Percentage points

A work-related post, this one. Oh dear. Shoot me.

There’s been plenty of debate these last few days regarding the latest police pay award. Many members of the public are voicing that the police are getting paid enough anyway and do not deserve a 2.5% let alone a 1.9% increase. Fair enough, I don’t think MP’s are worth consistently above-inflation pay rises either. We're all entitled to our views.

But a lot of people seem to be missing the point in this debate.

The issue that officers are so pissed about is not the award of 2.5% or 1.9% as such. It’s the fact that our pay award was due in October. The Home Office decided to drag out the pay negotiations until December, and then decided in its generosity not to back-date the pay-award to when it was due in October. Hence the 2.5% recommended by an independent pay tribunal, and initially agreed upon by the Home Officer, becomes 1.9%. Three months working for less that you were due. Any employee would be annoyed at that.

It’s the Home Office saying one thing, and doing something completely different.

I bet Jacqui Smith’s official Christmas letter, sent out to all police stations, will be on many a station dartboard.

As to whether we should strike, or have the right to? That’s a different debate entirely…

With rights go responsobility

...And if you murder a fellow human being, you should damn well expect to loose some of your 'human rights'.

I am absolutely gobsmacked that the lawyers for the killer of headteacher Philip Lawrence have sucessfully argued that he should not be deported from Britain upon his release next year.

Rehabilitation is an important cornerstone of our justice system. But whatever your age, if you are an imigrant to this country then if you comitt murder, you should expect to be on a flight out of here.

Anything less is an insult to the victim and those who mourn for them.