WHAT is it about the job of Children’s Commissioner that attracts fruit-loops and numpties who seem to think their main job in life is to faff over child criminals?
First we had Al Aynsley-Green, whose main obsession appeared to be with the Mosquito device, which stops kids hanging outside shops.
Now we have Dr Maggie Atkinson, who may have a PhD but possesses the sensitivity of a 10-ton elephant for describing the death of James Bulger as “unpleasant” and calling for children like his killers to be exempt from proper trials.
With folk like these two looking out for our youngsters, no wonder Britain’s kids have never had it so bad.
For starters, Dr Maggie is childless (and whose idea was it to appoint a children’s commissioner who doesn’t have any children?) and therefore will never be in the position of James’ mum, Denise Fergus, and suffer the murder of their child.
She’s apologised to Denise via a letter but the current problem over the Bulger killing isn’t anything to do with putting 10-year-olds on trial but, rather, what is going to be done with a 27-year-old man who has broken the conditions of his parole by allegedly possessing child porn.
If Dr Maggie really cared about our kids, shouldn’t she be imploring Gordon Brown to ban mephedrone, the legal “high” which claimed two young lives this week?
Why didn’t she use last week’s Times interview to stick up for Britain’s forgotten army of young carers, whose childhoods have vanished through no fault of their own?
If young carers don’t float Maggie’s boat, then what about the young people in care who are turfed out at the age of 18 and told “That’s your lot, mate”?.
Given that a vast proportion of these children become the criminals she’s so keen to pander to, you’d think she’d want to start a crusade to rectify the situation. But no.
Issues such as young carers, children in care and bullying and abuse are the real problems that blight young lives.
The only thing I can think is that Maggie and Al and all the rest believe that spouting off about how we should be nicer to child crims somehow makes them better, superior people.
Well, it doesn’t. And in future, when the post of Children’s Commissioner comes up again, please can it go to the one woman who truly has made child welfare her life’s work – the brilliant and compassionate Esther Rantzen.
A BLOKE called Chris Jarvis reportedly intends to sue the Jobcentre in Southend for discriminating against him for wearing a hood.
He says he’s a Jedi Knight and: “I want to wear my hood up and I have got a religion which allows me to do this.”
Instead of slapping Mr Jarvis and telling him to get a job, Jobcentre manager Wendy Flewers has written, apologising and explaining that she has spoken to the member of staff and: “It was not their intention to offend your beliefs.”
When people write about political correctness going mad, this is what they are talking about. And may the farce be with you.
PS: Any ‘Jedi knights’ reading this please do get in touch. I’d love to interview you…if you’re man enough!
