Friday 24 June 2011

It's a marrda.

If you don't remember or have never seen Taggart (the proper, old show when miserable git Taggart was actually in it), the title says 'It's a murder'.

So it appears the definition of 'murder' has changed. It used to mean that you deliberately intended to kill someone. Now it means killing someone who's trying to kill you. We used to call that 'defence' in the old days.

The test of the Cameroid's bold pronouncement that we are at last to return to the days of being allowed to fight back is now upon us. Or specifically, upon him.

What appears to have happened is this. I say appears, because the full details are not yet known to us all. It might be that the masked men were known to the householders and that they did indeed lay in wait with the intention of killing Goon #1 but if so, why would they call the police?

Let us proceed for now on the assumption that this family did not expect to see the midnight masked raiders attack their home and that they were sore afraid, possibly to the point where a change of kecks might be called on and maybe even a mop and bucket and some deodorising bleach.

Now we come to the Cameroid's words. He's good at words. Actions, not so much, but he is good at words, we'll give him that.

"Reasonable force".

If you are a bewigged and dusty judge and your fortified residence is soiled by the presence of a ragged and uncouth tradesman at the human entrance, you might define 'reasonable force' as calling the hefty footman to give the rotter a sound kicking and send him on his way with his tail between his legs, what? You might even set the dogs on him if you still had some.

If you live in a grubby part of Manchester with scrubland behind your house and a masked gang turn up at midnight and try to batter their way in, they know you're in there and they have not come to collect donations to the local soup kitchen, and there is a woman in the house, well, let your imagination tick slowly into action and what would you be thinking?

You don't have a burly footman to call on. You know perfectly well that calling the police will mean they might turn up in a day or so and if you're lucky it'll be before your corpse is completely cold, you are not allowed to have a gun and the masked raiders know it, so what do you do?

Would you grab a kitchen knife, try to scare them, and if necessary stick it into one of the bastards before they stick it into your wife/daughter/girlfriend while you watch with a knife at your throat?

Masked men are breaking in at midnight. They know the house is occupied. They are not going to causally collect up the silverware (in Manchester?) and then leave with a cheery how-de-do. Under those circumstances, define 'reasonable force'.

I define it as 'forget the phone, kill them all'. Actually, the main message from the story is this. Do not call the police unless and until the attackers look like winning. If you call the police and you win the fight, you will be charged with obstructing a criminal in the course of his duties. Or, that worst crime of all, killing a criminal who probably had a Council license to loot, pillage and rape.

Really, that message is very clear here. The reporting casts the dead criminal as the victim in this scenario. Leave that phone alone. Head for the knife rack and do it now. Practice throwing them. Get them all and learn how to dispose of the corpses. If you kill them Halal, the local supermarket will take the meat.

I'm sure the police will claim that's not the message they want to give but it's the one that comes over loud and clear. Call the police while fighting off attackers and you will be arrested and charged with fighting off attackers. This is mere days after Cameroid's proud and empty boast. Dammit, Cameroid, can't you get anything right?

Snowolf, Quiet Man, and Trooper Thompson voice similar opinions. A few days ago, so did U-turn Dave but I suspect his opinion will once more change to 'ah, well, um' now. The only one who doesn't agree is Miss Criminal Hero 2011, Shiny Chuckabatorthree.

She believes that if we are allowed to defend ourselves in our homes, we will then roam the streets to defend ourselves in our homes and will also kill Grandad when he gets home from the pub. Because we are not capable of spotting the difference between Grandad muttering and scraping while he tries to get his rubber key into a moving keyhole (been there), and a bunch of balaclava-clad thugs trying to beat the door in.

Instead, presumably, she endorses the police message. Don't bother them or they'll arrest you for being a noisy, complaining irritant and for spoiling a thug's evening.

Sure, Manchester police will say 'This is certainly not the sort of message we want to give' but it is precisely the message you have very clearly given. There is no other interpretation of the facts as known to us at the moment. Defending yourself in your home is illegal and will be punished.

As for Shiny's vigilante groups, I would be astounded if they are not already well formed in many places, and amazed if they are not already active in quite a few. The law has left people with no other option.

