You are here: Home » News »

Tory MP says we need “chain gangs” to tackle litter

April 7, 2012 9:54 am

Tags:

Share this Article

Has Tory MP Andrew Percy been watching “O Brother, Where Art Though?” this Easter? He asked The Telegraph:

“In the US I have seen chain gangs out clearing highways – why can’t we do that here?”

Update: Percy has been in touch on Twitter. He says “Alas, my suggestion is work crews for prisoners nearing release to do social good. Would also help return to soc – no chains!!”

How silly of us to get confused by his use of the term “chain gangs”…

http://twitter.com/Shinsei1967 Nick Reid

Don’t Community Service Orders already exist in the UK ?

I’m pretty sure Andrew Percy doesn’t literally demand people be in chains.
- treborc
  
  Well if he used prisoners he would or the sick or the disabled perhaps or of course dole scroungers, I’m waiting now for labour to be waiting to see what the public think before Miliband says anything. The Daily Mail will be used as a guide.
- AlanGiles
  
  Nick: If Percy wants to return to the past, I think every MP who got caught up, or will get caught up in the future fiddling expenses ought to be put in the stocks. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than throwing a rotten tomato or a bad egg at Hazel Blears, Gerald Kauffmann or Michael Gove and Chris Grayling
  - derek
    
    I’m up for that @Alan but I might just squeeze a stone into those tomatoes.
    - treborc
      
      You use a stone Ill just use a plain old brick, and if Purnell is around a concrete block
      - derek
        
        LoL Trebroc!
treborc

Benefits claimants will be forced to pick up litter and clean off
graffiti under radical U.S.-style welfare reforms designed to get
millions back into work.
Anyone on the dole for more than two
years will be made to take full-time community jobs in return for their
weekly handout, signing in each day.
Those claiming for 12 months will have to do four weeks’ work in their neighbourhood, or be stripped of their payments.Other
measures provide for private firms and voluntary organisations to be
given cash incentives to find work for those on benefit.Single
parents will be expected to find a job when their youngest child reaches
the age of seven, and drug addicts will have to receive treatment as a
condition of claiming benefits.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1036853/Work–lose-handouts-Jobless-pick-litter-earn-benefit.html#ixzz1rLVCtbtkFunny old world of Newer labour, go look at Miliband speech and see how he thinks people should work, the nice man who was disabled, he could be doing something, of course I could as well, but labour pretend get back to work was nothing but a money making racket for Remploy and A4e and Shaw Trust, who took the money but failed to find anyone work.labour Tory the difference is in the colour of the ties, well not any more.Hutton Frankie the bit your legs Field, Purnell and of course the biggest socialist of all time Freud or is that fraud, but the biggest culprits are new labour, and boy somebody gave life support to New labour after Miliband killed it.The Tories are just doing what Labour would have done, will do.
- Alexwilliamz
  
  This is worthwhile work that helps improve the environment, surely therefore it should be paid work. Why can’t we create numerous part time jobs (say 3 days a week) that provide stepping stones into other jobs, and provide the longer term unemployed an opportunity to gain work experience, self respect etc etc.
- smcconnell
  
  Dear god!
  
  You mean actually contributing to society in some fashion in return for the benefits they normally get for sleeping in till noon and going to the odd training course? What a cruel and unjust notion!
  
  Dont they know it is everyones god given right to sit around scratching their bum while some other actual working class idiots work themself to death to provide the taxs that go towards their welfare payments?
  
  And all the while the labour tribalists will ignore it and blather o
  - Trudge74 as alexwilliamz
    
    The exchange of labour for money is a very simple foundation for most economic systems. Why not simply pay people wages for doing these tasks?
    - smcconnell
      
      Its a bit of a six of one, half a dozen of the other. You could just employ the unemployed to fo these jobs but then you would have to get them to give up the benefits to do it anyway but to get them to do that you have to force them so….
  - AlanGiles
    
    Here we go again: The turgid voice of the Daily Mail reader. Everybody who is unemployed stays in bed till noon (have you ever been past a JobCentre before 9 in the morning and see people queuing up? – I have). As for your second paragraph about where they “sratch” – don’t judge everybody down to your own standards. Just because you might do such a thing while composing your rancid little LL messages, doesn’t mean to say everybody does.
    - smcconnell
      
      Hmmm lets see….
      
      There are how many million unemployed currently in the uk? And how many job centres in the uk?
      
      And they all turn up to a job centre every morning at 9am sharp?
      
      That must be a damn big queue!
      - AlanGiles
        
        I think you are either being deliberately obtuse or you have had your brain removed.
        
        If you go past Job Centres at all regularly you will see there are people outside every morning waiting for them to open at 9.00. That is certainly the case in the town I live in, and I can assure you they are not standing there in their pyjamas.
        
        Just another of your ridiculous generalisations and as you haven’t got a sensible answer you just daub another of your childish little jibes instead. Typical.
      - smcconnell
        
        On the contrary your answer is typical of your “i know an illiterate boy who works really had so they must all be really hardworking” drivel.
        
        So what if you turn up to a job centre on a few days of the week for a couple of hours? I turn up to work at 8am every weekday as do most people.
        
        They still have a damn sight more free time and lie ins then someone in full time employment!
        
        If someone worked hard one day a week for a few hours and spent the rest as leisure time would you describe them as hardworking?
      - AlanGiles
        
        Drivel is a very good word to describe your own ramblings.
        
