reblogged via @stavvers: Sheffield Utd need to listen up: rape is not acceptable

with thanks to @stavvers on twitter for this reblog : stavvers Content note: this post discusses rape and rape apologism At the time of writing, Sheffield United are still refusing to make a definitive statement on whether they will re-sign the rapist Ched Evans to the club. This decision is looking more bizarre by the day, as a scramble to disassociate from the enterprise begins. It started with patron Charlie Webster, and then two others followed. Shirt sponsors soon joined, and now Jessica Ennis-Hall, who has a stand named after her at Bramall Lane, wants her name removed if the rapist is re-signed. It seems bizarre, therefore, that United haven't come out and distanced themselves to a different country than Evans. There is likely a certain level of cynicism, at least among some of those pulling away from Sheffield United: a fear of negative publicity for their brand rather than a genuine commitment to ending rape culture. No business wants to be known as "that rape company" upon their logo being proudly displayed on the shirt of a convicted rapist. However, some seem to be putting across good messages, like Charlie Webster, who explained: There can be no doubt that Evans is influencing a young generation of men who are still developing their opinions on how to treat women. They develop these opinions and morals based on the role models they see around them, the role models that we give them. I cannot publicly support a club that presents a convicted rapist as a role model. These young men are standing by their hero, showing him unwavering solidarity and support, without actually understanding or really thinking about what Evans has done. But we are the ones who set Evans up an influencer. We are the ones presenting a convicted rapist a role model to our young people. Is that ok? This is the crux of the matter. Every second United delay sending a clear message that they have no intention of re-signing Evans allows yet more young men think that they can rape someone, and, on the very unlikely chance they get caught, it will present little more than a small blip in an otherwise glamorous career. Given that on the current landscape, signing a convicted rapist makes terrible business sense, one can only assume that this is exactly the game Sheffield United are playing. It's becoming abundantly clear that this is what they want, to nurture the next generation of young rapists into comfortable , well-paid lives. A common myth among rape apologists is that an accusation of rape can ruin a man's life. Nowhere is this shown more obviously to be false than when we look to Ched Evans. This man is a convicted rapist, and his club have bent over backwards to accommodate him, against the forces of general business acumen. Evans still enjoys an army of loyal defenders of rape, willing to trumpet that even though he was convicted of rape it wasn't really rape. I do not think this whole affair has taught Ched Evans nothing. It's taught him and the men that he influences that yes, you really can get away with it. Fortunately, there are enough people out there who don't want this to happen, and can see these ramifications as clear as day. Our voices are growing louder, and it looks as though this time, it might just be winnable. Surely Sheffield United must know by now that if they don't kick that convicted rapist soon, they'll go down with him? If they haven't realised it by now, I'll gladly watch them burn. stavvers | November 13, 2014 at 9:41 pm | Categories: rape | URL: http://wp.me/p1pLiJ-FJ

Opposing tory David Lloyd PCC pay for your crime idea

Our undemocratically elected Police and Crime Commissioner in Hertfordshire who received a embarrassing turnout to grant him a lovely annual salary of 80 k plus has come out with a reactionary right wing idea today. Yes this may come as a surprise but I thought it needed a response. If David is willing to debate with a local socialist I’m more than happy to oblige, I very much doubt he will have time though to speak to one of us plebs. Suspects should be charged for being kept overnight in police cells, a police and crime commissioner (PCC) has said. David Lloyd, PCC in Hertfordshire, said the "honest taxpayer" should not be forced to meet the cost. Instead criminals "should be punished in the pocket", Conservative Mr Lloyd said in an open letter laying out policing proposals. Hertfordshire Police said it was "working closely" with Mr Lloyd. Mr Lloyd said he thought "most people" would agree with his plan. Chase payment "Putting people up in cells overnight really is a very expensive part of policing and is almost always the fault of the individual," he said. "I think most people in this country would say [offenders] should pay for it, not the honest taxpayer." What an utterly ridiculous thing to come out with. It’s always the fault of the individual is it David? What about the social factors which can lead to a individual turning to crime be that through desperation addiction to drugs due to pressures of capitalist society or being driven to mental illness through work including depression and can lead to all sorts of difficulties in the community should these also be made to pay for their crimes they commit ? David Lloyd the conservative PCC in Hertfordshire who also wish’s to bring in G4S in Hertfordshire to run our police service seems to have spoken his mind in a hugely right wing reactionary fashion. He claims many people would agree with him I wouldn’t be so sure. He also claims not everyone will pay it will be something we’ll have to look at closely dam right you will it’s a ridiculous idea and something that is unworkable in so many ways. Crime for me is often a class issue like many things in society it is bound up in the class relations in society where many are left on the scrap heap with no future from a system which does not care for them. Much like with the riots in 2011 much of the sentences handed out were political trying to make a statement giving out 4 year sentences to someone who had stolen a bottle of water I ask you, seriously? I do wonder where the labour party is on this issue nationally and locally so far we’ve heard nothing from them. Given how tough they were on crime and civil liberties I wouldn’t be surprised to see them keeping quiet n this one too. Or is that the scent of hypocrisy rising again I can smell. Socialists are not against tackling crime and more often than not it’s the working class affected more so by crime but punishing criminals in the pocket further isn’t going to solve anything. How about properly funding a decent rehabilitation policy with funds for creating a future for people who fall into crime for whatever reason that may be.

