Rape sentencing etc being discussed on PMQs now

Working day for me tomorrow, will send emails then. Am too tired now and they'd be shit.

Sorry for banging on re the arsey KC Twitter supporter. Am gonna ask for post with link to be deleted, b/c I have told myself I wouldn't link MN to anything obviously identifiable in RL and feel I should have stuck to that.

I do think, though, that this sort of shit that KC has come out with has given a LOT of people with questionable views on rape an opportunity to air them in the guise of criticizing the "hysteria" of the media response. And it has made them feel vindicated. That is why I got so pissed off at the Twitter guy; he seemed so fucking smug about it.

Huffed and puffed around the living room a bit and have now emailed the PM and my local MP expressing my anger and calling for Clarke's resignation. Not sure that it will do anything but at least I now feel I have done something. I'm going to chivvy my colleagues at work to do the same.

och never mind, I give up on him. Have had one further, stonewalling reply ("I never said that" to me saying it sounded like he thought there was a spectrum of consent. Have unfollowed him.

In a larger sense, though, I find it is really hard to stop yourself trying to convince people with rational arguments when their opinion is based on things that are not rational ... like thinking that "There are reasons why a particular rape might merit a lower sentence - some about the offence, some the offender" (sample view of that bloke)

Sorry for massive, massive post. I don't mean to keep hijacking threads, I'm really sorry.

What he said was very confusing and muddled, when we have a right to expect a degree of clarity from him on this serious issue. Was he being deliberately confusing eg, suggesting that a few teenage sexual relationships would skew the rape statistics, or is his thinking really that muddled

Ok, the man is obviously stupid/badly misinformed or both. His comments are totally out of order, especially considering his position within the Gov.

So...what can we do?

juggling - there already is. An 18 year old having consensual sex with a 15 year old could be charged with sexual activity with a child under the Sexual Offences Act 2003. Of course if it was non-consensual it would be rape.

Sexual intercourse with a child under the age of 13 is always rape, whether consenting or not. This is what is referred to as "statutory rape", although that's more of a US concept.

Oh, and Ken Clarke is a fucking idiot.

Has he not even botherd to ask Keir Starmer (who I have quite a lot of time for on rape law matters) if he's got his facts right? Or anyone?

I might just email him the other thread.

CH4 news.

Now he is saying that he is absolutely sure and it is right and proper that it is rape if teenagers have sex.

For christs sake.

he hasn't got the first clue what he's talking about has he. he simply does not understand the law or the issues surrounding this at all~.

I think what's angering me even more (if fucking possible) is his cavalier attitude now, this kind of I'm sorry if you had the temerity to take offence at my words which you misinterpreted - I thought only my mother apologised like that.

actually-when the goverment are busy looking at the american system of healthcare to see how they can change ours-they should be looking at the american courts/prison system and change ours instead[of the healthcare]
give the bastards a few hundred years and let the fuckers plea bargain with this instead.
then give them hard time!
over here they get given "get out of jail"cards instead!

i was so angry when i saw this i cried!
wtf-they already get light sentences already[if that]and probebly do half
then a bit more took off.
fuck me-youd get more for stealing a chicken from asdas if this goes ahead!
the next thing will be someone patting the rapist on the back saying"youll be alright mate"-no-wait..........................

[rusty shears emoticon]

Can we agree it's probably all three? :o

Oh god, I am so, so angry about this. After the whole DSK thing, it feels like rape is just like stealing a few sweets or something to so many men

What kind of rape is there where the victim is willing?

swc - don't you think he should know what the law is, given he's the Justice Secretary? This is hardly some esoteric area of the law

What of his claim that average tariffs for rape are reduced by the presence in the figures of 18 yo having consensual sex with 15yo?

it's nonsense.

full transcript for anyone whose blood pressure is up to it.

It's really bad. Like, really really bad. I can't believe he came out with all that. He's the frigging justice minister.

Who the fuck does he think he is? Whoopi Goldberg?

Men who appear to be fuzzy about rape and consent must be either rapists or shit lovers. Definitely time for a webchat. But, of course, politicians are only interested in MN when they want to get elected.

He is wrong about the whole under 16 thing. We explored the SOA and age here

I think Abs started a thread asking for him to be invited.