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May 24, 2005
Corporate Manslaughter.
I've reached the hallowed age of 40 today, so feel justified in a slightly less than cheerful post. Nothing like a bit of practice in becoming a grumpy old man I guess.In the Queen's Speech, we were show a whole slew of legislation that Tony Blair hopes to introduce. There were some good items (Consumer Credit), some bad items (ID Cards, Counter Terrorism), some were borrowed from the Conservatives (Immigration and Asylum).
In amongst this vast morass of loosely worded pledges was an absolute gem, a truly marvellous item, something which we've been waiting for far too long to see on the statute books. This pearl is the Corporate Manslaughter Bill, which has been long promised, though until it passes through Parliament I'll continue to expect the worst. This is, after all, a piece of legislation which looks like finally making it to the debating stage after more than 10 years as a Labour promise.
As the rail crashes at Ladbroke Grove and Potters Bar showed, there is a chronic lack of corporate responsibility and accountability in business today. But this is nothing new. Many will remember back in 1987 when the ferry The Herald of Free Enterprise capsized as a result of the bow doors being left open. The investigation concluded that responsibility for the underlying causes went a long way up the corporate hierarchy. The absence of any formal law on corporate manslaughter meant that though lessons were learned, no coporate body was ever prosecuted.
So, get out your pens and writing paper, and write a hand written letter (no faxes or emails, type only if your handwriting is so bad that it can't be read) to your MP asking that they support this bill.
While we're on the subject of death in transportation accidents, Sunday was the 90th anniversary of the worst railway accident ever to occur in the British Isle. The accident took place at 6:50am on the 22nd May 1915, at Quitinshill near Gretna. 5 trains were involved, a troop train, an express passenger service, a local passenger train, an empty coal train and a goods train. Due to sloppy practices on the part of the signalmen, the troop train ploughed into the back of the local passenger train, and the wreckage was then hit by the express train. The resulting fire caused gas cylinders to explode, and many were killed or injured whilst still trapped in the wreckage. 227 people were killed in the accident and 246 injured. The two signalmen received prison sentences of 18 months and 3 years, and although 5 factors were cited, no other persons were considered responsible.
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Posted by Clive on May 24, 2005 12:14 PM in the category Old Stuff