That Mirror article
The Daily Mirror used excerpts from my post "Knife knowing you" to create a critical article about me.
I was quoted out of context and my views were misrepresented. This misperception has caused offence that was not my intention to give. A post that criticised knife crime and called for tougher sentencing against offenders was twisted round to suggest I advocated knife use. Knives are tools that can be put to many uses, some good, some bad. The problem lies in the people that use them, they are the moral agents. The more we treat knives as the decisive factor and not the consciences of those that wield them, the greater our problems will become.
As far as the videos of fights go (since removed due to privacy concerns), both showed individuals acting in self-defence against the aggression of others, neither featured weapons. I wholeheartedly support an individual's right to act in defence of themselves, their loved ones and their property, but I feel that most politicians merely pay this right lip service rather than give it the support it needs. This political weakness only empowers criminals. However, I would never advocate violence as anything but a last resort and any such remarks that suggest otherwise were facetious.
26 comments:
After reading the artical in the Daily Mirror I am horrified by your comments and you had my vote but will never get it again. You have a lot of learning to do you are a teacher god help us.
I'm sorry to hear that. Please read the previous post in full, not just the selective quotation that the Mirror used. They have made my words tell a different story from what I intended.
See, if they had said "Lib Dem ex-Councillor says knives are cool" it just would not have worked! I would say well done! At least you go through the mill for nationwide publicity on the issue, unlike me and Labour election leaflets!
Ha ha, Jock. I actually thought of your situation when this happened.
forget kong fu panda you are kong fu councillor you rock mate your cool
It doesn't surprise me that some national newspaper has skewed what you said. They shouldn't be allowed to do this, but they have done it before and will do it again. Just try to sit this one out - people will be talking about something else next week and I, for one, have plenty of faith in you as a councillor. The Labour councillors will gloat over this for now as it simply diverts attention away from their inadequacy. Just let it blow over, Phil.
I am sad to see that such a serious
subject can be made light of.
Our young people need ccommitment from us all that it is never acceptable to carry any weapon on the street.If you read our website www.mamaa.org you may understand why we are Zealots.
I am sorry if by trying to make this country safer for ALL our children i forced you into calling me names when you do not even know me
I did not intend my message above to be Anonymous.I am the Shrill Zealot LYN COSTELLO from www.mamaa.org
I think you should find the journo who did this and shank him.
(For those of a zealous persuasion, this was a joke. You might want to get a bit less up yourself some time.
Carrying any tool, even a firearm, is entirely harmless in and of itself. It's tragic that people think that banning will solve anything. Banning handguns has not led to any decrease in the number of gun crimes, so how will banning the carrying of knives change anything? Do you really think that criminals will stop carrying knives because it's banned?
Philip, good luck to you.)
It's been a slow day, what the hell...
PS Trixy is mine, all mine, d'you hear?
Lyn, you called me an idiot and brainless so we are both guilty of ad hominem attacks. I think the majority of modern social problems can be traced to the detachment of the individual and their responsibility for their actions. We blame the knives, the guns, the booze, the drugs and ignore that behind all of these lies a person that chooses. There is an evil to those that commit knife crimes, but not to the knives - they're just sharp shards of metal. I think we are actually looking for the same thing here, a country where people don't stab each other, we just differ in how we look to achieve that. I shouldn't have been so cavalier in my language and for that I apologise but I do ask you to recognise that I want safer streets, just as you do.
Anyway, I'd have thought in Pomfret the kids need their knives for skinning rabbits for supper don't they?
Chin up, mine was much worse - mine was solely an ode to the various knives I owned as an eleven year old! :)
Cheers to Jock for the link to this. Real shame to see your account butchered, I'm suitably disgusted by how those in the media, and those like the MAMAA knee-jerkers, simply cannot allow people to express that people are the problem when it comes to crime. Perhaps it's too daunting to think that the solution to crime isn't as simple as simply stopping people from doing a certain thing, such as buying a knife.
i voted for you,
and now I'm very disappointed that I did. Knives are not to be messed with in any way shape or form. You a teacher of young children and a councillor, tut tut,and it appears that you seem to be making jokes with other blogger's.To call a lady whom appears very passionate about a cause she believes in very much is something you're concious will have to deal with, and as i am sure you will now be very careful in what you say, as people have feelings and shouldn't be taken lightly.
yeah i second you anonymous
It appears to me that you are indeed a very clever man so you should be commended for duping the people who voted you, things seem to be working out for you and, you are coming out of this with followers. "Proud" you shouldn't be.
Can you tell from server logs whether these anonymous commenters have actually read the "offending article"? Let's turn the "surveillance blog" onto them...:) I fail utterly to see how someone presented with the whole context of what you wrote could find it objectionable in any way. Can people really not see that it's not banning *things*, but being tough on when people abuse those freedoms that matters?
It would be like saying "because we have several incidents of arson every year we will ban fire, after all, who needs fire when we've got electricity to heat our homes?"
Don't let those of uncertain birth grind you down, Cllr Thomas. If the Daily Mirror, the Labour Party and Mothers against Reality are against you, it's a good indicator that you're right.
Anyone of good sense can see that a knife is just a tool. I myself carry a Swiss Army knife, and I've got a kitchen draw full of hardware that would do Jack the Ripper proud - none of it will ever be used to harm anyone. It's a bit of a mystery to me how the media has managed to whip up such a moral panic about one of mankind's oldest (and most useful) tools, but we need more politicians like you willing to treat the voters like responsible adults.
