Gavin’s Gaily Gigest

Cannabis will be upgraded from a Class C to a Class B drug, in a shock reversal of Tony Blair’s reclassification just four years ago.
The move comes shortly after a concerted campaign by the Government’s drugs advisory board, Associated Newspapers, to upgrade the substance. The board were concerned about the mental health of its readers, […]

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Childrens’ Secretary Ed Balls (yes him) is today going to announce a major expansion of “Family Intervention Projects” under which children as young as ten are asked to sign “good behaviour contracts” and their progress is monitored by an “assertive and persistent key worker”. It is expected around 1,000 will be asked to sign these […]

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Via the BBC:
“People should be fined £100 for being drunk in public, even if they do not cause a nuisance, a leading medic says. … Police should carry breathalysers and fine those three times over the drink-drive limit [even if they’re not driving].”

This suggestion comes from um… plastic surgeon Peter Mahaffey, whose only experience with […]

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The trial of Wang Yam for the murder of author Allan Chappelow has begun, and, because of an earlier order by the judge, it will be heard partially in secret. The following juicy snippets emerged from the public session yesterday, however, courtesy of his defence counsel:
"This is not a normal case, far from it. […]

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Via BBC News:

Metal detectors are to be installed at hundreds of schools in England as part of a drive to reduce knife crime.

How could a teenager evade this complex piece of machinery and carry a knife in to school? My suggestion is wear braces and they’ll expect you to set the alarm off.

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A depressing day for the criminal justice system yesterday, when Mr Justice Ousley agreed to a CPS request to hold a murder trial in secret (or in camera, the use the legal parlance) on the grounds of national security. I’ve already asked the obvious question: Has the Government committed murder, and if not, what reason […]

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In today’s Times:
The Crown gave warning yesterday that it may not go ahead with the trial of a man accused of the murder of a prize-winning author unless it can hold some of the case in secret.
Mark Ellison, First Senior Treasury Counsel, said that it was a “serious possibility” that the trial of Wang […]

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The Norfolk Blogger (aka Nich Starling) has taken issue with Iain Dale’s opposition to gay hate crime (which our esteemed Shadow Justice Secretary, David Heath, has oddly chosen to support). The Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill currently working its way through Parliament, as well as outlawing violent pornography, will also make it a crime to […]

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And here’s the link to my second appearance on 18 Doughty Street if you wish to catch it
Couple of follow up things:

I said that in 2005 the Lib Dems stood on a platform of legalising cannabis. They didn’t, although the manifesto is slightly ambiguous in its wording, certainly leaving it open for a Lib Dem […]

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At the beginning of this week I was a guest on Vox Politix on 18 Doughty Street and one of topics up for discussion (in fact, the main topic) was the perceived rise in violent crime* in the UK, in the wake of a knife attack on the previous Friday, and ministers’ and Tory plans […]

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