They ran out of prisons, I ran out of words

I considered writing a column today on this Times story:

Hundreds of dangerous prisoners could be freed from jail because of “disastrous” failings by the Government when it introduced a new prison sentence, a High Court judge said yesterday.

The fact that I didn't - and the reason why - is instructive.

The failure of the government to build sufficient prisons to support its sentencing policy is massive, scandalous and also incredibly straightforward. As a result there is little to say except to gasp with disbelief and shake with fury.

How would you fill an entire column? Especially as, in our case, the basic point has already been made.

So the subject gets left, when it should be haunting them every day.

New Labour? At least when it came to long sentences you could rely on Neil Kinnock and Michael Foot.

Comments

[jimmy]

The solution here, Daniel, is well known by your tabloid colleagues.

Keep the words few, and print them large - preferably on the front page.

The Independent takes broadly this approach too.

Maybe it's time for your byline to appear on the front page Daniel? In just a sentence or two I'm sure you could say all that needs to be said.

Keep up the good work...