Jon Snow: Just Ignorant Or Biased As Well?
JON Snow was hyperventilating away last night about how it’s just so appalling that we’ve not thrown any bankers in jail yet.
In one month, hundreds of rioters and looters have been prosecuted and punished by the English courts, often for offences with a value of under fifty pounds. Yet the threat to the wellbeing of UKplc was far greater from the bankers than from any number of more arrestable rioters.
There is a strong impression abroad that the UK doesn’t want to prosecute anyone for the banking crisis, a crisis that has affected every tax payer in the Kingdom.
Soon enough the statute of limitations will kick in to ensure that no-one will ever be prosecuted for their role.
Then we can all breathe easy – no banker will ever go to jail, and we can stop asking the nightly question, ‘why not?’
Well, actually, we can answer that “why not?” question. For to put someone in jail we have to first find them guilty of a crime. More than that, we’ve got to find a crime that was a crime when they committed it, we’ve got to prove that they committed this crime and we’ve then got to try them fairly for having committed this crime.
So, what crimes were committed by the bankers then? Theft? OK, what was stolen from whom in what manner?
No, “my livelihood” is not an acceptable answer. We need evidence that someone, against the law, stole money that belonged to someone else. You see the problem here?
Arrogance, greed, avarice and even rampant stupidity are not against the law. They may be moral failings but they are not crimes for which we can jug people.
I’m entirely willing to be corrected but my best guess is that there are no bankers in jail because there’s no evidence that any bankers committed any crimes.
Oh, and the statute of limitations? Doesn’t apply to criminal charges anyway.
So, Mr. Snow then, what do you think of him? Just ignorant or biased as well?
Posted: 14th, September 2011 | In: Money Comment (1) | TrackBack | Permalink
