Baliffs will force entry and pin down debtors under Labour plans

[zenie]

Yes...and if by some stroke of magic Labour passes this, and then the Tories get in I imagine it will be privatised won't it?

Just had a look on moneysavingexpert forums, I do hope Martin will bring this up and investigate it, someone's mentioned it may contravene our human rights? No idea tbh

 

[_angel_]

'robust industry watchdog' doesn't that make you feel safe and secure in your rights?

I read that as 'robot industry watchdog'!

 

[SpookyFrank]

Yes, that's true. I would say that i've seen a lot of selfless 'non-party' work by leftists as well though. Local SP members down here (bristol) for example are long term people with a measure of community respect and trust.

I'm sure that most individual members of leftist parties are lovely people and committed activists, it's just that when you've got a party it suddenly becomes your primary concern and then all your good works are eaten up by the ultimate goal; to serve the party.

Enough derailing, as for human rights I'm sure they'll bring the new laws in first and worry about human rights later on (probably only if somebody takes a personal case to the ECHR). I can't see it becoming a big enough issue for parliamentary rebellion either tbh, the only way to stop this would be to somehow start such a massive public shitstorm that they wouldn't even dare try, and that doesn't seem overly likely in the current climate either

 

[SpookyFrank]

I read that as 'robot industry watchdog'!

 

[Mr Smin]

How much compo could I expect from someone who broke the door looking for a previous tenant?
That comment about sieving turds for teeth was fair enough but in the end, i'd rather claim compo than pay it.

Come to think of it - the penalties for bailiffs getting the wrong address should perhaps be defined now rather than any wronged party having to go from scratch - set at a level that might encourage them to get the facts right.

 

[october_lost]

not being funny but who is going to do this BA?, with some exceptions, the Left is absent from poverty issues,

In London both LCAP and London Housing Action Now have talked about how we can implement resistance to bailifs. It only initiative and support but theres no reason why it cant be done.

 

[butchersapron]

In London both LCAP and London Housing Action Now have talked about how we can implement resistance to bailifs. It only initiative and support but theres no reason why it cant be done.

Mr O_L, there's going to an email in LCAP inbox tommorow, tuesday. Let's all kep each other informed on this.

 

[TomPaine]

A mate of mine used to get phone calls from some dodgy baliff frim, who where after his old house mate for some unpaid phone bill or something. Since my mate had bought the guy the phone on his credit card as a favour (he got the money back when the bloke got paid) the last record they had was my mate, and traced him to his house.
At any rate these fuckers where hassling him for the cash. We did a quick look on the net and found out they where a right bunch of scamming cunts. So a few phone calls latter quoting court cases they had lost, and a few websites with info on them, and the phone calls stopped.

I can imagine though these are sort of fucks who wouldn;t think twice about sending round some bruisers to a grannies house and knicking her electric heater.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Come to think of it - the penalties for bailiffs getting the wrong address should perhaps be defined now rather than any wronged party having to go from scratch - set at a level that might encourage them to get the facts right.

tbh "compensation" isn't the issue if somebody breaks into my house and takes my shit. They're burglars, and I'd expect as much compensation as I would normally get if I were burgled, and also that they be locked up afterwards. I don't care if they "got the wrong house".

Not, I'd like to emphasise, that people should have their doors broken down and be assaulted by hired thugs even if they do owe money.

 

[cybertect]

Haven't we had enough evidence that bailiffs are routinely abusing the powers that they already have?

 

[bi0boy]

Some bailiffs are actually cool, like the ones who crush silver Range Rovers with 37 unpaid parking tickets

 

[october_lost]

Mr O_L, there's going to an email in LCAP inbox tommorow, tuesday. Let's all kep each other informed on this.

As always the scots are ahead of us. The Edinburgh group have already a little bit of experience in this area

 

[butchersapron]

They've got a slightly different situation up there due to the SSP led campaign on warrant sales.

 

[ViolentPanda]

not being funny but who is going to do this BA?, with some exceptions, the Left is absent from poverty issues,

It's nothing to do with organised politics, and everything to do with community action.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Enough derailing, as for human rights I'm sure they'll bring the new laws in first and worry about human rights later on (probably only if somebody takes a personal case to the ECHR). I can't see it becoming a big enough issue for parliamentary rebellion either tbh, the only way to stop this would be to somehow start such a massive public shitstorm that they wouldn't even dare try, and that doesn't seem overly likely in the current climate either

Depends how it's "spun", I'd say.
The right-wing papers would probably bite if the story was spun around the possibility of people's property being erroneously invaded by semi-literate agents of capital, the whole "an Englishman's home is his castle" schtick, just as the centrist/soft left papers would bite on the same story and anything to do with depriving little Johnny of his Crimbo X-Box because dad didn't pay a parking fine.

 

[panpete]

Insane and irrational.

 

[TAE]

What happened to the long touted principle that only the state could excercise force?

 

[_angel_]

Lumping in people struggling to pay credit card bills with people convicted of offences and paying fines is... nice.

