Is the cockle picker gangmaster's crime worth 14 years?

[Dom Tuk]

He was providing a capitalist service in a capitalist society. He gave them jobs where none were available. Is no one else culpable. The owners of the company got away scotfree. They knew what was happening. Can god not be a judge of his actions?

[sp1814]

Dom Tuk - nope...he was directly responsible for the deaths of 18 people.

God will only he his judge if there is a God...and we can't be sure that there is.

He should've been jailed for the rest of his life.

[mata hari]

He should have been made to pick cockles as the tide came in, with no chance of escape!!

[metagirl]

I assumed it was the owner of the company so was glad that justice had been done - but I guess I was wrong and unfortunately, no it hasn't.

Wasn't the gangmaster's girlfriend also convicted and sentenced? Strange.

[andy-hughes]

Yes, his crime is worth 14 years, but that does not preclude the fact that others equally, or more culpable in this tragredy have walked away from it.

[jay139]

Do you actually think before you write, what drivel. You appear to belive in god, what a lovely christian attidude, glad to be an atheist.

[4getmenot]

Definately worth it. God cant be a judge of every persons actions. and to me its allways the good people that suffer in life. So when has god ever been a judge in anyone actions.

[noxlumos]

Well yes he should have been sent to prison, obviously,although if you are comparing sentences against some others then side by side they may look askew. However, it's a common problem that illegal workers almost always find themselves at the mercy of people who will work them for next to no pay in terrible and dangerous conditions. What makes this able to happen is that these people are desperate for a better life somewhere, are clearly hardworking and yet are reviled and hunted by our community. They are afraid of being discovered and being deported and that's what really killed them, so if you talk about culpability then look no further than our policies on "illegal immigrants". Mea culpa.

[Dom Tuk]

Jay139...are you new to this site....you say what drivel....have you heard of 'tongue in cheek'...no maybe you dont know my views on God and his judgements....

[Gef]

Dom, I think it is totally inappropriate to pose a "tongue in cheek question" about the deaths of 18 people.

[Lonnie]

He, and his accomplices killed eighteen people, not by accident, he should have been hanged.

[jay139]

thanks Gef, in very poor taste.

[Dom Tuk]

Oh so it was Ok to say that god will be the judge when 100,000 people in Iraq have been killed because of the illegal actions of our PM but not when 18 cockle pickers have been killed because of the actions of a gang master and the apathy of his bosses and the government. No one seems to comment about the bosses who hold the licenses for harvesting the cockles. They are greedy ******** who give as less as possible to the gangmaster who gives even lesser to the illegal immigrants. His job is to provide the man power. He will take them cockling one week and then harvesting cabbages/strawberries the other. he will ferry them around the country wherever the rich farmers want labour on the dirt cheap, so that the wealthy farmers can smoke pipes in their pubs and the supermarket giants can sell produce at 1990 prices to you and me. So dont go pious on me and say that it is inappropriate to talk about Blair and his jibes when 18 deaths are involved. Put that in your pipe and smoke it as you cook your roast dinner today. It was like this 400 years ago with slavery and it is like this now in the 21st century. Slavery in a different way.

[4getmenot]

Calm down Dom Tuk, you asked a question in which we gave our replies. Sorry if no-one agreed with you :-)

[Dom Tuk]

Im glad no one agreed with me. It goes to show that what happened with slavery will happen again as it is happening now. After all we want our bananas and sugar cheap. Lets not get too pious about it.

[4getmenot]

Its not the same as slavery. slaves didnt get a choice back then, these people work for their living, they get paid. Slaves back then were forced into things. I never said the owners shouldnt be punished but That gang master is the one that kept them out there when the tide was coming in. and God has nothing to do with it.