This is thoroughly nasty and I’m glad to see that the LibDem
spokesman agrees.
Brown sends parliament on holiday in times of crisis to avoid any
questioning of his activitoies and now he is trying, with the
complicity of the Labour-leaning Commissioner of the Metropolitan
police, to hamper any investyiations into a real scandal. The
terrorism laws were used last night against a shadow minister
exposing a criminal lapse in security. The buck should have stopped
with ministers who failed in their duty not with those exposing their
dereliction of duty.
According to Sky, the word from Downing Street is this:
"This is a matter for the police...The Prime Minister had no prior
knowledge of the arrest of Mr Green and was only informed after the
event."
Two classic Brownisms here. First, the washing of one's hands of any
involvement in a controversy if it seems that negative publicity
might result, by saying it is in the hands of an outside quango/
agency/ the courts/ investigation/ report/ independent adjudicator/
study, etc (delete as appropriate). In this case, it is the police.
The second is this - there is a denial of involvement, but the denial
relates only to a specific part of the chain of events, in this case,
the actual arrest of Damian Green. There is no denial that the PM
knew of the investigation or knew that a senior Conservative was
allegedly involved. Important questions like whether the PM or other
senior ministers gave a go ahead for action are not covered in the
statement.
Commissioner Blair is on his way out and not before time, Was this
an act of revenge ?
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx cs
=========================
CENTRE RIGHT Blog 28.11.08
The Beginning of the End
spokesman agrees.
Brown sends parliament on holiday in times of crisis to avoid any
questioning of his activitoies and now he is trying, with the
complicity of the Labour-leaning Commissioner of the Metropolitan
police, to hamper any investyiations into a real scandal. The
terrorism laws were used last night against a shadow minister
exposing a criminal lapse in security. The buck should have stopped
with ministers who failed in their duty not with those exposing their
dereliction of duty.
According to Sky, the word from Downing Street is this:
"This is a matter for the police...The Prime Minister had no prior
knowledge of the arrest of Mr Green and was only informed after the
event."
Two classic Brownisms here. First, the washing of one's hands of any
involvement in a controversy if it seems that negative publicity
might result, by saying it is in the hands of an outside quango/
agency/ the courts/ investigation/ report/ independent adjudicator/
study, etc (delete as appropriate). In this case, it is the police.
The second is this - there is a denial of involvement, but the denial
relates only to a specific part of the chain of events, in this case,
the actual arrest of Damian Green. There is no denial that the PM
knew of the investigation or knew that a senior Conservative was
allegedly involved. Important questions like whether the PM or other
senior ministers gave a go ahead for action are not covered in the
statement.
Commissioner Blair is on his way out and not before time, Was this
an act of revenge ?
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx cs
=========================
CENTRE RIGHT Blog 28.11.08
The Beginning of the End
It's always hard to spot the significance of things when you're in
the middle of it, isn't it? A random decision to change your library
books might lead to a chance meeting with someone who alters the
course of your life. Some such mundane committee decision (The PM is
really fed up with these immigration leaks. Isn't there something we
can do about it?) will no doubt be found to be at the root of the
intemperate action taken yesterday against Damien Green. But it won't
matter. What matters is the symbolism of the outcome of the decision.
The Met, unfortunately, have a history of politicised activity on
behalf of the government - the interventions over 42 days detention
jumps to mind - and of lying to cover up their actions when they're
caught. [Another that springs to MY mind is the failure to prosecute
Tony Blair for his corrupt acceptance of treasure troves of illegal
donations to his party -cs]
When Jean Charles de Menezes was executed, we were fed a tissue of
lies about his activity prior to his death (he did not look like a
suspected terrorist, he was not wearing a bulky jacket, he did not
vault over the tube barrier and run from the police, he did not
resist arrest when confronted on the tube, the officers who murdered
him did not give him a verbal warning before holding him down and
pumping his head full of bullets). So it's too much to expect us now
to believe that Damien Green's arrest was not the result of a
political decision, taken at the highest level, implemented with the
full panoply of New Labour's terror laws.
We really aren't fools, Prime Minister, and your strategy of
believing us to be such is in tatters.
