Blog 10: Foreign criminals deported 'at earliest opportunity'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-16234590

The article deals about the fact that the Sunday Times got hold of an official document showing numbers about foreign criminals re-offending while awaiting deportation.  The report showed some of the criminals had been arrested for violent crimes while awaiting their deportation. It is labeled as an embarrassment of the Home Office though they have defended themselves saying they have to operate within the law and cannot simply deport these people but that they deserve the right for a fair trial before being deported. In October, the UKBA (UK Border Agency) said more than 5,000 foreign criminals that are awaiting deportation remain in the UK.

I agree with the fact that the criminals deserve a fair trial but if the re-offend when awaiting their trial I think it is pretty obvious they do not plan on following the rules. In that case I feel the government should be enabled to immediately deport them back to their country of origin. The article mentions a plan for foreign only prisons but I think that is not sufficient for this problem. That would mean you will have them in the country anyway albeit in prison. The fastest way to get rid of the problem is to enable the government in immediate deportation if the criminal re-offends during his waiting period.

Blog 9: Manchester United fan 'made unwell by watching matchers'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16202590

Unusual symptoms suffered by a Manchester United supporter during matches of the team helped doctors spot a potentially severe condition. The doctors found out that the 58-year-old Manchester United fan suffered debilitating palpitations and light-headedness during close matches. They also believe that the stress involved when watching the matches have been the cause of these symptoms and might have even started them. The doctors ran a test with the fan to see when the symptoms were noticeable. When Manchester would play against lower league clubs the symptoms were entirely absent but when Manchester had to play against higher rivals these symptoms would start to show themselves.

I can relate to these feelings of stress  when watching the matches though not combined with the symptoms. Football matches can take quite a toll on someone if the person is a fan or interested in football obviously. I experienced similar feelings when watching football myself but this was also only against the higher ranked opponents or the last World Championship cup final. I think that if the person really has these kind of ‘attacks’ during matches it might be better to skip them since doctors said it is a threatening condition if left untreated.

Blog 8: Five Premier League clubs set to learn European draw fate

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/16207237.stm

Five football clubs are awaiting the draw for the next round in the Champions and Europa League. The clubs can draw a number of different clubs which also has some possible Dutch opponents in it. For Manchester City and Manchester United it is somewhat of a letdown since they will be performing in the Europa League while they started out in the Champions League. The draw will be held at 11:00 GMT in Nyon.

I always like these drawings since you never know which club you are going to face. Sometimes this leads to some very surprising and interesting matches. For Manchester City I think it’s deserved that they will be playing the Europa League, the entire squad is bought by some millionaire and I hate clubs like that. Especially if they ruin the game by buying players for huge amounts of money (sometimes exceeding 50 million). I won’t be watching the draw live but will certainly look up the draw results later today.

Blog 7: Dangerous dogs sentencing guidelines proposed

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16191119

In England and Wales Judges have published the first-ever proposed sentencing guidelines for people convicted for dangerous dogs offences. These offences are Dog dangerously out of control causing injury, dog dangerously out of control, possession of a banned dog and, breeding, selling or exchanging a banned dog. Anyone being found guilty of one or more of these offences can risk up to two years of imprisonment. The reason for making these guidelines are because of several notable incidents and figures like those from the Ministry of Justice show that between 2009 and 2010 the number of people sentenced for dangerous dog offences rose from 855 to 1,192. The government also estimates that treating dog injuries costs the NHS more than £3m a year. 

I think it’s right to pass this bill since some dogs are not meant to be kept in cities and towns, they are bred to be dogs for the hunt or old war dogs. If one of these dogs loses his temper in a crowded environment it will pose a threat to all who are near. It will be a difficult law to uphold though, and there is a chance this might force the problem underground. But it’s good the beginning is there and now they need to focus on how they will make it work for the police force.

Blog 6: Troubleshooters to be sent in to help problem families

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-16187500

The article is about prime minister David Cameron who has issued a plan to help trouble families throughout the UK. These ‘Troubleshooters’ as they are called in the article would help families with problems such as addiction, crime, poor health and unemployment. In total there will be a sum of £448m put into this plan to help those families in guiding them and perhaps get rid of their problems. David Cameron says the problems won’t necessarily lie in the help itself but in getting them to accept the help. He says when the eventually accept the help ‘work wonders’. 

I think this plan is quite a good idea. You see something similar here for families with children who are troublesome but you don’t see it a lot for addiction and unemployment. In what degree this will be effective needs to be carefully looked at of course since we’re talking about a huge amount of money here. And indeed, as the PM already said, the problem is not that the help won’t be sufficient, it’s if the help will be accepted by them. Often do you see troubled families who simply turn down the offer because of various reasons like pride. All in all I think it is definitely worth to give a shot.