Throw away the key

Is Calton the only one who is thoroughly sickened by convicted criminals complaining that their sentences are too long? The latest one is Colin Ross, sentenced to a minimum of 20 years for beating an American woman senseless on the Great Glen Way. She later died of her injuries, inflicted with a metal pipe and a boulder. Ross has been assessed as being a high risk to the public if at liberty and, if Calton had his way, would never see the outside of a prison again. So why is his sentence being reviewed? The answer seems to be because a couple of other criminals, convicted of particularly nasty crimes, have had their sentences reduced. Is our legal system going completely insane? Does public protection not matter any more? Are our appeal court judges totally out of touch with public opinion? It's high time Kenny MacAskill got in there and sorted this out.

Too many young lives lost

Calton is sure he is not the only one concerned about the number of reports of knifings and shootings in Scotland over the festive period. It has been nothing less than shocking - a very real indictment on our society. There is no easy answer to this however two things are clear - firstly, that those convicted of violent acts are back out on our streets all too soon, and without having been rehabilitated. Daryn Maxwell, who has been convicted recently of murdering Reamonn Gormley, is a case in point. Secondly, the link between violence and alcohol abuse is proven beyond all doubt. Calton therefore fully supports the minimum pricing for alcohol bill, a bill which would have been on the statute books long ago had it not been for the opposition parties in the last parliament, because anything that deters people getting tanked up on cheap booze has to be a good thing. He would also like to see much tougher sentences for anyone caught carrying a knife and far more rigorous parole conditions for those convicted of violent crime. We need to rid our streets of violent thugs and make them safe again.