Mr. Coyles, I think a criminal record is nothing more than a public recognition of somebody's state of mind and psychological preparedness to commit something that goes against the convention. I don't want to belabour the point, but it strikes me that a wife beater probably goes against the acceptable conventions of the day. That tells me that psychologically somebody has already defined this individual as someone who is prepared to go against the conventions, whatever they might be, to address it as something that happens at home, inter nos, but has no impact on somebody else. I think that puts to one side the mental preparedness of somebody to address goods like nitroglycerine and others we would identify as dangerous goods. That's why I feel uncomfortable.
On March 10th, 2009. See this statement in context.