Death Wish
If I were the Labour leader - Ed Miliband - I wouldn't take his comparison between rioters and looters - and MPs' expenses and 'greedy bankers' too far.
The reason being that MPs who were charged with fiddling their expenses actually went to jail - and were publicly humiliated.
But more to the point they lost their jobs and careers - and in some cases have been rendered unemployable - possibly for the rest of their lives.
In addition MPs had to pay back the money they gained dishonestly and - as far as I'm aware - no one suffered any physical harm or was threatened with violence - as a result of their crimes.
In other words, I think most people will think that justice was seen to be done - even if some folks believe that they should have served more of their sentences in the 'pokey'.
Now the 'greedy bankers' are an even softer target - because they appear to have escaped Scot-free and many have taken their leave of us with bags of 'loot' and giant pensions.
But the truth is that the bankers had to operate inside a system of government regulation and control.
Which broke down completely of course - as the last Labour government followed everyone else over the cliff - whilst preaching prudence and restraint.
Yet the government kept borrowing more and more money - with a general election on the horizon - and deliberately encouraged what we have today - a mountain of public and private debt which is economically unsustainable.
In other words the 'greedy bankers' did not operate inside a vacuum - but within the policies and programme of the government of the day - which happened to include none other Ed Miliband of course.
And to illustrate the high esteem in which the 'greedy bankers' were held - we need look no further than the knighthood awarded to Sir Fred (The Shred) Goodwin - by the Labour Prime Minister of the day - Gordon Brown.
So I would say this is not a good wicket for Ed Miliband and Labour to be batting on - unless they have some kind of death wish.
Because while people can sometimes be daft - generally speaking - they're not stupid.
The reason being that MPs who were charged with fiddling their expenses actually went to jail - and were publicly humiliated.
But more to the point they lost their jobs and careers - and in some cases have been rendered unemployable - possibly for the rest of their lives.
In addition MPs had to pay back the money they gained dishonestly and - as far as I'm aware - no one suffered any physical harm or was threatened with violence - as a result of their crimes.
In other words, I think most people will think that justice was seen to be done - even if some folks believe that they should have served more of their sentences in the 'pokey'.
Now the 'greedy bankers' are an even softer target - because they appear to have escaped Scot-free and many have taken their leave of us with bags of 'loot' and giant pensions.
But the truth is that the bankers had to operate inside a system of government regulation and control.
Which broke down completely of course - as the last Labour government followed everyone else over the cliff - whilst preaching prudence and restraint.
Yet the government kept borrowing more and more money - with a general election on the horizon - and deliberately encouraged what we have today - a mountain of public and private debt which is economically unsustainable.
In other words the 'greedy bankers' did not operate inside a vacuum - but within the policies and programme of the government of the day - which happened to include none other Ed Miliband of course.
And to illustrate the high esteem in which the 'greedy bankers' were held - we need look no further than the knighthood awarded to Sir Fred (The Shred) Goodwin - by the Labour Prime Minister of the day - Gordon Brown.
So I would say this is not a good wicket for Ed Miliband and Labour to be batting on - unless they have some kind of death wish.
Because while people can sometimes be daft - generally speaking - they're not stupid.
