Tough Sentences Confuse Dan Hodges

Saturday’s supposed protests in London have returned to the news front today after it was revealed that the prize specimen caught on camera having a slash next to the memorial to PC Keith Palmer, 28-year-old Andrew Banks, had owned up to the deed after his father had “confronted” him, had been nicked on suspicion of “outraging public decency”, and duly sentenced. He has been jailed for fourteen days.

He's desperate, Dan

This chain of events has duly come to the attention of the Mail on Sunday’s not even slightly celebrated blues artiste Whinging Dan Hodges, who has given the impression that he is all in favour of a bit of the old punishment-post-crime, only to have serious reservations when the punishment actually gets meted out.

And he clearly believes that shadow justice secretary David Lammy is on his wavelength. “I think now the pressure to pander to to the Corbynites has gone [David Lemmy] is going to emerge as a serious political figure within Labour”. He always has been. But do go on.

And on he went, to the familiar Hodges mode of “knowing what those in Government are really thinking”, as he pontificated “It's clear No.10 want the statues debate. They think it's a battle in the culture war they can easily win. Which should give those promoting this agenda pause for thought. But probably won’t”. Which means what, exactly?

He should have thought about that, and what Wes Streeting meant when he said (and Hodges RTd it) “[David Lammy] absolutely outstanding on [Radio 4 Today]. An excoriating run through of reviews and recommendations that already exist and need to be implemented. ‘The time for review is over and the time for action is now’”.

Lammy had pointed out yesterday on The Andy Marr Show™ that it is already possible to send someone down for up to 10 years for criminal damage. What was that about the “statues debate”? Now add that to Hodges’ next observation. “‘Banks said he didn't know what the memorial was for, he had drunk 16 pints on an all-night bender before protests & had attended to “defend statues" but wasn't sure which ones’. The pride of Britain”.

Then Banks was given a custodial sentence and Hodges revealed that he was of less than perfect courage. “Judge in the Andrew Banks case. ‘The public have been truly outraged by what you did’. I'm not really sure that's a sound basis for sentencing policy”. He was reminded that this was “outraging public decency”, which appears to have happened. His response? “I still think we're on a slippery slope here”. And it got worse.

First, he was reminded of the offence, responding “But how do we judge that” (the question marks still aren’t making it). He could always ask to see a copy of the judgment (pundit on six-figure wedge has to be told stuff this basic). And then came the regret.

“Both Government and Official Opposition are united in calling for 10 year sentences for defacing memorials. So let's not pretend Banks sentence is some weird aberration. This is the ‘new normal’. And it might be worth taking a step back and discussing if we really want it to be”. YOU JUST PRAISED DAVID LAMMY, WHO TOLD YOU THAT SENTENCE WAS ALREADY ON THE BOOKS. YOU RTd “THE TIME FOR ACTION IS NOW”.

The one thing you have to understand about Dan Hodges is that he doesn’t understand.

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