Death penalty anyone?

[Phantaxus]

Following yesterdays bombings - isnt it about time we re-introduced the death penalty. Discuss

[kags]

No. Quite apart from the fact that it has been proven not to be a deterrent to "normal" criminals, how can it be any sort of deterrent to those who are prepared to kill themselves in the process of killing and injuring others?

[ARSENAL]

If there were none here in the first place then yesterdays bombings would have had much less chance of happening.  For centuries this county has had to stop invaders from coming in, but now the enemy is here, and it lives among us.  There are too many 'do-gooders'.  It is about time somebody stuck up for our country and put some pride back into it.

[kags]

ARSENAL - if, as has been suggested, the people who caried out yesterday's bombings were British,  where would you have them sent back? You are a sad, deluded person, who's ignorance and bigotry contribute nothing to this debate.

[Dom Tuk]

There is one big problem with your suggestion Arsenal. We have 'the human rights act' enshrined in our laws. We cannot send anyone to a country where they will face torture and death. No judge will sanction that. So those found guilty of past atrocities (including the algerian who stabbed a special branch officer) and those we will find guilty of this carnage in London are here for good. That is ofcourse assuming that the perpetrators are not Bristish nationals.

[jake-the-peg]

You know Phantaxus I think those who carried out yesterdays bombings would be very pleased with themselves if that was the result - don't you?

[don1]

If the death penalty had not been abolished in 1969 to date we would have put more than 100 innocent people to death which would mean that british justice would qualify as one of the biggest serial murderers in world history.

[WaldoMcFroog]

Apart from any other consideration (excellently outlined already), is it not a bit redundant, since at the time of posting, the prevailing thought is that we appear to be dealing with suicide bombers?

[WaldoMcFroog]

By excellent, I should clarify I don't mean Arsenal's response. Hopefully that's obvious, but worth pointing out.

[ARSENAL]

Another couple of do-gooders.  Kags - if it was British people that done, then we would sort it out.  Our people - our problems.  I think we both know that it wasn't thoguh - don't we? 

Dom-Tuk - where was the 'human rights' for all those innocent people yesterday?  They are not much use to them now, are they?  The only people who have rights in this country, are the people that shouldn't even be here. 

[Loosehead]

Yes don but how many innocents die through lack of an effective deterent? Capital punishment deters, in 1960 there where less than 100 murders and they all made the news. Today there are thousands and they have to be particularly brutal to make the news. Granted it's doesn't deter 100% but it does deter. As for the 100 you quote, their convictions where un safe or there was some corners cut in their prosecution, it doesn't mean they're where innocent.

[Dom Tuk]

Arsenal, the humans rights act is here and it is part of the law in this country. there are times when i think that it is a stupid piece of legislation and should never have been introduced in this country and at other times i am thankful for it. Like many I am quite unclear as to its usefulness. I only pointed to you why your suggestion  will not happen as the laws of the land will not allow it.

[ARSENAL]

Ok, Dom Tuk.  I didn't mean to 'have a go' - just very angry about yesterday.  Am very angry full stop about this country  - its gone to the dogs.  There is no 'Great' in Britain any more.

[jno]

ARSENAL, we don't know that it wasn't carried out by British people (such as the one with the shoe bomb a couple of years back). 'British' doesn't mean 'white Christian'. Muslims can be British too and thousands are. The vast majority are law-abiding and hard-working. Why should law-abiding people be sent anywhere?

As for the death penalty - this might prove belated for suicide bombers, or course. For bombers who survive, it would be an attraction, since they expect to ascend to heaven as martyrs and be tended by virgins offering milk and honey, or something along those lines. They'd be better off in jail for a while.

[GracieC]

Of course there's a GREAT left in GREAT BRITAIN - people's reactions to the bombings yesterday showed just that! The majority of the people I saw and spoke to were determined to carry on and not let this beat them. What happened yesterday was digusting and defies belief - I am sickened by it and my reaction initially was that the perpetrators deserve to die. But I have always been against capital punishment and now that I have had time to calm down, I still am. It isn't a deterrent. Full stop. End of. And, as already pointed out on this thread, if we are now dealing with suicide bombers, how will re-introducing capital punishment actually help?

[kags]

ARSENAL - you have absolutely every right to be angry, just make sure your anger is directed at the small number of people that did this, not a large general group of people with no connection to it. Let's all have a peaceful day today.

[Grunty]

No.  I would like to be able to say that we are more civilised than them.  I can't reconcile that with our bombing of, not 37, but thousands of innocent Iraqis on the basis of lies that were known and published long before.

[luckyboy]

Round up every muslim and islamist!!!

But that would be punishing the 99 per cent of innocent decent law abiding muslims many of which also happen to be british citizens, can understand your anger, i share it, but lets just concentrate all our anger on the likes of the extremists like abu hamza and others.

[elgroucho]

No way should it be brought back we'd end up killing innocent people. What if the Guilford 4 and the Birmingham 6 had got the death penalty? They were of course later cleared of the crimes they were supposed to have commited. 

[Dom Tuk]

Grunty, glad you mentioned the atrocities that we committed in the name of international peace. Remember the missile that we rained on a Bhagdad restaurant because some intelligence suggested that Saddam was eating there. Seen the picture, the building was flattened and more than 50 were killed. We bombed and bombed them again. We killed approx 100,000 innocent civilians. All because our PM claimed that they had WMDs. Where is the justice for that. It drives me to tears to know that we innocent people are pawns in this game of international terror, perpretated by governments and terrorists.  As i grieve for the victims of the london carnage, i also say a silent prayer for the thousands of innocent families in Iraq who have been shredded in our name.

[Laura-sakura]

No, the death penalty should never be reintroduced. Criminals should be punished and not given the easy way out (death). We try to live in a civilised society, killing these murderers would make us no better than them.
All my sympathy goes to the families and friends of those killed or hurt yesterday.