=========================
From PoliticsHome Blog 28.11.08
Today, Radio 4 at 08:35
Woolas: As far as I’m aware no Ministers had any knowledge of Green
arrest
Phil Woolas, Immigration Minister
Mr Woolas said he had no prior knowledge that Damien Green would be
arrested, and that as far as he was aware no other ministers did.
“I can assure you that ministers had no knowledge whatsoever of this.
[ He cannot possibly know that -cs] The wise thing for everyone to do
is wait to see what happens.
“The police are independent from the Home Office. I can only say that
I have no knowledge. As far as I’m aware no Ministers had any
knowledge. This was a matter instigated by Home Office officials, and
the Police were called.“
Responding to John Sentamu’s article in the Independent this morning
which was critical of immigration policy he said:
“I’ve read the Archbishops article this morning. The morally right
thing to so is to have an efficient and fair immigration and asylum
system.
“I don’t accept the central charge that being tough is immoral. You
cannot manage a system unless you can count it.”
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Today, Radio 4 at 07:55
Huhne: Green arrest will have a "chilling effect" on what MPs can do
Chris Huhne, Lib Dem Home Affairs spokesman
Mr Huhne said the arrest of Damien Green will “have a chilling
effect” on what MPs are able to do, and added that he wasn’t
sympathetic to Sir Ian Blair’s claim that he was hounded from office.
On the arrest of Damien Green he said, “I was frankly shocked and
astonished by this. It will have a chilling effect on what MPS are
able to do. Getting information into the public domain…clearly of the
public interest is absolutely a key part. I find this a very worrying
development.”
On the departure of Sir Ian Blair, and his claims to have been forced
out, he said, “There were real problems in the Met police…a real
sense that the Met was losing direction. Frankly this story is more
complicated, and he’s not been hounded out. That said there is a
problem…in that they serve two masters.
“I share the concerns over the structure. I’m not sympathetic to the
claim that he was hounded out, because I think he politicised the
role in the first place. It musn’t become a political football.”
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
BBC News at 07:45
Cameron: Ministers have questions to answer aswell
David Cameron, Conservative Party Leader
Mr Cameron said the arrest of Damian Green was "worrying" and
"astonishing" calling for Ministers to answer questions and make
known what they think about the arrest.
"Well I think these are extraordinary and frankly rather worrying
circumstances, he was arrested and held for nine hours, counter
terrorism police went into his home, we had police in the House of
Commons searching his office.
"What seems to be the case is he was arrested for making public
information, that the government didn't want to have made public.
"He says it was in the public interest and information that he
revealed about the security industry for instance, having thousands
of illegal immigrants in it, that clearly is in the public interest.
"Ministers tell us that they did not know about this, well I think
they have some questions to answer frankly.
"What they need to make plain this morning is what they think about it.
"In our democracy I really don't think what has happened is right."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Today, Radio 4 at 0735
Davis: Green arrest between "error of judgement and judicial
intimidation"
07:35 | 28/11/2008
David Davis, former shadow Home secretary
Mr Davis said he was astonished by the claim that nobody in
government had prior knowledge of the arrest of Damien Green, and
added that the arrest was designed to intimidate whistle-blowers
across Whitehall.
On the arrest itself he said, “I think it’s somewhere between an
astonishing error of judgement through to judicial intimidation.
Damien Green was doing his job. It’s extraordinary frankly."
Asked his thoughts on claims that government had no prior knowledge
of the arrest he said, “It is hard to believe. The Home Office
initiated this. The Home Office initiated the initial investigation.
“It would have gone to the Commissioner. I’m astonished to hear the
assertion that nobody in government knew about it.
“What were seeing hear is something designed to intimidate whistle-
blowers across Whitehall.”
------------------------------
BBC News at 09:16,
Later Mr Davis spoke of his concerns as to whether government
Ministers had been told, finding it odd that both the Mayor of London
and David Cameron were informed but not the Home Secretary.
"There are two outcomes, one is that they knew which is an outrage at
a political level, secondly what sort of Home Office is this?
"This is simply information that exposed the government for covering
things up - and also information about the Home secretary showing
increases in crime that she didn't want to have known.
"When it is clearly in the public interest that people should know,
that is what we do.
"It is frankly outrageous, someone has made a very very bad mistake."
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