In the news

it ain't fun but what's the alternative?

I get you, I disagree on a "things should never have got this bad, people are better than this" way, but I think some places are so far down the shitter there's very few other options left, at least in the short term. It's disgusting and I don't like it but that doesn't mean I don't see it as what might need to happen.

“Under no pretext should arms and ammunition be surrendered; any attempt to disarm the workers must be frustrated, by force if necessary” karl mrax

Haha, I hate this place... 🙃

Where's the exit?

Duke of Westminster's card last year had the family sat on a tank !

Is this a stealth brag??

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/drugs-westminster-speaker-hoyle-police-b1970106.html

^
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/priti-patel-middle-class-cocaine-b1903337.html

Has a tightening of the law ever led to a reduction in drug crime or drug deaths?

Class A drug use has a huge impact on public health and society both domestically and internationally, just feels like this is more of the same shit that has already failed?

Is this a vote winning exercise? Just trying to figure out which sector of society would see this as a positive thing. Retired tory voters (who have lost faith in the party recently) maybe?

Is this a vote winning exercise?

100%, tough on drugs posturing and 100% the wrong thing to do to actually help people, proper traditional conservatism.

Might also be designed to appeal to newer Tory voters in the former red wall areas who, on paper at least, are more likely to be affected by class A drug crime than the middle classes...."levelling up".

Also, if I had to rate the chances of Priti Patel changing the law so people can have their passports confiscated for possessing drrugs domestically, I'd say 1/10. It's almost in the same category as her turning back migrant boats in terms of likelihood to make it into law.

Of course.

It's attacking the "metropolitan elite". So it's playing to the same narrative that won Brexit and the election. Just more othering and "look what they're getting away with".

She should put her money where her mouth is and demand drug tests from the children of every MP.

demand drug tests from the children of every MP

Starting by demanding drugs tests of every MP would be interesting

100%, tough on drugs posturing and 100% the wrong thing to do to actually help people, proper traditional conservatism.

And 100% not going to make it into the statute book in a form even close to this. Headline material for the usual suspect publications that thankfully will be watered down. But sadly it will still resemble the current approach (with a different label) when it gets out of the other end of their churning it up, with some appointed commissioner/'Tzar' in charge to put it one step further from Patel/Johnson, so they can disown it as necessary.

Has a tightening of the law ever led to a reduction in drug crime or drug deaths?

Of course not. The whole thing is absolutely ridiculous.

As a basic starting point, making laws isn't the bit that tackles crime. It's investigating, arresting, and then prosecuting.

So even if you wanted to have a proper crack at implementing a trad right wing "tough on drugs" policy you need to start with some absolutely fucking epic police and customs funding that makes the furlough scheme look like book tokens from your nan.

As soon as you give it even the most cursory examination, you see how utterly ludicrous it is.

I can't remember the stats, but iirc we currently only capture something like 10% of drugs coming into the UK.

Clearly an anti-Gove move by the Johnsonian clique.

investigating, arresting, and then prosecuting

The bit that requires the funding they don't want to provide.

Could get very interesting if one of the groups who have their UK passports removed for drug offences are from Northern Ireland.

funding they don't want to provide.

I have a feeling of having seen this strategy before.

Authoritarian politician points out ‘failure’ of the police on N headline-grabbing issue > proposes law to deliver more responsibility to police without sufficient resources > waits for them to fail and creates headlines on how draconian measures are urgently needed and the police desperately need more funding.

Then there are also furrin's which this lot also doesn't respect with dual nationality.

There is no guarantee the other countries will agree to revoke that passport as well.

That's the one. Power grab from a malicious government.

Funding police means increase taxes and cracking down hard on tax fraud and also closing loopholes and fighting corruption in government.

Easier to blame drug users rather than get people to hand over £ / say no to corporate political funding.

All while drug crimilisation means safe injection sites are not even allowed.

The Nutt report listed drugs based on harm and the May government ignored it, badmouthed Nutt and increased the criminality class of weed from C to B.. now they want to do that with laughing gas (the stuff used by your dentist which was used to get high before it's useful medical properties were discovered) even though that's again quite harmless.

Really all political theater and no harm reduction if you ask me.

Then there are also furrin's which this lot also doesn't respect with dual nationality.

There is no guarantee the other countries will agree to revoke that passport as well.

Look at the Begum case- she didn't have dual nationality, but her UK citizenship was removed because the Home Office claimed that she could obtain Bangladeshi citizenship through her parents.

Every NI citizen is a potential dual national, whether they have an Irish passport or not.

De-Britishing NI drug-users would therefore be a) easy and b) provocative, but c) if there's populist benefit from doing it d) they will.

Revoking a travel document is not equal to revoking citizenship.

But I agree there could be a slippery slope risk.

It may not be worth it though, it would cause such a stink to revoke British citizenship of dual nationality NI citizens over snorting some coke I doubt even this government flirting with authoritarian despotism would deem it worth the bother.

I could be wrong though :/

But if they're druggies do we even want them here? /s