 

[moon23]

It’s fucking outragous! The banks run into tons of debt and Brown simply hands over billions of tax payers money, he asks for the execs to pay themselves less money and they go mmm… yea well no actually I think we will carry on…

Meanwhile private company Securitco PLC buy up the banks debts and start harassing anyone who Expedicrap and Filofax Databases Ltd claim lives at a certain address.

Joe Blogs gets handed credit card after credit card and told to spend spend spend… having been a student he is used to being in debt, he even got a ‘hardship loan’ when he fell into sick health… opps he forget to update the details on his ID card that’s a £200 fine which he can’t afford to pay this month.. meanwhile Corp Bank needs to get some more capital after getting suckered for a dodgy pyramid scheme and shelling out for this years pay bonuses. They have used up all the tax payers cash and now they need to call in their loans…

Joe is working all the hours gods sends, but the debt collector letters keep coming, he makes an arrangement only for it to be broken by the debt collectors a few months later. They call in balifs, who are knocking at the door now. He refuses to let them in, bang they kick the door down, his kids are screaming. His wife slaps one of them around the face and they throw her back against the wall. Joe lashes out misses and gets thumped by an ex-bouncer now turned balif.

Welcome to Brown’s Britain, ID card, Database state, where corporate interests are enforced through a privatised security force.

 

[Awesome Wells]

I fucking hope more banks go under, quite frankly. Were it not for the inescapable fact that, again, it would be the man on the street who bears the brunt, i'd pour petrol on the flames. I am disgusted at the way this system is run and the sheer greed and contempt the banks (and, frankly, their staff) have for people like me makes me sick sick sick.

 

[moon23]

I fucking hope more banks go under, quite frankly. Were it not for the inescapable fact that, again, it would be the man on the street who bears the brunt, i'd pour petrol on the flames. I am disgusted at the way this system is run and the sheer greed and contempt the banks (and, frankly, their staff) have for people like me makes me sick sick sick.

If banks go under they just get bailed out by taxpayers earnings, if we go under then we get our door kicked in and pinned up against the wall. Just so the creditor (most likely a bank) can get a few grand back of us.

I really don't think the British people will stand for this, I mean how many people are in debt? How many could be at risk if they choose to call those debts in?

 

[SpookyFrank]

What happened to the long touted principle that only the state could excercise force?

It seems nobody can even be bothered to pretend that capital and the state are separate entities any more

 

[moon23]

It seems nobody can even be bothered to pretend that capital and the state are separate entities any more

Yes sadly Capitalism is now the state, vested economic interests will soon have free reign to use force in collecting debts that they have helped create.

Capital has taken tax payers money and now it is coming directly for taxpayers personal possessions. I hope people who have taken their stuff taken by force go and find the corporate executives that are giving themselves obscene bonuses and tell them what they think.

 

[Zachor]

It seems nobody can even be bothered to pretend that capital and the state are separate entities any more

I'm just gobsmacked that so many people still think that New Labour is better than the tories. Fucking idiots.

 

[_angel_]

Yes sadly Capitalism is now the state, vested economic interests will soon have free reign to use force in collecting debts that they have helped create.

Capital has taken tax payers money and now it is coming directly for taxpayers personal possessions. I hope people who have taken their stuff taken by force go and find the corporate executives that are giving themselves obscene bonuses and tell them what they think.

Actually what really annoys me is people saying stuff like 'anyone who is in debt is feckless blah blah blah'. As if everyone in debt has got there because they're all buying plasma tellies, and not just robbing Peter to pay Paul until the end of the month pay gets in.

There was some nobby type on TV last night calling anyone with loans *feckless* and I wanted to punch him!

 

[Zachor]

Extending bailiff powers to go after those who have deliberately defrauded companies or the community is probably just about acceptable morally but chasing people who may have got in the shit through no fault of their own is absolutely fucking wrong.

If you have to have bailiffs (and sadly in some cases they are needed) they should be paid for by the state and be accountable not private companies.

 

[SpookyFrank]

Debt collectors make lots of people's lives miserable just with phone calls and letters. The thought that some jackbooted fucker could smash the door in and steal stuff in payment of imaginary, vastly inflated or already-settled debts would be enough to drive some people to absolute distraction, and in some cases quite possibly violence as well.

I'm sure we'll be told that this is all going to be overseen by some omniscient, omnipotent and incorruptible watchdog or other, but perhaps the government should prove they can bring the already rampant debt collection industry back towards some standard of basic human decency before they give them carte blanche to invade people's homes.

 

[Wolveryeti]

Well I dunno about any debt collectors after me, but if one was to come through the door, he would get fair warning, and then a carving knife in the face

 

[SpookyFrank]

Well I dunno about any debt collectors after me, but if one was to come through the door, he would get fair warning, and then a carving knife in the face

Just because you don't owe anyone any money doesn't mean these cunts won't suddenly decide that you (or someone who once lived in your house) do

 

[dylanredefined]

Only know one baliff and he is a nasty piece of work .Likes to dress up as the SS at weekends .Really dont think letting him have the right to kick down doors would be a good idea .Tbh if he turned up on your door step you would be as nice as pie .Unless your equally hard He is big and nasty and very good at violence have to be most people who know would happily watch him get a kicking.