We Are Not All In This Together (thought for today)

The word criminals conjure all sorts of stereotypes of what that means. Closer to reality is that many people who are in jail should not be there, and many more that are free, should. 

What I mean is that this is still a strange island where if you do not pay your television license, you can and do go to prison, and those who are moneyed, privileged, and yet inherently corrupt rarely have a stay there for real criminality; it matters not what justice is morally here and legally not at all. I suspect we are not all in this together or ever were. 

It is a strange island too that you can go to jail for stealing food just to stay alive. The maths tells us there were over 400,000 people in ‘food poverty’ in 2013 in this country according to the Department Of Social Protection, and who are and still facing those risks. 

One unlucky man who did face them and lost, a 57 year old out of work actor, was caught and arrested for stealing food for his children. He was convicted, branded with a criminal record that classes him a thief, and one which in the long-term will preclude him from finding work because of that sole conviction. For him this vicious cycle goes on. 

Yet, if you were a former prime minister of this country, who ‘under-declared’ his taxes by over €2,000,000 after a tax assessment by the Revenue Commissioners, for the bribes he received from former supermarket magnate Ben Dunne, and then have it reduced to zero by an independent appeals commissioner, who is a brother-in-law of another crooked and corrupt former prime minister, Bertie Ahern, then you will know we are not all in this together. 

Barry  Clifford