Tighterning the law

national | miscellaneous | opinion/analysis

Monday January 16, 2012 21:35

by JIm Travers

It's what I want, it's what everyone wants.

It would appear that new rules and regulations introduced by government are designed for the purpose of securing revenue for the state rather that resolve problems of law and order. Take for example RSA who-ha, who-ha that gets great press, lots of photo shots and then nothing. Within a short period of time all is forgotton and what was supposed to make a difference (regulations regarding learner drivers, taxi drivers ect, ect) is swept aside and left on the shelf to gather dust. And this applies right across all sections of Irish society where the band plays, colour lights flash in all their splendour, as suited gentlemen take the bows and then move on to more public eye catching events leaving everything as it was in the first place.

Stronger laws, stiffer jail terms and zero tolerance is what we need to curb the rise in violent assault that leads to injury or death. I want it all, I want it all to apply to everyone and I want it now. I want to sleep safe and secure at night, I want my children to be able to walk the streets at night knowing they will be safe from the thugs and wasters who crawl around looking for the opportunity to do anything. I want stronger laws that protect my family from the rest of society, but I cannot and will not agree to laws that stop me from singing my heart out at two in morning while people try to sleep. I cannot agree to laws that prohibit me from urinating on my neighbour’s car because I feel it a discomfort to wait until I open my hall door. And if someone says boo to any of my family I feel it my constitutional right to kick the daylight out of them for interfering in something that is none of their concern. Yea, I want strong laws to apply to everyone except me.

Oh the discomfort in having to stretch to the right of my drivers seat in order to pull a belt across my waist. Why should I be told to keep down the noise when I want to party all night long? Its my right, I have rights you know, its my freedom to express myself in whatever way I so feel fit. I live in a democratic country that gives me the right to say what I think and to a lesser extent do as I feel. I know the laws of the land protect me, laws that will come to my defence by providing legal counsel that will argue my innocence even though I know I am guilty. You are right, there is no respect in the country anymore. We blame young children, teenagers and young adults for the problems we see in our society, a society that has gone hell bent on the promotion of violence and disrespect. We forget to admit that both we and our parents are the constructors of the society we see today.

Little Johnny can do no wrong, even if little Johnnie is the biggest bast-rd that ever walked the earth. Over many years politicians caved into pressure from minnow groups who screamed about justice for the guilty but forgot to mention in their protest the right to justice for the innocent and victims of crime. We are at this point because we sought a justice that slid in one direction to the detriment of the other. Government wants to bring in a sliding scale of justice for drink driving, yet we know this proposal has two objectives. The first is to secure revenue for the state through financial penalties and the second is to enable a greater level of flexibility that will give judges the legal ability to crucify motorists who stray, while at the same time minimise the inconvenience to politicians and their business friends who are stopped by the Gardai for driving on the wrong side of a motorway while under the influence of the combined contents of a brewery. This is Ireland for ye, a country where those who are supposed to lead by example just sit back and pray that God will do something before we are all condemned to hell. The presidential farce tells us a lot about Irish politicians, political party's and a number of others in the public domain. Our legislators now reside in their own world of make believe and attempt to apply rules and regulations that bear no resemblance to the real world occupied by everybody else. This is why law and order is drifting towards anarchy; legislators debating about the colour of a sticker while society moves from grey to bleak to lost. Individuals have their own opinion about resolving problems of law and disorder, yet collectively there is no answer or solution that will address the same problems that are seen and recognised by all. This therefore points to a serious problem with our legislators and their inability to legislate in the greater interest of society rather than that of the individual or the right of law in itself.