Fatally flawed argument from our PM

YET again we have a fatally flawed argument from our Prime Minister, this time printed in the Weston Mercury.Tony Blair argues in a carefully worded letter that his Government has done its bit on youth crime and disorder. He states his Government has created the mechanism to deal with the problems. He then lays the blame clearly on the police, councils, magistrates and communities for the fact that everybody can see that its policies clearly are not working.He appears oblivious to the fact there may be a connection with the people he names on that list to his Government in terms of budgets, sentencing guidelines, human rights acts, prison spaces, etc.He also lists triumphantly the numbers of ASBOs, acceptable behaviour contracts, and dispersal orders issued, which amount nationally to 23,000. That is without police cautions that are issued in lieu of a prosecution. He fails to address the question of whether ASBOs work or merely become badges of honour.He fails to address the question of how many ASBOs are breached and whether they are pursued or not. He also fails to see that if we are no longer prosecuting or investigating criminal offences in the UK then what use is the intelligence gathered for the police national computer and what credibility is there in the various police checks that are now required, particularly with people working within schools with our children?Presumably though, Government policy serves not to protect citizens but to hide true crime figures (ASBOs not being a criminal offence unless they are breached) and allow Mr Blair to write letters such as the one printed in the Mercury which state how wonderful his Government is and all the shortcomings belong to someone else.This is a very grubby Government.PAUL ARNOLD - Purn Way, Bleadon