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Home Secretary too busy for your views
9:36am Wednesday 16th July 2008
WE STATED at the outset the aim of our Voices Against Violence campaign was to put as many of your comments as possible directly into the hands of Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.
While the campaign has been a great success in terms of collecting your thoughts on this emotive subject, our overall objective has fallen short.
A week before the campaign started, I sent an email to the Home Office press office outlining what the campaign's aims were and what we would like to do with the feedback from our readers. The email stressed we would only need 30 seconds with Jacqui Smith and we were happy to meet her anywhere to get a photo of the handover of your comments.
Three weeks into the campaign, we had received no reply. I emailed again, politely chasing our original request.
The reply came back saying the email had gone to the wrong person and asked if we could send it to someone else within the press office instead. In other words, it had just sat there, no-one had forwarded it on, no-one had bothered to ask me to send it to the right person - if I had not chased it, presumably it would have been ignored forever.
I forwarded the request to the right person, who offered us a meeting with crime reduction minister Vernon Coaker. But I felt 30 seconds with the Home Secretary was not too much to ask. Therefore, I rejected Mr Coaker and said I would still like a minute with Jacqui if at all possible.
A week later, the Home Office rang again. Jacqui was too busy to see us. Too busy for a photograph and to take an envelope off us. Too busy to listen to the people who had had their say on the violence wending its cursed path through our streets. Too busy U-turning on bizarre schemes to get knife-carriers into A&E departments to confront the victims of violent crimes.
Your messages will still get to the people who count - we're going to post all your comments through the Home Office's front door.
But it's telling the Home Secretary can't find even one minute to listen to the people she was elected to serve.
Richard Firth, News Shopper Editor
Your Say YourNews Shopper
Mark, Dartford says...
9:59am Wed 16 Jul 08
Should be sacked.
Tony, Bromley says...
10:46am Wed 16 Jul 08
genie, says...
11:15am Wed 16 Jul 08
Mark L, SE13 says...
11:28am Wed 16 Jul 08
Dammed impertienance!
Kitten, London says...
12:15pm Wed 16 Jul 08
Sorry to be a pessimist but under these idiots it will just get worse and worse. For everyone's sake I hope that I am wrong.
Lizzielooloo, says...
12:18pm Wed 16 Jul 08
She is a disgrace for not even taking 5 mins out of her busy diary to meet with the Newsshopper and read the views of it's readers.
jayjay, here says...
12:52pm Wed 16 Jul 08
This woman doesn't care a damm about what goes on in society today, even on her own doorstep in Peckham where someone was killed just the other week by a knife wielding thug.
She is one of the "I'm alright Jack don't care about anyone else" brigade that seems to persist in our society today.
So long as she collects her wages every week that us idiots are paying, why should she care, so long as she makes the appropriate noises to keep us thinking maybe they are doing something, I hated Maggie Thatcher but she had more balls than the entire cabinet of today and she would not have sat on the fence as long as this lot have with regard to this issue.
Yesterday was the 2 year anniversay of 16 yr old Julian 'Buster' Knight who was stabbed to death.
2 years on and nothing has changed in society, it has got worse, surely one kid to lose their life in this way should be one more than is acceptable but there sadly were many before he met his tragic end and many more after who have met or will meet theirs in the same way.
TRAGIC
Nicholas, Gravesend says...
2:27pm Wed 16 Jul 08
Bag Lady, One of those comfy new chairs in the Gladezzzzz says...
2:54pm Wed 16 Jul 08
Just to add, thank you to the Newsshopper for at least trying. Hope this apathy from the government doesn't make you give up with your campaign.
Disgusted, London says...
4:09pm Wed 16 Jul 08
knowlsey, sidcup says...
4:38pm Wed 16 Jul 08
Vern, west wickham says...
5:31pm Wed 16 Jul 08
Mr Pike, Farnborough says...
5:35pm Wed 16 Jul 08
fiona, lewisham says...
6:05pm Wed 16 Jul 08
it seems only more punishment is the solution, lets not forget that the govnments provide the conditions they need more criminals dont they?
tough new laws are not the only way infact that could be more destuctive, more punishment is not neccessarilly an antidote. in my experience of working in different fields it is clear that a lack of proper knowledge is the fundermental cause of all this madness in our communities today. you and i know that it is being without certain principle knowledge and laws that causes people and youngsters to make irrational decisions.
if you have no care for life how do we expect our younger generations to care, we must lead by example and show young people how to care for life and each other. if they see and experience parents, friends and wider communities caring for each other then the young too will follow our lead, they will see and feel how humanity ought to be living together.
we are the ones who will make the difference, politicians dont give a dam about us they know what needs the young people have but they make out like they do not know, its all trickery! i suggest they find the money to finance a series of youth centres across london and national, where young people can get the knowledge they need to become beautiful citizens proud to exist not this nasty reality hell bent on destruction.
help us put pressure on those who are supposed to assist us. we need to act now!!!
paulus the wood gnome, nutwood says...
6:42pm Wed 16 Jul 08
time to take to the streets and take them back from the feral youth and to let the so called powers that be know that we arnt prepared to stand for it any longer they are there to do our bidding not the other way round we pay there exorbitant wages and get nothing but more taxes back im sick of it
POWER TO THE PEOPLE
brown isnt even an elected mp so should hold a general election now.truck drivers should blockade the ports like the frenchies do start burning sheep etc
general strikes ,3 day week ,bring this crap hole government to its knees fight back
lets do it
lets do it now
how many of you can take more taxes
petrol going up food going up gas/electric going up
wages going no where
unless your lucky enough to be a fat bloated mp with your greedy fat overpaid snout in the trough
REVOLUTION IS JUST A T SHIRT AWAY
FIGHT THE POWER
SOLIDARITY BROTHERS
Sam, Greenwich says...
9:48pm Wed 16 Jul 08
Local, Swanley says...
12:00am Thu 17 Jul 08
Unhappy, Bexley says...
8:46am Thu 17 Jul 08
Lyn, Dartford says...
8:45pm Thu 17 Jul 08
paulus the wood gnome wrote:I could not agree more, I have always said this country needs a revolustion.
Time for revolution people time to take to the streets and take them back from the feral youth and to let the so called powers that be know that we arnt prepared to stand for it any longer they are there to do our bidding not the other way round we pay there exorbitant wages and get nothing but more taxes back im sick of it POWER TO THE PEOPLE brown isnt even an elected mp so should hold a general election now.truck drivers should blockade the ports like the frenchies do start burning sheep etc general strikes ,3 day week ,bring this crap hole government to its knees fight back lets do it lets do it now how many of you can take more taxes petrol going up food going up gas/electric going up wages going no where unless your lucky enough to be a fat bloated mp with your greedy fat overpaid snout in the trough REVOLUTION IS JUST A T SHIRT AWAY FIGHT THE POWER SOLIDARITY BROTHERS
There is certainly nothing Great about Great Britain anymore.
We need a leader with some backbone and most of all an end to all the do-gooders in this country for it is thanks to them that tie the hands of Police, Courts and Politicians.
I cannot understand how so many people in this country can see what is happening yet do nothing at all about it. The only time I ever saw something really get done was when they introduced the Poll Tax and the Riots ensued.
I think we need the same again only for everything that has gone rotten in this country.
gill, Catford says...
1:48pm Fri 18 Jul 08
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith
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gone4good, surrey says...
9:50am Wed 16 Jul 08