7 Days in Prison for £53.71 - Page 2

entwisi · 27-09-2005, 14:02

Apparently she is being released early according to BBC News

Tealeaf · 27-09-2005, 14:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acrylic-bob

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What do members think: Is Sylvia Hardy a heroine who is bravely standing up for downtrodden pensioners, or a silly, stubborn old woman who should pay up and shut up?

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...799327,00.html

The simple fact is that this stupid 'owd trout has broken the law. If she could plead poverty, then possibly I would have some sympathy...but her basic state pension is topped up by her occupational pension so she's on two-seventy quid a week. Not bad, considering she has few neccessary outgoings other than the opera and several holidays a year. (I bet she does'nt go to Accy). So she ain't no downtrodden pensioner.

What does puzzle me is the use of the criminal, as against the civil law, in dealing with cases such as this. It should be a simple matter of sending round the bailiffs & recovering the neccessary assets...in fact, I can see no reason why it sstill can't be done. Would'nt it be nice to see the arrogant bint return from H.M.Prison to see her front door through & a chit from the lads acknowledging pocession of her colour TV and priceless record collection? Lovely stuff.

staggeringman · 27-09-2005, 15:09

could have been a lot worse!what if she had been sent to blackpool for a week?

SPUGGIE J · 27-09-2005, 15:45

This lady had the balls to stand up for what she beleived in and if some thing came of it that benifited all the would we be so quick to condem her? No council could justify some of the rises in council tax especially when they are cutting back and out sourcing work its just a con. At most it should go up with inflation and if councils gave up their madcap ideas and used some fiscal commen sense people would be happy. How much are councilers average rise for their "wage"?

Acrylic-bob · 29-09-2005, 18:51

I was interested to read earlier today that Sylvia Hardy is complaining bitterly that her prison sentence has been ended earlier than intended because some good samaritan paid her arrears. Apparently the warders of the prison where she was confined are dismayed to learn that she intends to continue her protest by refusing to pay the current council tax demand in full. For the short time she was incarcerated she did nothing but complain; about the beds, the pillows, the food, the other inmates. Eventually it was felt necessary to explain to her that she was in prison, not a holiday camp.

Neil · 29-09-2005, 19:34

I disagree with her being released. The prison sentance was for not paying. She did not pay so should do the time. Would the debt have been wiped out after the prison sentance? If so I don't agree with doing time instead of paying, she should still have had have to pay after.

chav1 · 29-09-2005, 20:23

as far as i know you still owe the money when you get out

cashman · 29-09-2005, 21:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neil

I disagree with her being released. The prison sentance was for not paying. She did not pay so should do the time. Would the debt have been wiped out after the prison sentance? If so I don't agree with doing time instead of paying, she should still have had have to pay after.

not to sure about that- once of a day if you got sent to prison for non-payment of fines the fine was quashed on release,if that still applies then debt should be cancelled.

PILKYBUSDRIVER · 29-09-2005, 21:51

She should pay up and shut up.If more people "paid up and shut up" we'd all have to pay alot less.The law is the law and it's people who break the law make the hard working people like me have to pay taxes to keep them in prison.Unfortunately these days the law abiding,hard workers are the victims due to the lazy bone idol scroungers and law breaking idiots.We have to pay for you scum.

garinda · 29-09-2005, 21:57

If as a Republican, I decided to withhold the percentage of my taxes that get paid out via the civil list to the royal family, I wonder if my just imprisonment for breaking the law, would receive the same amount support from the press as this woman's has?

staggeringman · 29-09-2005, 23:46

the stupid owd bat only got released because of her age and the papers/ television coverage let one of the young ones try it and see how long they have to serve?THE BLOODY COUNTRY IS A MESS SIMPLE!

WillowTheWhisp · 30-09-2005, 11:09

Her release was nothing to do with her age. It was because somebody paid the bill and so the reason for imprisoning her no longer existed.

She didn't want to plead poverty because she isn't poor. She was taking a stand on behalf of others less able to do so.

Yes Chav the system we had before "Poll Tax" (Community Charge to give it the proper name) was the rates and every property had a rateable value which was part of the estate agents description when you went to buy a house. It would say "RV such and such" which gave a figure for calculating the rates payable (which depended on the council each year as to how much they needed to rake in in total).

The furore at the Community Charge was that it was levied per individual adult and so you got the situation where some households were paying two or three times what they'd paid under the old rates system.

So we then got Council Tax instead which is a kind of hybrid because it's based on a valuation done on the property (to band it A, B. C etc) but also gives a discount where there is only one adult living in the house.

I don't think the old rates system had a single adult discount so in some ways the Council Tax is possibly fairer but maybe it's time to have a rethink about a local income tax (though quite how it would be administered is beyond me) I think it was one of the altrnative suggestions put forth to oppose the "Poll Tax" but it failed in favour of the Council Tax which is easier to allocate and claim. (I think)

I'm not totally against the Council Tax personally, just think that perhaps it could be less if money wasn't wasted as it so often is.