There was no shortage of the depressingly predictable political doublespeak. Last week’s Prime Minister’s address to the nation opened with a “hold the system to account and shine a light into the darkest corner.” Then came a “nothing’s off the table” swiftly followed by “I want to be crystal clear.” Towards the end, to complete the bingo card of gobbledegook, we even had a “we’ll leave no stone unturned.” All punctuated by THREE separate mentions of “a line in the sand.”
Notwithstanding the gravity of the horrific crime and the PM’s good intention in launching this public inquiry into the failings that lead up to the murder of three girls at a dance class and the serious injury of ten others including two adults, this comes across as nothing but a word salad – particularly when you remember this is the FOURTH time in the nearly seven months they’ve been in power they’ve talked about a “mission” or “crackdown” on knife crime.
Admittedly, few crimes have – or hopefully ever will – rock the country in the way the Southport murders have and the sentencing of the vile Axel Rudakubana justly reflected that. If the devil does actually exist, surely a look at that picture of his cold, staring eyes is as close to demonic as anyone could imagine.
But for Sir Keir Starmer to assume a position of bewilderment as to how these sorts of violent crimes can continue is risible. Remember, as he never ceases to tell us – and he did TWICE in last week’s speech – he was the Director of Public Prosecutions so his knowledge of the law should show him that for years the sentencing of anyone caught carrying, let alone using a knife has been lamentable. Instead of stretches behind bars that would make their eyes water, time after time these violent thugs and potential killers are offered lenient or even suspended sentences.
Similarly, the pledge to clamp down on the ease with which the murderer bought on Amazon the knife and items required to make a deadly poison sounds markedly like a similar clamp down (from a different government) in 2017. Back then, teenage Iraqi asylum seeker Ahmed Hassan had bought from Amazon everything he needed to make the bomb that partially detonated on the London Underground in Parsons Green.
Another area in Sir Keir’s sights is the counter terror Prevent programme which, we are told, will have “a root and branch review” as Rudakubana had slipped through three times. Presumably that will also cover much of the ground of the review ordered in 2020 after Khairi Saadallah killed three men in a park in Reading and it was discovered he’d been referred to the same programme four times.
Words, well meaning or otherwise, come easily to politicians at these times. Action is a different matter. If this government does deliver on its promises and leaves “no stone unturned” regarding the sentencing of anyone using a knife, it will be an abiding memory of those three tragic innocents.