Sbradley

The Aussie justice thread got me thinking.

Let's assume that you have successfully managed a bloodless coup and are now running the country.

What five things would you implement? They could be to make things better for the country or just for you and your cronies. But they need to be at least vaguely feasible. Reasons would be interesting as well.

Here are some of mine:

Lawyers. Dispense with their services in courts. Judges to be appointed by my Minister of Justice, juries selected as at present. Prosecution case presented by the police officer running the investigation, defendent represents themselves. Juries rule on what is right and fair, not on technicalities.
Civil cases are judged by a three person panel, drawn from a pool of business and community figures. Judging is like jury service - it's mandatory. Both parties represent themselves and argue their own cases.
The only appeal in either type of case is to me, and I reserve the right to overturn anything and/or to change the tariff/fine as I see fit. There is no further appeal.
Anyone found to be wasting the time of the court with spurious or malicious claims will be dealt with in the way favoured among dictatorships since time immemorial.
Capital cases will all be referred to me for clemency. There will need to be a bloody good reason for this to be granted.

Investment/economy. There are things that need investment and public spending. As public spending is now all coming out of my pocket. I'll decide what it is. There is no appeal. Defence, policing, education and health are all likely to smiled upon. Other things will be considered on their individual merits, mainly how they contribute to the well-being of the country or community as a whole, not to a small segment thereof. Culture and the arts will continue to receive support though that's more likely to be through private investment and lottery funding than directly from the state.

The press/media. Now no good dictatorship allows a free press. Apart from this one. The press will remain absolutely free to criticise and comment as they see fit. They need to be able to justify and prove anything they say and the sudden, tragic demise of the legal profession will mean that anyone will be able to mount a legal challenge to any story printed. So the press will be free but completely accountable. Ultimately they will be accountable to me. There will be no appeal should I decide they have acted inappropriately.

Accountability. Someone in public office is crap at their job? Complain. It will be heard by the same civil panels who hear normal cases, and if upheld the person will be fired. They may appeal directly to me only and my decision is final and irrevocable. Anyone found and proved to be taking a bung will be shot. Oddly enough there will be no appeal.

Immigration. Well, this is Scoobynet so I could hardly leave it off, could I? Immigration is a Good Thing generally and we will continue to welcome the managed influx of people from other cultures. They will be expected to swear allegiance to the UK on whatever holy book or other symbol is appropriate to them. They will be expected to integrate. While freedom of religious expression will continue, this will not be at the expense of our own culture. Religious schools will be banned though the teaching of RE to children will remain mandatory. ALL religions must be covered equally to enable children to understand what makes their neighbours tick.
Any 1st generation immigrant, regardless of skin colour or origin or what awaits them in their mother country will be deported immediately on conviction of any criminal offence. People born here to nationalised parents will have the same rights as anyone else and will be subject to the same laws.
Illegal immigrants will be deported immediately.
Of course, it is possible that immigration will tail off as people prove reluctant to leave one despotic dictatorship for another...

Over to you lot, then

SB

Brendan Hughes

I don't like your starting premise. If I gained power happily it would be by vapourising 30% of the UK population

Sbradley

Yeah, well in truth I probably would as well. After all, you can't remain a dictator for long if the population isn't sh*t scared of upsetting you, right?

But the opener allows everyone to contribute without feeling bad...

SB

OllyK

Not sure about your legal reworking. That means the best orator / debator will most likely win and not the "right" person. At least with slimeball lawyers they are reasonably matched in this area and work within a framework.

For me?

1) Ban religion
2) Unless you have a severe disability you must be able to communicate in English to reside in this country.
3) Get tough on crime, if we have more criminals, we build more prisons. Prison should be a punishment not a holiday camp, hard labour all the way. Life will mean Life.
4) Set top voting box in every home - the public propose the things to be debated in the commons and then vote based on the arguments made. MP's represent their constituency and not a party.
5) More bank holidays

Brendan Hughes

I'd feel awful. What a waste of a revolution!

warrenm2

Wow thats a radical overhaul. Instead of one person deciding how to spend the money (lets call him a Chancellor), youre going to change that to..... you deciding how to spend all the money. All with no appeal. Pretty heavy stuff that! Arts funded by lottery money. Thats a good idea!

WRXPete

Can only agree on the stance on law....building more prisons and actually imprisoning people for maximum terms will cost less than the continued waste of court time and policing it all. If you can get 5 years for theft then give them 5 years, even if all they nicked was a pork pie...who the heck is going to risk that???

Brendan Hughes

Or even deport them to the South Pacific!



Oh, hang on a sec....

Sbradley

Warren, the idea was that you make suggestions, not pick holes in mine! :P

We're supposed to be being revolutionary here, after all...



SB

NotoriousREV

If I got into power I'd make Saddam Hussein look like a saint. I'm watching all of you. Some of you are on my list to be "disappeared".

OllyK

I tend to find the list of people to keep is easier to maintain

Leslie

They all sound just like any old common or garden dictatorship, especially the bit about vapourising all those who might not agree. All dictators seem to put a high priority on that of course.

Bit like what is already in store for us at the moment anyway!

Only to save us from terrorism of course.

Les

Sbradley

So Les, I genuinely respect your opinions. What would you do?

SB

GC8

Of course; come the revolution, the first thing that happens, is that all fo the revolutionaries are hanged.....

fast bloke

Sorry SB - I think your dictatorship is a bit on the libdem side of things.

My implementations -

Law and order - follow the ten commandments - failure to do so will result in immediate execution - who says I can't be judge, jury and executioner - I'm in charge - remember? (I'll let you off with the religious ones, but no killing or stealing.... coveting your neighbours *** will be acceptable.... but only if she has a cute *** and isn't spoken for)

Investment/economy - you will work 40 hours a week for me. In return you will be fed, watered and kept in reasonably good health. Thats it.......All of it. As I will be the only person using the roads (cos you lot wont have cars) the planet will be saved from 'global warming' - It isn't that I want the roads to myself, I am only doing it for your own good.

Press/Media - they can print whatever the fek they like. After all, they wont make any money from it (see economy) and no-one will suffer financially, so they will quickly get bored

Accountability - as I said, everyone works for ME and will be accountable to ME. See rules for law and order and economics for clarification.

Immigration - You have got to be kidding - see rules 1-4 for clarification

fast bloke

Hmmmm - investment/economy bit of thet sounds vaguely familiar? TRy it with a scottish accent and take big breaths as you sprek

Leslie

I would really like to change attitudes in this country away from our present acquisitive and selfish way of thinking to where people had enough pride in their own character to think of others, often with more priority then for themselves.

It seems to be regarded as a sign of weakness now to demonstrate good manners and a friendly attitude to strangers, or to be prepared to help someone else out of a difficult situation or even to admit to or genuinely apologise for your mistakes.

There will doubtless be those who will run all that down and say it is all old fashioned "pie in the sky" but you might be very surprised how pleasant it is to live in a world with those particular sets of values.

I have the unpleasant feeling that things have gone too far to easily reverse the headlong rush to anarchistic behaviour that is so apparent these days especially since it all seems to be part of the grand design for our future. We need a very strong leader to take hold of the situation before all is lost. I often fear for when old age arrives and foresee us having to have high walls and locked gates around our property purely for our own protection.

Les

CLSII

I'd keep it simple.

Three thefts 10 years in prison
Three Burglaries 15 years in prison
Three assaults 5 years in prison
Three serious assaults 20 years in prison
One Murder Life in prison
One manslaughter 20 years


Time added on for bad behaviour rather than taken off for good behaviour,,,,,,