At the weekend I blogged on the Children's
Commissar Commissioner Dr Margaret Atkinson and her suggestion that the age of criminal responsibility should be raised from 10 to 12. I've just come across an interesting addendum to this over at
Talk Carswell.
Is this the same Maggie Atkinson that was overwhelmingly rejected for the role of Children’s Commissioner, when she appeared before the Commons select committee on which I sit?
Is she the same Ms Atkinson who was appointed to the £130,000-or-so role all the same? Appointed despite Gordon Brown saying that there needed to pre-appointment confirmation hearing for precisely such roles?
Jesus Christ on a bike. What the fuck is the point of select committees if they can so easily be overruled? Why even bother with the pretence if a cabinet minister is just going to sweep aside their objections and appoint his/her preferred candidate instead? It's just a fucking charade.
There are arguments for and against raising the age of criminal responsibility. There is no case whatsoever for having the decision shaped by unaccountable, anti-democratic quangocrats like Ms Atkinson.
Quite. Not for the first time I find myself wishing that Douglas Carswell stood where I was able to vote, since if there's no LPUK candidate I'd be pretty happy putting a cross by his name instead. All I can say is that the people of Harwich are luckier than most and I hope they remember that in a few weeks time.
I am in a lucky position that, having Carswell as my MP, I don't need to make a choice as to which party to vote for. I shall simply vote for an MP who takes the role seriously at both a national and local level and does not suck up to the party leadership. If only more MPs were like this, then politics would be much more open, interesting and useful than it is now.
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