Release this poor old man and stop being vindictive and mean spirited.

yeah I thought that too, Jonathan.

were you in Bellmarsh with him? the husband of a friend of mine was there at the same time as Biggs- she got chatting to him there and said he was very sweet.

Like in VP, this is all about not wanting to be seen as "loony lefties".

JK2006 wrote:
Release this poor old man and stop being vindictive and mean spirited.

and how about releasing that other "poor old man" Ian Brady ?


Yes release Biggs and then deport him back to Brazil where he chose to live for all those years. This country owes him nothing

mikemacca wrote:
JK2006 wrote:
Release this poor old man and stop being vindictive and mean spirited.

and how about releasing that other "poor old man" Ian Brady ?


Yes release Biggs and then deport him back to Brazil where he chose to live for all those years. This country owes him nothing

Mike,Ronnie was a bit part player on the train.You could hardly compare the two crimes.He never did any more than a small part of a robbery,and then escape.
He also came back to serve his time,and is now eligable,and dying.
Forgiveness,to a point is a very noble act,spitefulness is not.

Let the poor man out for god's sake. He was a bad man, granted, but now he has served 10 years (most murderers probably don't serve that). He is no threat to anyone, he is been fed via a tube for gods sake. I suppose this is part of new labours 'tough on crime' stance. Let the young chavs off with community service for multiple robberies and then them let them continue to do endless more robberies, whilst a frail 80 year old man suffers in the clink.

IA, as usual you temper your words with compassion. However, why "up to a point"? In my view very few people are irretrievably evil. Forgiveness -if deserved - should be the norm not the exception. And who's to say where your "point" should be drawn?

He's dying in a hospital bed, guarded by two prison officers. They must think he's dangerous and an escape risk. Absolutely incredible! He's not going to jump out of bed, grab a machine gun and go crashing through a hospital window and leap to the ground like Bruce Willis and shout "Welcome to the party, pal!" as he mows down anybody who gets in his way. He should be released at once!

He shown no remorse for his crime. Lets not forget that the "little tap" the unfortunate train driver received, led to his death.

Petty, spiteful, mean-spirited and vindictive.

Ronnie needs a champion like Joanna Lumley who can plead his case - a seventy-nine year old man who has just broken his hip. Obviously he is a major threat to this fragile society that we live in.

part of the concept of law is that mercy must play a part.

This is a populous decision.It's political. It's for the public to perceive Straw as being tough..it's undemocratic because Biggs is eligble for release as others would be in the same situation but Straw has singly made a decision to 'look tough'.

Straw's claim that Biggs hasn't shown remorse punishes him twice.

When the judge sentenced Biggs there was no mention of 'remorse' as part of that sentence.

Straw is a disgusting populist politician who should be in the dock along with his cohorts as a war criminal. He is responsible along with Blair and Co for the murder of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis.

For Straw to speak of 'remorse' show the insanity of the modern political world that has learnt nothing since WW2.

You cant release Ronnie Biggs. After all hes not a bomber or a violent sex offender. In the meantime hes under armed guard in a hospital. I hear there are two coppers by his bedside at all times (must be at least half a dozen coppers). I am really pleased to know that taxpayers money is being used so wisely protecting the public from this threat to society. Remember this next time the Police say they are undermanned. The message here is Crime Doesnt Pay except of course you are a Member of Parliament. Oh yes, didnt they send that notorious mass murderer Augusto Pinochet home on the grounds of ill health? If this applies to rancid old dictators then it should apply to Ronnie Biggs.

I absolutely adore this "remorse" argument, now used as a serious reason to keep a man locked up at all our expense (mind you, politicians waste most of our money anyway and show no remorse about that).

Remorse, when shown by the bankers, was hissed and booed.

The trick is - complain when people show no remorse and then sneer when they do.

It reflects the deep rooted nastiness emerging in the human race; inflated by the tabloids who think the best way to appeal to the masses is to be equally nasty and mean spirited.

Set up a parole board at huge public expense and then ignore their findings.

The straw man is made of shit.

Ronnie Biggs son Michael, speaking on the BBC's "Today" programme this morning, said that his father expressed regret for the crime in his 1997 autobiography. So that should be enough.

