'Society That Wants To Protect People Has To Have Death Penalty" - Says Peter Hitchens 

I am in favour of the reintroduction of the death penalty but it needs to be backed up by an extremely robust and scrupulously honest policing and justice system. We have neither of these things in place at the moment.

Do you really want to introduce the death penalty to a society that does trial by social media?

The death penalty was abolished in the UK mainly because of the execution of a 19 year old mentally retarded man who had NOT killed anyone , and whose only crime was breaking and entering. Because he was in the company of another youth only 16 years old who killed a police officer ,he was executed, the irony is that the 16 year old was not executed because he was too young. The police wanted revenge and despite public opinion overwhelmingly in favour of sparing the 19 year old the justice system showed its contempt for the public and killed him. But the stupid British police had shot themselves in the foot, public outrage ensued and the death penalty was abolished, now inasmuch as the death penalty is a deterrent to the carrying of weapons, as Hichens says the police are now more at risk of facing criminals with weapons.

The death penalty should be used for people who have committed heinous crimes that cannot be refuted, denied or justified. They do not deserve to be spared and others do not deserve to have to continue to accommodate them in this life - Fred & Rose West and Peter Sutcliffe would have been such candidates.

"The two main parties are not different enough anymore" - The illusion of choice.

Basically death penalty should be the first choice of punishment for all premeditated murders.

Any person found guilty of terrorism should face the death penalty, as should anyone who kills a child.

Giving the state ultimate power of life or death over its citizens is never a good idea. It will always be open to abuse. The death penalty should never be reintroduced for this reason.

While people still get wrongly convicted I can't agree with Peter on this one.

Two problems. Firstly US states that had the death penalty and stopped saw no increase in murders, so there is very little deterrent effect, and secondly juries in the UK became reluctant to find murders guilty because they did not want to be responsible for someone's death.

And what protects those who are executed for crimes they didn't commit. I'm fed up to the teeth with people who think the way to deter violence is more violence.

Seen to many men freed and cleared of the crimes they'd been convicted of to endorse or ratify the return of the death penalty

How many innocent people is it OK to kill in order to have the death penalty then, Peter? Nearly 200 innocent people in the US have been put to death by the state and subsequently exonerated of the crimes they were charged with. And don't give me the 'yes but we have to be REALLY sure' as they were REALLY SURE about all those people they murdered in the US. If one of your family was put to death for a crime they didn't commit would you say "fair enough, but it's still worth having the death penalty"? I somehow doubt it. Also, it isn't a deterrent, murderers don't generally weigh things up legally speaking before killing.

I would not support the reintroduction of the death penalty in the UK although I support it in principle. The problem is that it's entirely unworkable.

l am in favour of the death penalty but the burden of proof would have to be beyond any doubt, people are calling for letby to be hung, but l would not feel comfortable with that, as the evidence against her was circumstantial, and she was found guilty but any jury that takes a month to come to a decision must have had some doubts, and convicted her on the basis of probabilities

To be convicted in the UK, your guilt needs to be proved beyond all reasonable doubt. For the death penalty, I'd only back it where it'd only be used in clear-cut cases where ALL doubt of guilt has been eliminated. Else, you risk a judge sentencing the innocent to death.

I'm not convinced the death penalty is a deterrent. The USA has this in a number of states, but the homicide rate is 30 times that of the UK.

If you would say that to kill somebody, an act of insanity, then it becomes unreasonable to assume the death penalty would be a deterrent

Unrepentant evil must be stopped and must be sternly dealt with as a matter of principle.

I drive because I want to......its my human right....

Donald Trump and all he stands for are slightly more profound than summarily portrayed by Peter Hitchens here.

Hitchens is right, the judiciary, CJ, system, police force, should all be overhauled, reformed before considering the death penalty, the corruption has gone on for too long.

Mike Graham for the love of god stop interrupting and making noises when people speak. You don’t need to constantly say Mhmm, yeah as if to prove your intellect by making it sound as if you know everything that Peter is coming up with.

