bills like this infuriate me.

i understand the necessity of detaining people who have actually committed an assault, or who pose a true threat to their own safety because of their mental health problems. but those two scenarios are already dealt with under existing law.

this bill is rooted in fear and ignorance of mental illness. taking away a person’s freedom should only be done as a last resort when the preponderance of evidence shows that someone’s safety is seriously at risk – the same way the law requires for people *without* mental health issues. people with mental illness are entitled to the same protection of the law.

now if they *really* wanted to do something about public safety, they should be locking up the drunken, aggressive yobs that stumble out of the pubs. statistically, they’re far more likely to harm or kill someone than a person with mental illness. let’s lock *them* up before they decide to glass someone in the face, or have a punchup with the local shopkeeper, or assault a night bus driver.

oh wait – that’s not allowed.

more on this later today.

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