Right and here we go
telegraph
Can Ken Clarke survive after suggesting that some rapes are 'serious' and others are not?
By James Kirkup Politics Last updated: May 18th, 2011
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This is horrible, just horrible.
Kenneth Clarke, the Justice Secretary, has been on Radio FiveLive and Sky News this morning, talking about Coalition plans to cut sentences for those who admit to rape.
If possible, let?s leave aside the policy debate here and look at Mr Clarke?s language. In both of his interviews, he was at pains to distinguish between types of rape, including ?serious rape? and other types.
In essence, Mr Clarke said that rape in the ?ordinary conversational? sense is different to what he appeared to suggest were milder forms of the crime, including ?date rape and 17 year-olds having intercourse?.
Mr Clarke said:
Serious rape, I don?t think many judges give five years for a forcible rape, frankly, the tariff is longer for that and a serious rape where there?s violence and an unwilling woman, the tariff?s much longer than that.
Victoria Darbyshire of FiveLive challenged him on that, saying: ?Rape is rape?.
Mr Clarke replied: ?No, it?s not.?
Later, on Sky News, Mr Clarke went on to draw his distinction again, using terms like ?proper rape? and even ?classic rape?.
To describe this as incendiary is probably an understatement. Mr Clarke is famously robust, but can any political career survive suggesting that some rapes are ?serious? and ? by implication ? some are not?
FUCKING FUCKING HELL AND THIS MAN IS IN CHARGE OF JUSTICE.