I was sorry to hear on the lunchtime news that Lord Taylor is going down for 12 months following his expenses fraud. I think his barrister is right when he pointed out that this would destroy him. I mentioned my one and only meeting with him earlier this year. Lord Taylor - no ordinary Tory.
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I am deeply sorry that this has happened. I never met Lord Taylor, and his politics are a long way from mine, but what I have learned of him over the years is that he is a Christian of some vision and integrity. I fear that he has been caught by moving goalposts - a practice which was strictly non-kosher was winked at and even recommended as a means of avoiding paying proper expenses or allowance. Suddenly that is no longer acceptable, and good men like Lord Taylor find themselves in the dock. I suspect there will be many others who have not yet been investigated who will be in the same boat. It is now being said that Lord Taylor lied on oath - I don't know the details, but I suspect he was trying to survive in an increasingly untenable position.
His reputation and career are in ruins. He needs our prayers to survive this awful crash, and find a vision of whatever new life God has for him after prison.
Unlike Tony B I'm not a Christian, nor do I care much whether Taylor is either. As far as I'm concerned he was a privileged member of society, in a public office, and he was stealing taxpayers money.
Having said that, I can see no useful purpose in a custodial sentence. It is prison as punishment and represents the worst elements of our justice system. Taylor, like the MPs who were also stealing public money, has been humiliated, he has lost his livelihood, and most likely his own self respect. Society needs no more from him, they have had their pound of flesh.
People in this position are ideally suited to community service sentences where, instead of rotting away months in an open prison, they can actually pay some retribution for their crimes. Nor am I asking more for them than I would ask for many people in our prisons. There are far too many people wasting their time in prison cells who represent no threat whatsoever to individuals or society.
On the other hand, those sadistic thugs torturing vulnerable people in the Castlebeck private hospital should most definitely be subject to a custodial sentence.
Bob, Just to keep this blog the right side of contempt of court there have, as of now been no evidence been put before a court and no yet been been found guilty in the Castlebeck issue.
David, on the basis that no-one has been charged, your blog cannot be in contempt of court.
Point taken Bob, but unlike the tabloid press and the Bob Piper blog I will ere on the side of caution!
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