One day, we will have a government who will get at least one thing right. Half the population will die of shock.

14 comments:

JuliaM said...

"...(the proper, old show when miserable git Taggart was actually in it)..."

Ahh, I loved it when McManus had the title role. Why didn't they change it, like they did with 'Morse'?

I'd say it would have confused the Yanks if they ever sold it overseas, but then, they'd probably never understand the dialogue anyway... ;)

JuliaM said...

"As for Shiny's vigilante groups, I would be astounded if they are not already well formed in many places, and amazed if they are not already active in quite a few. "

It's always possible that the masked gang weren't thieves at all, but just such a gang themselves?

kitler said...

I'm still of the opinion that I would rather just scare off attackers without incident, should my home be invaded. The last thing I want to do at bedtime is engage in a fight to the death followed by the harrowing task of corpse disposal.

But I am all in favour of other people killing burgalars, simply because the more that die the less burgalary there will be.

dodgerydoo said...

If you live in a grubby part of Manchester with scrubland behind your house and a masked gang turn up at midnight and try to batter their way in, they know you're in there and they have not come to collect donations to the local soup kitchen, and there is a woman in the house, well, let your imagination tick slowly into action and what would you be thinking?

set the woman on them?

Anonymous said...

There may be more to this. Why would a man from Hyde - several miles from Salford - team up with three others, all wearing balaclavas, to burgle a house on a poor council estate in Salford?

kitler said...

@anonymous

Who cares if there is more to this. They went out looking for trouble and they found it. End of.

multiculture innit said...

Julia..
The original Taggart died unfortunately but they kept the series going.
Taggart went downhill when it was PC'd and enriched in order to be acceptable to a wider UK audience. The ginger bloke was dumped and suitable 'replacements' were parachuted in. Joined the rest of the UK crime dramas and lost it's Glesgae angle. Apart from some pretty location shots.

Anonymous said...

I'm sure we're all shocked to learn that (according to the BBC) "A burglar stabbed to death while apparently trying to break into a house in Greater Manchester was already on police bail accused of burglary in the Midlands, it has emerged."

Anonymous said...

"So we're again being promised that no, we won't be prosecuted or arrested if someone being violent towards us, gets hurt by us (they really mean it this time). Then in a few months, there'll be a case that shows that promise to be a lie. There always is."

I called it, and it didn't even take a few months.

Anonymous said...

If the government cannot protect its own citizens who agreed to its governance and if the citizens are forbidden from protecting themselves, then the government has neglected one of its primary duties, to protect citizens from crime, thus removing a God given right that the citizens possess, with or without there being any government to begin with. As such, then the government has failed on one of its principle reasons to exist, it is no longer worthy of being the government in charge. Thus a revolution is justified, to replace the failed government.

Cascadian said...

I throw myself on the mercy of the court your honour, I was under the impression they were Ghaddafis mercenaries invading us.

I would like to introduce this nice gentleman-Mr Cameron as a character witness.

Anonymous said...

As for Shiny's vigilante groups, I would be astounded if they are not already well formed in many places, and amazed if they are not already active in quite a few. The law has left people with no other option.

Northern Ireland?

Though from what I've heard people say who live in these sorts of areas, this is really not something you'd want to emulate.

john miller said...

I know I go on about these, but can we talk about hollow point bullets again?

The ones that used to be called dum-dum bullets and are banned by the Geneva Convention and illegal in warfare?

The ones that are now the bullet of choice for the armed police in this country for use on its citizens?

A hollow point bullet expands on impact and causes enormous damage.

The Police service defines reasonable force in your case as telling your assailants they are being very naughty. In its own case, it defines reasonable force as blowing an arm or a leg off if they don't get a good shot in, or killing you if they do.

Slamlander said...

It might be the wrong place to mention this but in Colorado they have the reasonable fear test. If the bugger is on your property (not even in your house) and you have reasonable fear for your life or the lives of your family then you are authorized the use of lethal force (put multiple holes in the bugger in any way that you can, which can include a 44 magnum or a 12 guage shotgun).

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