Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announced last month that men would be committing a crime if they paid for sex with a woman who has been trafficked into the UK or is working for a pimp, even if they did not know she had been forced into prostitution.
How did we end up with someone so blitheringly stupid in a position to write laws for us?
There is no connection between working for a pimp and being forced into prostitution. Toms and their pimps are in an economic relationship and like all voluntary such they benefit both sides. The evidence is here.
Please, can we at some point return to being governed by grown ups?
I particularly like the underlying, yet unstated, theme of “we’ve failed to enforce immigration laws tightly enough, and traffickers operate with impunity”, followed up with a cherry on top of “so we’ll fine you instead to top up the coffers”
Each new law that has been created recently is usually because of a failure to enforce the previous batch properly.
Next week: “we can’t catch all speeding drivers, so let’s fine pedestrians who see a car speeding but don’t report it.”
I don’t think the concept of ignorance of a law really bothers this government.
Thinks…
1. Man will be prosecuted for using a pimped / trafficked prostitute.
2. Above can only be possible if plod know that said girl is pimped / trafficked.
3. If plod know…
3a. Why no arrests etc?
or
3b. Are they, by their inaction, guilty of entrapment or conspiracy thereto?
Reading the post four down from this, one has to wonder just how out of touch Ms Smith is with the rest of the women in Great Britain.
She’s given white working girls, with local accents, a tremendous edge though. They will be able to charge more, because they obviously haven’t been trafficked from abroad. They will be a much safer bet for the punters.
I don’t think even ignorance of their ignorance is embarassing for this government.
Different opinions, y’know…