He can't express remorse now, because, due to a series of strokes that have incapacitated him, he can't speak or write anymore.

Ronnie Biggs evaded the British authorities for many years. He's not being kept in prison because of his crime; he's being kept there out of revenge. It's a decision based on pure spite, and totally unacceptable in civilsed society.

I wonder if Jack Straw would be willing to show some 'remorse' for his membership of the Communist Party of Great Britain, at a time when fellow Communist parties in Eastern Europe were persecuting and killing thousands of people.

Straw's past, in the 60s and early 70s, is pretty dubious- I'd argue it's far more dangerous to our society than a bit-part player in The Great Train Robbery who is now a frail old man who couldn't hurt anyone even if he wanted to.

I think what I hate most, like the Iraqui invasion and mass murders, is it is done IN OUR NAME.

I think it is about time Biggs was released, however the British Government want their pound of flesh as usual.
Biggs spent many years in Brazil, living the high life and effectively laughing at the British Police and justice system knowing there was nothing they could do to bring him back to the UK.

They even kidnapped him and brought him back here but had to return him as we have no extradition treaty set up with Brazil.
So I think Straws decision is more about getting revenge and making an example of this man than anything else.

JK2006 wrote:

The straw man is made of shit.

I guess he was extra tough on his drug-dealing son too

was his son jailed for dealing drugs ?

I never followed the story - most MPs families seem to be working in the Criminal Underworld with the Police - so it is outside of the people that I hang out with who are musicians - creative types - people who believe in God - people who love other people.

Generally speaking you hang out with people whom you are like or you like.

It is not a coincidence for instance that Cherie Blair is a criminal lawyer and her friends have included confidence tricksters etc.

In addition the Madoffs and Blacks of this world who are now in prison for hefty sentences were big friends of the MPs and Government ministers of both sides.

We are ruled by a very corrupt elite - who have become deeper and deeper mired in the POOP in the last 100 years. We are now beginning to see them for what they are.

Our MPs ( most of them ) should be in Prison for what they have done with their expenses. But no - they have patted themselves on the back and carried on as usual - all of them saying they will be good boys or girls from now on.

If someone on here fiddled £50K out of the taxman or out of a company with false claims - can you imagine what would happen to us ? Would we be prosecuted or allowed to carry on as if nothing had happened ?

Though I think our MPs are paid rubbish salaries compared to other jobs - and they should be paid properly at the top - I believe that if they have pocketed expenses wrongly they should serve a MONTH IN PRISON for every £1000 they have wrongly claimed.

Our STATE puts PENSIONERS in prison for defaulting on even a few hundred pounds of Council Tax.....so how come these MPs can STEAL THOUSANDS of POUNDS of TAXPAYERS money - and NOT ONE has been prosecuted or taken to court by THE POLICE.

RONNIE BIGGS is MORE INNOCENT than every single MP : Jack Straw in particular has the IRAQ blood on his hands and unless he repents is on a one way ticket to HELL. The bible is quite clear that people who do MASS MURDER will not see the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN - Blair - Straw - Smith - and all their lot - they are all heading to HELL !!!

They need to repent and leave office and start helping people for no financial reward. They need to admit to their SINS and their mistakes.

RONNIE BIGGS should be let out now. He has served his time - it is a CRIME to keep him in a prison at his age and in his state of health. There is no JUSTICE reason to keep him there - unless REVENGE is your default position on crime.

If REVENGE is your default position on crime then according to JESUS you are heading to hell. Forgiveness is the mark of an enlightened human being who will be welcomed into HEAVEN.

Yes - I may be sounding a bit PREACHY in this post - but if JACK STRAW wants to take the MORAL HIGH GROUND from his reserved spot in HELL then I would like to at least point at from where he is coming from - and why the rest of us should take issue with his decisions.

BR wrote:
was his son jailed for dealing drugs ?

I never followed the story - most MPs families seem to be working in the Criminal Underworld with the Police - so it is outside of the people that I hang out with who are musicians - creative types - people who believe in God - people who love other people.



They're the most dangerous of the lot !

Straw is a vile man. Hope he's gone soon