A government that listens will change its mind, and it’s confronting to know this one does. The coalition government has been in place for 18 month and sometimes it feels like we had 18 U-turns, one for each month. Despite some regarding ‘them’ the U-turns, as decisions made in haste or even a weakness, it feels good to know we are listened to.

Especially, in matters of life and death, such as the case is with knife crimes, haste is far better than being rushed.

Why…., besides the obvious – knife crimes have destroyed and lost too many lives – most of which are committed by teens on teens.

As a nation we tend to talk with a forked tongue! If it is legal for 16 years old to work full time, live independently, have sex, get married, and join the army – in other words act as an adult and expect to be treated as one. Then, they should be responsible as an adult and that responsibility should be reflected in the law.

Knives are weapons, carrying and using them is against the law, adults are punished when they break the law and so should a 16 year old, it’s as simple as that!

Kenneth Clarke, the Justice Secretary was unwise in using the word “serious” in relation to the rape comment yesterday – because it gave the impression he is differentiating between one rape and another while all rapes are equally serious.

He since admitted he had used poor choice of word and personally apologised to the radio caller “using the word sorry” in his letter to her, reports say. However, somehow the whole thing is still running and running.

It is only running because the policy empty left needs – at any coast – to take the attention from them and put it somewhere else.

Sadly it’s as simple as that!

Today’s PMQS was painful to watch. Before it even began all eyes were on Ken Clarke’s unfortunate remark – unfortunate because I don’t believe for a nano second that he proposed lenient punishment for rapists.

On the day jobless figures fell by 36,000 and we find out Britain is spending twice as much bailing out the Euro than we are cutting from domestic budget, all PMQs will be remembered for is the Justice Secretary’s remark on rapists from his Five Live interview – and Ed Miliband portraying the “Conservative led” government as soft on crime – not any crime but one of the most horrific crimes, rape. Plus, it happened against the backdrop of cutting police and prison numbers!

Was today a good day for the government, heavens NO!

But should Clarke resign or get sacked, of course not, expecting and asking for either in itself is madness – and it shows our political class as hyped-up, blood hungry extremist. Especially as the Justice Secretary had made it very clear from the start and later reiterated it on the BBC’s Daily Politics and Sky News that he regards “all rapes as serious crimes”