Declaring war on young people
I wrote recently about the Third Way’s so-called “community safety” agenda, which Christopher Scanlon says “triangulated both the Tories and the opponents within [Tony Blair’s] own Party to fashion a politics that tracks farther right than even many Tories would countenance.”
That post expressed my concerns about Geoff Gallop’s latest “community safety” policy:
His government recently gave police new “move on” powers, which they can use to compel a person to leave an area for at least 24-hours, on pain of a $12 000 fine or twelve months in jail.
In case there was any doubt that he is lock-step with Blair, this report shows that the only difference is that the penalty in WA is twice as tough:
“Curfew zones” will be introduced, from which police may ban individuals for up to 24 hours using an anti-social behaviour order. Anyone who breaches an order faces a fine of up to £2500 ($5900) and a jail sentence.
That passage is a footnote to the main article, which says Blair has deployed the army as a “calming and pacifying influence” on late-night crowds:
[A] senior Ministry of Defence official said it was expected to put hundreds of troops on the streets. “We would think the very presence of unarmed troops will deter bad behaviour,” he said.
Is this what’s next for Western Australia?
There is a continuing debate about move on powers among many here in Queensland in the ‘progressive side of politics’…
“Is this what’s next for Western Australia?”
Err, vote ALP at election time=Labor Govt= tautological answer, or are you a bit slow on the uptake Rob?