Nanny is a somewhat passive aggressive individual, by that I mean she expects us to be passive whilst she aggressively pursues her policies of interference and intervention in our daily lives.However, Nanny is still a little worried that we may be offering some form of resistance to her "brave new world"; specifically, she fears that we may be acting in an "un pc" manner in the privacy of our own homes.
Well, she has come up with a terrific wheeze that will ensure that an "Englishman's home" is no longer his castle (lest there be any complaints, for the purposes of this article "English" encompasses Welsh and Scots..I wanted to use the quote, and therefore for today everyone in the UK is an honourary Englishman).
Anyhoo, it seems that according to Tory MP Henry Bellingham, Nanny is considering legislation that would allow forcible entry into homes by bailiffs for such minor matters as the non payment of parking tickets. Any homeowner attempting to stop the bailiff would face up to a year in prison.
Bellingham is quoted as saying:
"The bill as it stands will overturn two fundamental principles
of our common law on bailiffs' power to enter private property:
that bailiffs may only enter peaceably
and with the permission of the debtor.
Those rights are fundamental.
That force may not be used to effect entry has been
established in law since at least the 14th century."
In 2005, Nanny's Nu Labour announced its intention to create a National Enforcement Service to break into homes to recover unpaid fines.
However, be not afraid (yet!) there have been various amendments offered to the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Bill. One of these "generous" amendments would forbid bailiffs from seizing household pets as well as, "any dog on which a blind person relies."
So that's alright then!
No it's not, Nanny must not be allowed to wedge her boot in anyone's door; once she has done this, you will never be able to get her out of your house.
This is a very serious proposition by NuLabour as it would hit the people with the least ability to pay the hardest. A £60 parking fine is nothing to some people but to those millions struggling it could effect how much food will be brought next week etc. Ironically it effects the very people that the Labour Party was initially founded for, (by the Fabian Society).
ReplyDeleteSurely there must be a saying "Never trust a Socialist".
Anyway, good work again Ken for bringing this issue to light!
I gather there is some dispute about what the proposals may cover in the first instance since they really relate to criminal fines by the courts rather than fixed 'charges' like parking tickets. Apparently.
ReplyDeleteHowever, given the usual and seemingly ever more rapid erosion of boundaries and creep of rules into areas for which they were never intended (or where the law was badly written as likely as not these days) it seems pretty clear that just about anything is probably even of not intended. Yet.
Still, I quite like the idea of the bailiffs smashing down Nanny's doors to reclaim goods to help cover the costs of, say, Iraq or the Chancer's Pension Grab and Smash.
Tooting Popular Front had the right idea.
ReplyDelete