Finally yes I agree the death penalty for Murder, rape, pedophiles, torture, animal cruelty, and drug making and trafficking, repeat offenders and heinous crimes, no death row, no appeals straight from the court to the excursion. Reoffending is far too high especially for the crimes I mentioned plus why should we pay tax for them to get free food and board when law abiding British citizens are skipping meals or becoming homeless

Totally disagree. 1. We know it's not a deterrent. 2. We know we are not infallible enough to avoid injustice. Mistakes happen too frequently. 3. Only arguement in favour is a financial one. An the legal appeals process totally negates that. 4. People locked away for life are no threat to anyone outside. 5. Revenge and justice are not the same. It would be misused for political killings. Only a fool puts there faith in the system to give them authority to end life.

Totally agree with reintroduction of death penalty, this country is far to soft, and no mistakes this time around either due to DNA evidence. Barbaric society needs barbaric punishment.

I'm certain that if there was a referendum held in every country that doesn't currently have the death penalty whether it should be introduced it would pass in a landslide so why not give them that option

a civilised society doesn't murder their own citizens. there have been quite a few cases where the death penalty would be a just and satisfying solution. and those cases turned out to be miscarriages of justice.

As a matter of principal I say no to the death penalty - as much as some people clearly deserve it. You cannot realise the terribleness of your crime and come to truly repent if you are dead. Also, for those who say yes but with safeguards: Those safeguards will never be perfect enough to stop the state incorrectly robbing someone of their future.

DNA evidence and cctv everywhere gives us the power to scientifically prove who the killers are, plus serial killers with bodies every where, Dahmer etc. make it rather easy to know what they did

It is very clear to me that the reason British politics is so bad at debating is because those in positions of power within British politics are talentless and incompetent. They say the cream will always rise to the top, but this is absolutely not the case in politics.

Death penalty could be life in prison until you die there..there are too may miscarriages of justice

There is a prison in Russia (they can do some stuff right), called black dolphin and it looks like hell, not because it’s dangerous but because of how powerless the inmates are, they have no privacy, very little contact with prisoners who aren’t in their cell, and the guards control all elements of the inmates lives, they can’t even walk outside of their cells they are crouched over and blindfolded whilst moving around the prison. It’s for russias worst offenders, serial killers, rapists and cannibals, serving time in there is worse than death, it would break even the worst if killers,

So don’t raise a fuss if you think an election is rigged? What about the voters? How would you ever improve the system if you accept its failure?

No, it doesn’t. Hitchens should move to the USA if that’s the sort of society he wants to live in.

Definitely! And the birch too. But the Government shouldn’t have the say on it-the British voters should.

This double act between Hitchens and Graham is so tedious. Bicycles! Grammar schools! Enough please. Cars make the modern world. We should clear the roads of 20mph speed limits and cycle lanes. Hitchens on his bicycle contributes nothing.

Love Peter but he’s starting to bumble and make mistakes. Driving the kids to work?

Don't be silly. Like the USA? The murder rate is 3 times lower in the UK per capita, compared to the USA. The death penalty clearly isn't working there, is it?

Oh come on, I do agree “society is built around cars” and public transport is awful, and I agree many people do genuinely need to drive, but really, there are bazillions of lazy and fat people making unnecessary trips in cars all the time. There’s a physically able person in my office who drives the one mile journey to work every day, and I mean every single day. He even has to sit in traffic to do it. There is a perfectly pleasant walk he could do through a lovely and safe park. I don’t think I ever got a lift to school, come rain or shine, never, I was made to walk the 1.5 miles. Down busy roads. It did me the world of good

Strange that people are pro abortion but against capital punishment

Mike (much as I admire you and your show) for heaven’s sake stop making punctuating noises like ‘yeah’ or ‘hmm’ - and interrupting - when PH is talking… the little noises don’t help the listener at all, and since the words of your guest have inherent interest and value they have no need of a booster or qualifier from you!

Gonna tell my kids this was Gavin McInnes and Jordan Peterson

Lee Rigbys' murderer should have received the death penalty.

Better still... Give every home an AR15!

