They don't like it up 'em.
Do you remember how many times Blair professed his "complete confidence" in his namesake as the head of the Met? He did it on more than a couple of occasions last year. That's what makes the reaction to the arrest of Ruth Turner, Blair's political liaison officer, on the suspicion of perverting the course of justice in connection with the loans for peerages investigation, so illuminating. Out they come, all united in their questioning of the "theatrical" nature of the arrest, done as it was "before dawn" at 6:30am.All of which made me remember the treatment of Lana Vandenberghe, who worked for the Independent Police Complaints Commission. She was the one who leaked the reality of what happened to Jean Charles de Menezes to ITV news, disgusted by the way that the police had lied and attempted to cover their tracks over what took place at Stockwell tube station on the morning of the 22nd of July 2005. For her trouble, she too was arrested before dawn, but rather than being questioned and released within hours like Ruth Turner, she instead had her door kicked in by 10 police officers and was thrown in a cell for 8 hours without access to food, water or a lawyer.
Whilst what Vandenberghe did was clearly in the wider public interest, correcting the myths which had been perpetuated, Ruth Turner is widely thought to have been arrested for potentially destroying evidence, i.e. deleting emails, a serious, imprisonable offence.
As Curious Hamster points out, this is the same government that wants us to trust the police, that wants them to be given further summary powers of justice and desperately wants us to believe that if we have nothing to hide then we have nothing to fear. As ever, when the boot is on the other foot, the predictable loyalists and hangers-on of Blair emerge from out of the shadows to voice their distaste. Isn't it all so terribly unfair?
Labels: Jean Charles de Menezes, Lana Vandenberghe, loans for peerages, Ruth Turner
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In response to all these Blairites coming out & defending Ruth Turner's name, and to her OTT statement denying ever doing anything wrong of any type whatsoever, I'm calling for her immediate consideration for sainthood:
- sign my petition here
www.InMyHumbleEtc.co.uk
Posted by
InMyHumbleEtc |
Sunday, January 21, 2007 7:01:00 PM
Thanks for your previous link on my post on Mad Mel. Thought this might be of interest to you as well:
Posted by
korova |
Sunday, January 21, 2007 9:07:00 PM
Here's something weird about this.
On Saturday, at about lunchtime, I overheard the short headlines they do on BBC News 24. There were three; the lackey attacks on the police over the arrest of Ruth Turner, then Jade Goody and then something about government plans to give new powers to the police. I remember snorting in amazement at the awful timing of the third headline and thinking there was definitely a post in that.
By the time I'd got round to sitting in front of the telly to find out exactly what headline three was all about, they'd stopped mentioning it. I couldn't find any reference to it on the BBC website either.
I'm certain I heard the third headline and that the gist of it was that the government planned to give the police more power but if anyone else can confirm it, I'd be most grateful.
Anyway, Doctor Evil has saved the day by releasing word of his highly distracting plan to split the H.O. in two.
I wonder if he's seen Fantasia?
Posted by
CuriousHamster |
Sunday, January 21, 2007 10:19:00 PM
Certainly wouldn't surprise me, although I didn't happen to hear of those bulletins.
I'm sure Downing Street's additionally glad that the BB racism row helped distract from dear old Ms Turner have her collar felt, and now, as you say, Dr Demento's revealed his latest scheme to sort everything out, so all's nicely "moved on".
Posted by
septicisle. |
Monday, January 22, 2007 1:01:00 AM