Have a cookie for the smartest thing I've read all day Philip (admittedly, I have only read the Metro and a couple of emails so far).
Knives are not the problem. In the past 60 years, various governments have banned many types of bladed articles, restricted the carry of virtually every other type of knife, and increased the sentences for those who break these laws. And what have we seen? Only more violent crime, more knife crime and more murders.
The vast majority of knives are of course tools, not weapons. Like any tool, a knife can be employed to perform illegitimate actions such as murder, as well as peaceful, legitimate ones - many people each year are stabbed with screwdrivers, beaten with bats, and attacked with hammers. Indeed, we can only hope that violent criminals continue to use knives as knives actually make quite poor weapons in comparison to impact tools such as bats, hammers and truncheons.
There are numerous factors which have lead to our current problem with violent crime; many causes I could list, but one thing that has certainly allowed this crime to take place is the disarming of a nation. Humans are moderately sized omnivores, lacking sharp teeth or claws - we are a species reliant upon our use of tools, whether it be to eat, to build things, to travel, to heal ourselves, or indeed to defend ourselves. Criminals, law breakers by definition, continue to carry and use weapons - as they always will. Law abiding citizens, however, have been rendered defenceless, as helpless in the face of a gang of young men or a knife wielding thug as a squalling child. We have no batons, no pepper spray, no tasers, no firearms, nothing with which to defend ourselves. Not even knives, as poor a choice as they are (though better than nothing). Criminals have a superiority of force that gives those who are strong, those who operate in groups, and those who arm themselves the ability to prey upon others with near impunity. The causes of crime must of course be addressed, and I could write for hours on the subject, but what must also be done is to allow the law abiding of this country to defend themselves once more, not to imprison those who carry pocket knives without violent intent.
Why not write an artical that goes ! CARS ARE COOL !then see how many people would call for your head, After all a car is a lethel wepon more dangerous then any knife, or gun. Like Mr coats said banning things is not the answer. The very best of luck to you Philip.
Well said councillor Thomas, it's about time somebody stood up to the *SHRILL IDIOTS* like Lyn Costello.If these people were serious about crime they would be agitating forthe Police to be more active in solving crime instead of pandering to victims families, criminals to face long prison sentences instead of having plays and books censored and allowing ordinary decent people to arm themselves with the best self defence tools available, ie, guns instead of calling for a blanket ban on guns so only the criminals are armed.
Still, Costello is simply another idiot in the mold of Pat Regan about whom I have blogged about here http://caligulaspalace.wordpress.
com/2008/06/04/idiot-who-wants-pe
ople-to-be-defenseless-against-vi
olence-gets-killed/
Philip,
You have made the "mistake" of uttering a blasphemy against the Great Religion of Unthinking.
When was the last time a knife went out on its own and stabbed someone? I can tell you - never. People kill people. Period. Possession of a knife per se should never be a crime, for how many people carrying one for practical purposes are committing a crime in truth? None. Using one aggressively most certainly is. The law should reflect that. Right now the law has been bastardised to presume guilt. We need a restoration to Common Law principles.
Many of the problems we face and erosions on our rights and English Common Law system are down to the infestation of government by "shrill idiots" and their irrational thought processes. The rot has been going on for decades.
They want to "prevent". They want to "ban" and control. They try and fix symptoms, not cure diseases.
p.s. why are you in the Conservative Party. Surely you would be happier in the Libertarian Party? (www.lpuk.org)
how dare you people say that he is irresponsible and that he shouldn't be allowed to teach young children.
I happen to be a pupil at the school Dr Thomas teaches at and well I think the world of him in terms of respect and his moral values. You people who turn against him saying he should say such things are scared of looking at our community and country in the true way it is, you prefer to pussyfoot around and see the prettier side where objects(knives) are blamed for everything. When in reality the people behind them are the only cause. Labour councillors tell you more of what you want to hear and soften it all up, but the only reason they brought this whole situation to light is becuase they are scared of Dr Thomas, he has taking a seat from an area which has been upheld by labour as the main contender since I can and my parents can remember and he is their threat.
You people miss the real thing here, you're so quick to jump on the band wagon of some stupid media reporter who helps labour to contort Dr Thomas' words. You only do this as you fear change and Dr Thomas brings that as he views are new to the lighthearted rubbish of the typical councillor (labour). When in reality you should save your words of malice and abuse at his views and go sort the problem out yourself if you think your so much better. Unlike you Dr Thomas actually wants to sort out this society to make it a place we dont live in fear within, instead of sitting back and making accusations like you all. You people seem to regard him as the sole problem and cause of knife crime now it seems, as you like to play the blame game, don't you?
If you judge this man, who's views you have not entirely investigated and know only media twisted snips of, I suggest you think about your own morals before someone elses.
I have the up most respect for Dr Thomas as; my teacher, a councillor and what I regard to be much more important... a person.
This story just goes further to show how this labour government has created a country unable to think for itself, so afraid are they of the condemnation of the interfering busy bodies have taken control. The fact that members of MAMAA have such high powered advisory positions to the government and the police force is a sorry fact indeed.
Philip - continue to fight against the non-thinking elements in this country who believe that inanimate objects are responsible for harm and not the people behind them; and who themselves are to blame for many of the ills we see around us because of their inactivity and general intellectual laziness. They should take a leaf from yours and other thinking libertarians' books and start to pay more attention to things generally. Keep chipping on and good luck with your council work and teaching - I'm sure you don't plan to use your machetes or meat cleaver on any of your constituents or the kids :D ?
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