        As for “If someone worked hard one day a week for a few hours and spent the rest as leisure time would you describe them as hardworking?
        
        I suggest that you ask Guy – he is the expert on that. I can only say that I used to work 6 days a week quite regularly (and started slightly earlier than the time you mention), but just because I did, that doesn’t give me the right to expect everyone else to do the same.
        
        You sound as if you have a right chip on your shoulder. I’m sorry if life has not been kind to you, but why not try to lighten up a bit?
http://openpoliticsforum.forumup.co.uk/ Gary Newelluk

I’m a labour voter and I think this is a good idea. I would say that there have been a few sentences handed out recently that could be dealth with by getting people to tidy up litter and clean up graffiti.

I personally think the 56 day prison sentence who made the racist remarks on twitter about Fabrice Muamba was a bit harsh. Yes what he said was abhorrent but he has already been thrown out of university and I think in this case he should have been made to work a community sentence.
- treborc
  
  The big problem right now is simple what everything the Tories do or say labour have to check to see if they have said it or done it before, even to the checking of peoples emails to phone taps to spying on parents to see which schools the family want the kids to go to.
  
  the sad part so far nearly everything the Tories say they would or will do labour has tried it
- Alexwilliamz
  
  I thought it already happened. Hasn’t litter picking been a component of community service in many cases?
Jeff_Harvey

Chain gangs? I believe the correct euphemism is “work experience” in the UK these days isn’t it?
- AlanGiles
  
  Cameron and his chums are determined to take us back to the sixties – the 1860s.
Hamish

What next? Tories eat babies for breakfast?
Mark, you have written some cracking articles recently, but this is not worthy of being served up anonymously under the category News.
derek

The Tories just can’t get anything right, If the boat race was the shape of things to come then the Olympics will be carry on Olympians.
- treborc
  
  I hope not because of the hard work people put in from all countries where they do not get £130,000 to train.
smcconnell

On about raising taxes to maintain this situation because the permanently unemployed are of course a massive part of labours core vote even when the actual working class abandon them because they dont do anything to represent the interests of people who do actually get up and go to work in the morning.
Patricia Shepherd.

Why do all the tory trolls post here,are they too scared to post on their own websites .
As for all the talk of chaingangs,my god,how much more of the USA is cameron going to bring over here,the man is obsessed,if he loves them that much why doesn’t he go and live there,please dear god,just go!!
- GuyM
  
  I’m far happier with more of the US over here than Europe.
- GuyM
  
  I’m far happier with more of the US over here than Europe.
Patricia Shepherd.

Why do all the tory trolls post here,are they too scared to post on their own websites .
As for all the talk of chaingangs,my god,how much more of the USA is cameron going to bring over here,the man is obsessed,if he loves them that much why doesn’t he go and live there,please dear god,just go!!

Latest

Comment
Fairness dictates that we show concern for both sides

By Anne McGuire

We have all been shocked to see the surge in violence between Israel and Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip. This conflict is causing enormous hardship on both sides. Particularly distressing is the sight of civilian casualties. The scale of human suffering in the current escalation is immense and every civilian casualty is a tragedy. The people of Gaza have the right to live in peace and freedom, just as Israelis have the right not to fear for […]
Read more →
News
Are Osborne’s spinners block journalists from asking questions they don’t like?

An intriguing story emerged from a copy of the Express and Star last week, the regional newspaper that covers the West Midlands and Staffordshire. Daniel Wainwright reports that during a recent visit from the Chancellor, a radio journalist said she wanted to ask George Osborne about food banks, and was told that he simply wouldn’t answer it. Here’s the story: “Talking of George Osborne, here’s a little insight into what goes on in the run up to getting an interview. These […]
Read more →
News
Alexander intervenes on Gaza escalation that “shames our shared humanity”

Douglas Alexander, Labour Shadow Foreign Secretary, has made another intervention on the Gaza conflict as the crisis in the Middle East continues to escalate. Alexander condemns the attack on a UN school in Gaza, describing the deaths of children there as “[shaming] our shared humanity”. His latest comments seem to be aimed largely at lobbying Israel to stand down the level of the force, and to recognise that as a democracy with “vastly superior technological and military capabilities, comes particular responsibilities”. […]
Read more →
Comment
Labour changes track – and now it can win

By Anthony Painter

Labour has not generated many headlines this week. There haven’t been game-changers. David Cameron wasn’t trounced in Prime Minister’s Questions. The polls haven’t shifted. The meeting with a post-stardust Obama passed by without significant benefit or incident. Yet, this has been Labour’s best week for some considerable time – certainly in this Parliament. Heading into the final furlong of the election race, Labour has three strategic weaknesses: its perceived weaknesses on leadership, an absence of a strong governing story and a […]
Read more →
News
This is just one of the reasons why the Tories will never do well in the North East

By Mark Ferguson

David Cameron has been on BBC Radio Tees – that’s the radio station for the Middlesbrough area, and the Tees is the name of the river there. Except this happened (via Buzzfeed): Presenter: “You keep mentioning the River Tyne. That’s not our region prime minister. I’m sorry, we are the River Tees.” Cameron: “I’m sorry, I thought I was doing….” Tyneside is of course around 50 miles North of Middlesbrough – it’s home to Newcastle, and Gateshead, and those of us who are […]
Read more →