Don't You Wish More Mps Had The Guts Of Rory Stewart?

[ladybirder]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6070213/Prisons-minister-vows-QUIT-crackdown-drugs-violence-fails.html

Not sure this should be in News but no idea where else to put it.
I've long admired him. He's putting his job on the line here and I really hope he succeeds.

[cassa333]

Well at least he has set his store and is making an effort.

Mind you as an aside he does look like a spitting image puppet of himself!!

[jourdain2]

Yes, that's honesty.

[Gromit]

So basically he is saying all his predecessors were ***.
I think he will finf that the task he has undertaken is not as easy as he is assuming.
Not a great deal will change as far as drugs getting to inmates is concerned,but he will not resign in 12 months (or be sacked).

[ladybirder]

I think you are under-estimating him Gromit. He comes across to me as a man of honesty and integrity. They are a rare breed but there are a few.

But I could be wrong. We'll see this time next year.

[THECORBYLOON]

Drugs and violence have been highlighted but he is focusing on the violence. Even then he is vague as to what reduction would be considered a success. He was asked if a 10% or 25% reduction in assaults would be a success and he replied, "something of that sort."

No mention of a target for drugs and some unknown figure between 10% and 25% so that gives a lot of wriggle room.

It's all well and good saying he will resign if the new measures are not a success but pointless if there is no figure to aim for.

[jim360]

It depends on what he defines as "working". The cynic in me would say that he might be banking on ambiguities over the definition of "working" so that he can always stay in his job no matter what happens.

But if he's serious about this pledge then I'd hope he has a realistic target in mind that would allow him to continue in the job if there had been a difference made. No idea what that target is but if it's reasonable then best of luck to him.

[naomi24]

I admire anyone who has the courage to put his money where his mouth is. Good for him.

[ladybirder]

It's not due to start until the end of this year according to the report in my link so we might learn more in the coming months. If we get any reduction across all 10 prisons after 12 months that has to be a start.
We'll see.

[Gromit]

I have just read his Wikipedia entry, and it is all very impressive. I confess I had never heard of him. Perhaps my initial cynicism was misplaced.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rory_Stewart

[ladybirder]

Bless you Gromit and thank you for taking the trouble to do that.
A friend and I have been big fans of his from before he became a Conservative MP. My friend being a staunch Labour supporter was rather disappointed about that especially as Rory had been a Labour supporter in his youth.
Oh well, the proof of the pudding is in the eating so we'll see but I'd love to see him succeed.

[THECORBYLOON]

As far as I know, he's not specified what success will be.

[ladybirder]

TCL, as I said, according to the link it doesn't start until end of this year so we may get more information by then. Any improvement has to be good and as he says would be just the start.

[THECORBYLOON]

He said he'll resign in twelve months' time if the scheme isn't a success so he has until August next year to decide.

Although any reduction in violence is good, it needs to be measured against the time and money invested in the scheme.

Figures of 10% and 25% reductions have been mentioned but who's to say he won't be looking at 5% in a few months' time?

[baza]

I hope he can do it, makes a change from the usual political clap trap.

[Gromit]

Well, Rory Stewart has just taken back control of HMP Birmingham from private contractor G4S, after a damning report.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/aug/20/moj-seizes-control-of-birmingham-prison-from-g4s

So perhaps Stewart IS the real deal.

[Jackdaw33]

A very impressive CV indeed. Potential party leader/PM?

[ladybirder]

Your link makes grim reading Gromit. I don't envy RS his job at all.
We will keep an eye on him JD. Early days but who knows. I certainly wish him well.

[ichkeria]

How are G4S still allowed anywhere near public contracts?
Yes Stewart is one of the good guys: I hope he won’t take his threat too literally

[THECORBYLOON]

"Inspectors found that out of the 70 recommendations made at the previous inspection[18 months ago] - just 14 had been achieved while none of the main recommendations concerning violence, staff-prisoner relationships, poor regimes and a lack of focus on education, training and work had been met."

Rory Stewart became the prisons Minister in January. Why has it taken an unannouced visit eight months later for the shambles to be addressed?

[jno]

G4S profits rose 30% last year

https://www.ft.com/content/8762f35e-229e-11e8-add1-0e8958b189ea

(I hope that's visible)

I share ichkeria's astonishment.

Good luck to Stewart, but we'll have to see what his targets are and how well he achieves them. If he'd consider a 10% drop in violence as sufficient to keep his job, I'd say he's setting the bar remarkably low.