Potty mouths ahoy

Hmmm. Knowing when to shut up appears to be a skill in short supply at the moment.

Take Jade Goody last week - she just kept blabbing, blabbing, blubbering, blabbing after coming out of the Big Brother house. She's ashamed of herself for her 'racist' comments made to Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty. But she's not managed to keep it zipped long enough to make me think she is actually genuinely remorseful - instead, her continual presence in the papers makes me reckon she's crying crocodile tears over her flagging career.

Her actions, apparently, should make Britain ashamed. For those in their ivory towers who still believe Britain is classless society, then perhaps Jade's ignorance did come as a surprise. So perhaps they are ashamed. But this week, I think, there has been a real reason to be ashamed. Those travelling from across the UK to Devon to raid the washed up goods from on board the stricken ship - great journalistic phrase - Napoli.

People honestly rented vans in Manchester and Liverpool before driving to Devon to see what booty they could get. The sight of us, in the 21st century, allowing people to steal belongings from others as a result of a accident is shameful - another favourite word among journos. Some people did get lucky, with BMW motorbikes and more perfume than you could shake a stick at. But what about those leaving with random pipes, or car steering wheels. What's more embarrassing for us as a nation - that people would happily pick among the piece of a disaster or the fact we did nothing?

And to hide behind age-old scavanging rights is very sad, too. Just because it was law in the past doesn't mean it is morally acceptable now. Mancuians on the beach proclaiming their scavaging rights as though they were taught about them at school.

I was taught at school about the Pendle Witches, and how suspected witches were thrown into ponds with weights tied on. If they sank, they weren't witches, if they did, they were, and they were killed by other means. I have no idea if killing witches is still legal - I can't imagine it's come up for debate in Parliament - but I've not intention of chucking the woman down the road who keeps leaving rubbish at the end of my garden into the pond, just because it's what they used to do in that neck of the woods.

But to go on to Radio 5 Live, as one woman did and say a)it was her right to steal from a ship's cargo and b) she only went because she heard there were nappies on board and her daughter has just given birth served to prove people don't know when to shut up when a microphone is put in front of them.

And if I needed further proof, and regular readers of this blog will know I rarely need proof before ranting, about my theory that people don't know when to shut up, then I got it today.

Step forward Derek Williams of North Wales. He's a child porn pervert. He downloads nasty images of children. He was convicted of this yesterday, but thanks to Home Secretary John Reid's decision to say only serious repeat offenders should go to jail, he got a six month sentence suspended for two years.

Plenty of gnashing of teeth as you may well expect. The Tories, Victim Support, something called SmartJustice, the Lib Dems, victims of crime - all came forward to say what a scandal it was.

And so did Mr Williams.

Sat, in what I'd call scruffs but fear are probably his best clothes, he berated the fact the judge's hands were tied. He was gracious enough to admit he was lucky to be out - too right - but then went on to say it showed what a state the country was in. He also said the country included England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

Proof, like I said, that sometimes people should take their right to remain silent - for the benefit of us all.

Have a good weekend.