal I just hope his lawyers aren't! Perhaps at the awful 2 a.m. moment Gary thinks about the time in 2002 when he was offered a plea bargain by the US Department of Justice. It's... Read more →

Christianity and the Death Penalty-US Style.

As I write this, John Allen Muhammed is awaiting death in a Virgina jail. He will be killed by lethal injection. He will be given a series of three injections. According to Wikipedia they are : 1 Sodium thiopental: ultra-short... Read more →

Trafigura-Carter-Rucked

Last night at about 8:30, the Guardian's website published this article by one of its star investigative reporters, David Leigh. Leigh's piece contained this. Today's published Commons order papers contain a question to be answered by a minister later this... Read more →

'bout time you went Brucey boy.

This outburst from Bruce Forsyth shows just why this old duffer is well past his sell-by date. He introduces Strictly Come Dancing-SCD. For those unfamiliar with SCD, celebrities hitch themselves to a professional dancing partner and compete against similar couples.... Read more →