He called on ministers to ensure no-one was "left idle in their cells" but presented with "full, purposeful and active days, which are the only things that are going to enable them to live useful and law-abiding lives".
Washington's protectionist rhetoric is no idle threat: America's behaviour towards Japan in the mid-1980s shows that tub-thumping in Congress can quickly lead on to real protectionist action.
No need to idle an entire production line as General Motors recently did when expected sales of its plug-in electric hybrid Chevrolet Volt failed to materialize.