This afternoon it was out campaigning in Wood Green as part of the Liberal Democrats’ We Can Cut Crime campaign.

When you have been in power for ten years like Labour have, you don’t really have much excuse for not getting the capacity of the prisons system worked out properly – nor for having a Home Office that is so badly run. What were all the Labour Home Secretaries doing when they should have been on the job?

With re-offending rates so high we will never make progress until those who are jailed for crimes can be changed from criminals into law-abiding members of society who pay tax, and not cost us our taxes because – remember – nearly everyone will get released from jail at some point or other. But when we do say we’re sending someone away for life it should mean that – no more of this nonsense of calling “life” a sentence that is in reality for only a few years. Life should mean life, with clear and transparent sentences everyone can follow.

More police too – paid for out of the money the Government insists on spending on ineffective ID cards. They should spend the billions chasing the guilty not tagging the innocent. Community punishments also – yes punishments, not soft options – to make sure that the non-dangerous criminal pays their dues – but in a constructive way.

It’s not rocket science!

And the blueprints are in our five-point plan on www.wecancutcrime.com.