Oh Dear: £15 extra on car fines to help victims of domestic violence and sex attacks

[Gonzo]

I read it as they'd already done it by statutory instrument. I can't be arsed to look it up in Hansard to work out which one of us is right though...

Who can be bothered to look it up in Hansard?

I thought that Statutory Instruments could only be used as a shortcut to push through legislation that harmonised the UK with EU law. Anything else has to go through the whole Parliament and House of Lords process.

It wouldn't surprise me to discover that this process has been abused for years though....

[Moscow Mule]

Who can be bothered to look it up in Hansard?

I thought that Statutory Instruments could only be used as a shortcut to push through legislation that harmonised the UK with EU law. Anything else has to go through the whole Parliament and House of Lords process.

It wouldn't surprise me to discover that this process has been abused for years though....

I dunno about that, but I know they used it to extend the Proceeds of Crime act - I'm not sure that would be under EU harmonisation, but can see how it could be...

[Paddy]

I was just saying to my wife Jemima, as we sat eating our organic muesli and drinking fairtrade decaf with soya milk over breakfast, that this article in the Guardian did rather poke our consciences somewhat.

Jemima summed it up perfectly.

She said :

"Giles, you must remember that driving is not a victimless crime. By exceeding the time limit the other day when you went to Oxfam to get the Winterval Presents, you deprived a battered woman (or man) the chance to park. That will now result in them getting a beating from their partner for your thoughtless actions."

I was beside myself with guilt, and wanted to rush out to the police station to hand myself in immediately.

Jemima said that I was being silly, since the law had not been passed yet, but she said perhaps I could donate £15 to the Donkey Sanctuary on page 5, as that would be a fair recompense for my mindless middle class behaviour.

So we sat together with tears running down our eyes, as we sponsored "Sam", the donkey. Even the kids were crying and young Justin ran to his bedroom to strip his bed of blankets, and they are having great fun making a "Donkey Care Parcel" with their toys.

Afterwards, we sung the Red Flag together and cleaned the family 2CV.

It's good to be holier than the rest of the street. Not in a religious way obviously like the dreaded you know whos, apart from the other one that wear the body tent things (as Justin calls them..tsk..tsk) which is ok of course.

I feel so bad about the potential victims of my motoring offences:

SP30 = 31 in a 30 limit.
Parked in a meter bay from 08:30 to 08:32
Front number plate partially obscured by bumper trim.

[scooterscot]

have a read of the Reader's comments to that article, excellent.

Milan.

God give me strength, what Amoeba in this shambles of a government thought this little gem up?

[Peoplesoft bloke]

I have a foolproof and dead easy way to avoid all these fines - I'll share it for less than the surcharge.

[AtW]

I have a foolproof and dead easy way to avoid all these fines - I'll share it for less than the surcharge.

Labour voters excluded from the fines?

[Tarquin Farquhar]

They're just making the punishment fit the crime. A totally different crime, admittedly, but there are priorities to observe:

1. cling fast to a worldview full of "victims", who can only be helped by you the Labour Government.
2. invent pet schemes to give money to those "victims".
3. find funding from somewhere, anywhere, for your pet schemes.

This has the same starting point as another set of priorities:
1. cling fast to a worldview full of "victims", who can only be helped by you the Labour Government.
2. realise that only you the Labour Government have the will both to help those "victims" and to extract the funding needed.
3. find ways of ensuring that you remain in Government.

2010 will be a memorable year.

[threaded]

Who can be bothered to look it up in Hansard?

I thought that Statutory Instruments could only be used as a shortcut to push through legislation that harmonised the UK with EU law. Anything else has to go through the whole Parliament and House of Lords process.

It wouldn't surprise me to discover that this process has been abused for years though....

Yes. sort of correct. What has happened is that all new acts passed by this government have been 'enabling acts' in that extras can be added to them by Statutory Instruments. It's called Rule by Decree, and pretty common in most Western countries now. Welcome to the final call of 'representative democracy'.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Labour voters excluded from the fines?

That's not it. If you're trying to characterise me as a Labour supporter you are wrong.

[AtW]

That's not it. If you're trying to characterise me as a Labour supporter you are wrong.