Desperation crime on the rise in austerity Britain

As the economic crisis deepens for many people desperate times call for desperate measures. I’ve blogged about this before but it’s becoming more and more common. There are concerns that growing numbers of people, including young mothers, are stealing out of desperation, according to South Yorkshire Police. Its officers say shoplifters increasingly appear to be targeting essential items such as groceries, rather than luxury goods. There were almost 350,000 cases of shoplifting recorded by police in the UK last year and that figure has remained relatively steady over recent years. However South Yorkshire Police and a number of other forces say there have been marked increases in some more deprived areas. In Rotherham crime has increased by 28% in the last 12 months and the town's district commander believes that rise has been fuelled by the economic downturn. Baby food "What we are seeing is a small number of individuals - particularly young mums - who are committing crimes to feed their children," said Ch Supt Jason Harwin. "If you look at powdered milk or baby food it's quite expensive. "These are individuals that have had no dealings with the police in their lives and this is the first offence they've ever committed." Some people are getting so desperate these petty crimes are taking place” This is not people turning to crime for luxury goods or to make money out of these are people simply stealing to survive in society. A society which has abandoned them. No politician cares, no local authority cares, the police don’t care and others down their street may be taken in by the scroungers rhetoric the media and the government have embarked on to demonise those who receive benefits. Despite many who do receive benefits being in work just to make ends meet as their pay is so poor. This is the cruel cold reality of British capitalism making the poorest in society pay for a crisis not of their making. This is not just because we have a bunch of nasty Tories who don’t know what they are doing either. They may well appear to give that impression but believe me this goes far deeper. This is a crisis in capitalism and on a global scale. People who have had to steal to live will be criminalised for being poor. In the same report it mentions that this will have an affect on business and shops profits that is the real agenda here not that poor people are going hungry or can’t feed their babies but that shops are losing money. This is the true face of capitalism right before our very eyes. It’s time to end this system once and for all. 2013 will be a hell of a lot worse for many we could see a explosion of anger we don’t know at this stage which way that will manifest itself but I’m not ruling out anything. The anger is growing it is bubbling beneath the surface waiting just waiting. We as socialists feel that the best way to fight back is to join the labour movement and the organised working class to exert its power to stop austerity by starting with a 24 hour general strike with the threat of more if the go don’t back off. Quite simply a change is needed not just in government because labour who would likely come to power in the event of the government falling would be no better it would slow the cuts down but would not end the pain or misery at all. It’s time to fight for a workers government, a socialist government who will reverse the cuts and help people back to work using the 800 billion stored in the banks of big business sitting idle as they refuse to invest as do not see a profitable outlet. A 50% levee on this putting people into public works building new truly affordable council homes collecting the lost 120 billion in evaded tax would go some way to help. Of course this would just be the start, a very small start but a crucial one. We live in what is one of the wealthiest nations on the planet why do things have to be this way? They don’t. Let’s fight for change, socialist change today.

dramatic loss of police numbers to put country at risk

Alarming figures uncovered by Labour show ranks will plunge by 10,190 by 2013 as the Tory-led Coalition's budget squeeze intensifies.

The numbers look scarey and rightly so. THis is no small feet. This is a large amount of the front line officers being made redundant or moved elsewhere. THis is worrying news i feel as we enter another decade with huge major public events like the 2012 Olympics in London and the Royal wedding to name but a few. To have this dramatic loss in officers on the streets is not only worrying to the public for their safety but the countries tourism may end up falling due to tourists not feeling as safe as perhaps they once did.

Now i'm not a huge fan of the police as it goes. Their recent record on our streets back in December at the student tuitian fees protests and back a few years to the G20 protests when poor Ian Tomlison lost his life at the hands of a police officer. At last years student protests we will remember poor Alfie Meadows who suffered bleeding on the brain due to being battered savagely over the head by a police baton.

Now this is not a rant about the police and their heavy handed tactics but just outlining my thoughts recently on them. But i do still feel despite all this that removing officers from the street wont benifit us in the long run. People like to feel safe on their streets and in their homes and this decision by this tory lead government will not help this feeling of insecurity in their own country.

I myself as a disabled person like to know there is the access of the police to protect us if i need to call upon them for any reason at all. As i am perhaps more vunrable than others in society being visually impaired i perhaps feel the police are more important to me than others.

So these cuts to police spending and front line services will be putting the country further at risk from attacks of terrorism and other such major criminal offences we hear about every day.

Even the police as they are at the moment are over stretched, when my mum tried to contact them to report a intimadation from someone else she was told no one could take her report right now as they didnt have enough units to deal with the problem. If this is how it is now, how is it going to be like after these huge policing cuts ?

The racial under current in the UK

I have noticed over the last few years a growing racial feeling in britain. I dont think racists have ever gone away sadly they have just been covered up better and not given as much exposure.

But when recessions bite and times become hard tensions can rear their ugly head once again. I think we should be on the outlook constantly to oppose racisism and any other ugly discriminations.


Certainly since september 11th and the July 7th london bombings racial tensions have been growing i feel in America and the Uk the media dont help this. The vast majority of muslims are peace loving people it is the minority of the religion who are frankly hiding behind their religion to get away with their views.

The media seem to bracket every muslim as a terrorist because of a minority.

I just think we should be careful not to let racisism make a big come back in this country. I am dead against any form of racism and will speak up against it. I have black and asian friends and they are really nice people who wouldnt harm a soul.

I just feel things like crime, racism, social unrest all rise when people have lesss money due to the recession, butw e must remember our rights and wrongs.

On a similar note peoples views to imigration and such matters will become more concentrated when a recession bites. As david miliband described to us at one of his meetings i attended over the summer. He stated that imigration becomes a bigger problem and almost a reason to blame people coming to this country when there is unemployment and a lack of social housing. I think the majority of people in this country are not racist but look for someone to blame when things dont go their way and the people coming to the country are the easiest to blame.

I think we'd find if these issues were solved, social housing, crime, jobs that tensions between communities would quickly disepate.