So, here is what I think... The death penalty, or capital punishment, has been a source of heated debate for decades. One of the most pressing concerns surrounding its implementation is the potential execution of innocent individuals. While the legal system endeavours to be rigorous and just, it is, like any other human institution, fallible. Mistakes can arise from multiple fronts - from misinterpreted evidence and unreliable witnesses to prosecutorial misconduct and flawed forensic methods. With other forms of punishment, there's an opportunity for exoneration if new evidence emerges, but the finality of the death penalty means that any mistakes are irreversible. This irrevocable consequence has led many to question the ethical and moral grounds of capital punishment, especially when there's a chance, however slim, of killing an innocent person.

shocking to hear a man of God such as Mr. Hitchens argue for the Death Penalty. one would not expect that. actually, the rest of his takes are pretty moderate tho.

Hitchen's wishing Sharia Law upon Britain; he's losing the plot.

And yet this man opposes abortion and assisted dying. He's a bit mixed up. He seems to be something of a 'contrarian'.

Society needs the death penalty to be able to protect itself against those in power and elsewhere who constantly seek to violate and abuse it...the powers that be should NEVER be in a position to use the death penalty against society for ANY reason...test this out and see for yourselves at your peril

This is why Manchester is a great city. You can walk most places, or get the tram if you're going out to a suburb

Reject CBDC!

I don't believe in the death penalty.

I used to be against the death penalty - bring it back to deal with our psychopathic treasonous poly-LIE-TIC-ians, civil SERVANTS, judiciary & poolice.

Until I turned 40 I too was in favour of the death penalty, however given that the crimes that would attract it most often leave families or surviving victims with a life sentence of pain I no longer think that those criminals should be able to escape into death.I took inspiration from 18th century prison reformer John Howard who wanted the death penalty replced not just with a whole life term but in addition 200 lashes from the cat-o'-nine-tails to be inflicted EVERY New Years Day.Maybe those lashes could be delivered by a member of a victim's family.

The death penalty is a ridiculous concept on every conceivable level. It does not determine anything, you can see that from the states that have it in the USA. If anyone thinks the UK justice system is good enough to decide on someone's guilt enough to murder them, they need their head examining

Peter Hitchens is such a bore about working hours and bank holidays but is as nothing compared to how ghastly Mike Graham comes off with superficial remarks.

What about innocent people who have been executed for crimes committed other people, if the death penalty had been applied in the 70s the so called Birmingham 6 and the Guildford 4 would have died for crimes committed by other people, apart from that I admire Peter Hitchens

The death penalty is barbaric and ineffective as a deterrent. It's not about justice, it's about revenge.

If sitting on your arse talking crap on a bank holiday can be described as "working"

Moaning about Bank Holidays when they are paid a fortune to show up on these shows as if other people wouldn’t do the same. Agree with the rest tho.

If we had a referendum on the return of Capital Punishment the turnout would exceed the one to leave the EU in 2016 and the result would be a 'YES!'

Two Sunday's are worse than one (rainy) Sunday.

If you think the trams (and S-Bahn) in Zürich are good, Peter and Mike, you need to check out Stuttgart. You will quickly realise what an antiquated public transport system Zürich has - it is desperately in need of modernisation. I challenge you to experience Stuttgart before lauding Zürich . . .

Considering the ineptitude and corruption within our state from the police to the judiciary and the civil service to the government and lords, and the media, not too mention the evil alive and well within said institutions, i would be reluctant to bring back the death penalty. Sadly. As i can think of alot who could do with it, like large groups of men, who moved to Britain who are overly intrested in the playground people. Can't apparently keep them in prison and cant send them home. I'd happily volunteer to put the hood on and pull that lever, and sleep soundly. Or the cop who ended Shara. Or how about ex pm war criminal tony? Or some of the current crop? But there in lies the problem, the aforementioned institutions, who have shown themselves for what they are. They could read this and destroy me simply because it points a finger at them, and if that included the death penalty they'd use it. And the masses would cheer because the media would blast what they were told to say 24/7 cops would "find" evidence, pps and judge would conduct the orchestra, and done. And its not any bill of rights or the echr bs thats stopping them, they have destroyed our rights in the guise of progrressiveness, and following the echr only happens when they need to, its a great excuse, why do you think sunak wont leave? Its only there is more important fish to fry. For now.

After the letby case, with that prosecution and that defence, who would give them the choice of execution. Also Tommy Robinson would have swung years ago.

