Blunkers: Call in the army and machine gun the prisoners!

[kirovman]

David Blunkett, one of the (then) most senior politicians in the UK gave an order to send in the army and machine gun rioting prisoners.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6057528.stm

David Blunkett told the head of the Prison Service to call in the Army and "machine-gun" rioting inmates to regain control of a jail in 2002, reports say.

"[Mr Blunkett] shrieked at me that he didn't care about lives, told me to call in the Army and 'machine-gun' the prisoners and - still shrieking - again ordered me to take the prison back immediately.

"I refused. David hung up."



A spokesman for Mr Blunkett denied he had made any reference to machine guns.

"He did order the retaking of the prison. He did not say anything about machine guns. Quite apart from anything else, they do not carry machine guns in the Prison Service.

The denial to the main claim seems a bit weak...

call in the Army and "machine-gun" rioting inmates

they do not carry machine guns in the Prison Service.

It appear Blunkett's spokesman's comprehension is a bit out of sync!

 

[DEATH eVADER]

Agree. Someone did mention that Blunkett is the meanest SOB that was among the cabinet

 

[pomegranate]

That sounds quite unlikely to me.

 

[delusional]

why is this coming out now, when it happened in 2002

 

[<RJMC>]

dam now that hardcore
"prisioner go back to your celd!" *tac-tac-tac-tac-tac*

now seriously thats a bit excesive

 

[15357]

Thats frigging awesome. *jots down in note*

 

[Gray Fox]

They're prisoners for gods sake, what else would you use. Shoot the bastards if they riot.

 

[15357]

Yes, but the human rights commission bitchs about the tiniest of things.

 

[Flyingdebris]

we all know who's really responsible for that riot, and not all the machine guns or army guys in Britain will stop him...

 

[Snaps]

I totally agree with him

Screw the prisoners and lets machine gun all of them. if you have a life sentence then the point of living. I know if I was sentenced to life in jail and I knew that I would die in prison, I would wanna be killed way before hand.

Kill them all I say. They should not be rioting in the first place.

 

[kirovman]

why is this coming out now, when it happened in 2002

Because the prison officer guy only decided to talk about it now?

 

[Feath]

Well, it was in response to what David Blunkett said in his autobiography.

 

[Feath]

They're prisoners for gods sake, what else would you use. Shoot the bastards if they riot.

Something a bit less lethal?

Yes, but the human rights commission bitchs about the tiniest of things.

"Tiniest"?

 

[kirovman]

If they were elligible to be sentenced to death, they would have been.

Does it not strike anyone as disconcerting that one of the most powerful men in the country was calling for a mass slaughter, whilst foaming at the mouth?

Or is it, "OK, because they gave up their right to life when they committed the crime, whatever that may have been".


It could have been the prison rioters today, and the ID-card protesters tomorrow.

 

[Solaris]

Prisoners have rights too.

Shows just how much this man cares for civil liberties. Such as the right not to be machine-gunned.

 

[Gray Fox]

They are prisoners for gods sake, they are criminals. It's ****ing dangerouse when they riot, and stability and order or an absoluut must in prisons. The ciminals should not even think about starting a fight let alone a riot.
So yeah, bring in the army and shoot them if they do not stop rioting, it's that simple imo.

And don't give me that slippery slope bullshit Kirovman, you could say the same for many many things, it's not a valid argument unless there is substantial historical data to support it.

 

[kirovman]

They are prisoners for gods sake, they are criminals. It's ****ing dangerouse when they riot, and stability and order or an absoluut must in prisons. The ciminals should not even think about starting a fight let alone a riot.
So yeah, bring in the army and shoot them if they do not stop rioting, it's that simple imo.

And don't give me that slippery slope bullshit Kirovman, you could say the same for many many things, it's not a valid argument unless there is substantial historical data to support it.

Hey, this thread wasn't created with the prison rioters in mind, it's about a man in power who allows his emotions to cloud vital judgement.

I think a man who can't control his emotional outbursts in such a high position is potentially dangerous.

This wasn't a cool, calculated "Send in the machine gunners, it's our only option, the last resort, everything else has been tried"

It was a hysterical outburst. So, no I haven't got any historical evidence on hysterical outbursts and whether someone who got hysterical over prison rioters would the next day get hysterical over ID card protesters (it's not a science I'm interested in really), but Blunkett is a man who clearly couldn't take the pressure of his responsibilities.

Also, the riots were resolved without machine-guns, kind of proving that machine-guns weren't necessary.

 

[Feath]

dangerouse

Danger Mouse?

Also, You can't seriously believe that someone who riots in a prision deserves to be shot. Have you got no common sense. These people aren't all people who have gone to jail for mass murder. But no, because they commited a crime, they just forfeit all any basic right to live.

If you think that "Shoot them all" is a good response to a prison riot. Thank god you're not in power.

 

[kirovman]

Danger Mouse?

Penfold.

 

[15357]

Here, in Korea, if prisoners riot, we use water hoses and fire extinguishers on them. If they get out of hand, however, we just auto-close the fire doors, seperating the prison into many locked down rooms til they finally calm down. Then we starve them a day or two.*


Note: Starvation not done since 60s.


Anyway, I'd rather like for the police here to machine gun a few sons of b*tches, like anti-free trade protesters and the Student Union bastards.

 

[gick]

Here, in Korea, if prisoners riot, we use water hoses and fire extinguishers on them. If they get out of hand, however, we just auto-close the fire doors, seperating the prison into many locked down rooms til they finally calm down.

That seems fairly sensible.

Anyway, I'd rather like for the police here to machine gun a few sons of b*tches, like anti-free trade protesters and the Student Union bastards.

That doesnt D:

 

[kirovman]

You can't seriously believe that someone who riots in a prision deserves to be shot. Have you got no common sense. These people aren't all people who have gone to jail for mass murder. But no, because they commited a crime, they just forfeit all any basic right to live.

If you think that "Shoot them all" is a good response to a prison riot. Thank god you're not in power.

Also, it's not as if they were a threat to public safety.
Only a threat to the sex offenders, who had to barricade themselves in, apparently.