Totally 100% agree

The population of Zurich is about 1.5 million; the population of London is around 8.5 million. The difference is a problem.

This seems to be Hitchens favourite four subjects that he likes to discuss :- 1. E-scooters. 2. Changing the clocks twice a year, and how he thinks it's pointless. 3. Legalising drugs. 4. Bank holidays - and how he doesn't like them, and thinks they should be on a different day. Also - thinks they're pointless these days as most people have an annual allotted leave.

RE: Holidays. Peter fails to mention national newspaper employees generally have 6 weeks annual paid leave...which more than compensates for working some bank holidays (the industry has various shift patterns).

I have a lot of respect for Peter, but on this he is wrong.

Works well in the USA!!!!!!!---Not.

On the bank holidays. It isn't a bank holiday in Scotland because we have the sensible idea of having an extra bank holiday after New Years day. So we can get an extra days drinking in and recovery after new year. But I work for a multinational that only follows the English bank holidays so I have to take the day or I lose it. My wife is at work as she is a teacher in Scotland and the schools are actually back. So I would be happy to get rid of this one - but for us wage slaves it is nice to get a day off. We aren't lazy. At the same time I spent a couple of hours prepping to go back to work tomorrow so I am a mug anyway. On a side note I think both Peter and Christopher Hitchens are/ were such great voices and always argue from a rational and reasoned point of view. I don't always agree with their points of view but I never feel they would hate me for it.

Trump was saying what he says now 30 years ago.

Mike, stop interrupting Peter when he speaks you berk!

Peter the Christian who's lord got the death penalty now wants to dish it out to others

It is too dangerous for children to walk to school because of traffic. Answer drive them to school.

If it doesn’t stop murderers then I’m out.. That’s the only reason I can think of that could justify it.

Severe deterrents are needed. Otherwise, do what you wish.

You don’t have to tell everyone

We brits need our guns back the gangs have automatic weapons and knives and we have rolling pins and maybe a cricket bat we need a death penalty just for the deterrent

Reintroducing capital punishment would need the UK to revoke the ECHR, which in turn would neccessitate leaving the Council of Europe and the European Court of Justice which in turn means that the Good Friday Agreement is to bwe scrapped. Do we want that to happen?

I am a proponent of the death penalty but only when there is incontrovertible proof of guilt and for the most heinous of crimes!

I normally agree with Peter on many things.... however my main difficulty with the death penalty is not on moral grounds or arguments about deterrents etc. Having seen many juries in action I am not convinced all would convict in cases were they need to where they knew that someone's life was at stake on their decision.

And who would foot the bill for the death penalty... It's cheaper to keep prisoners on life sentences

But it yakes them off this earth She no one has to pay for them

Big discussion about the death prenatally because of that white nurse, it wouldent be discussed if it were a horse of a different color ,

The Edinburgh tram does go from the airport to leith and beyond to Newhaven. It’s a great Tram…

I would like to hear Peter Hitchens talk/write about Agenda 21 and the C40 Climate Change Leadership Group, chaired in London by Sadiq Kahn. Now that would be interesting.

I have doubts about the detterent argument and one mistake is one too many.

I work in blood transfusion section of the NHS, we save many knife attacks in the NHS, so many in fact i cant remember the last time i saw a death from one. Probably 2 years ago now. We see on average 6 or 7 a week in the hospital i work at. There are many more which although are stabbings are more of a "humiliation" stab...usually to the bum area.

The horrific history of British miscarriages of justice makes the reintroduction of the death penalty impossible.

'Trump was created by liberal arrogance ' .. absolutely spot on.

Jesus wants you to look your family’s murderer in the eyes and forgive them

Wye are you continually picking up an empty cup and pretend to be drinking from it?

How do you briefly introduce the topic of ULEZ, and within thirty seconds end up waxing lyrical about the glory heydays of bloody trams and totally not discuss ULEZ? 🙄

A streetcar named desire.

If it helps, bank holidays are statutory and although they do move dates (Easter) it's the same number every year, so nothing has changed. Ofc there are very occasional extra bank holidays (coronation), but not many.

The uk used to have a great tram system, and trolley system then a good omnibus system and it was publicly owned......get real and get rid of some privatisation.

Trump for President 2024. From England