High crimes and breach of parliamentary privilege
Keith Parkins | 28.11.2008 16:51 | SOCPA | Repression | Social Struggles | Terror War
'A 52-year-old man . . . has been arrested on suspicion of conspiring to commit misconduct in a public office and aiding and abetting, counselling or procuring misconduct in a public office.' -- Metropolitan Police
'The fundamental duty of the Metropolitan Police is to protect Londoners from harm, not the Government from political embarrassment.' -- Liberty director Shami Chakrabarti
I never thought the day would come when I turned on my radio and hear that a senior opposition politician had been arrested for a political crime. When I heard last night that Damian Green, Conservative front bench spokesman had been arrested and held for nine hours, I thought I must have misheard the report, but no, it was true.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7753763.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7753557.stm
His alleged crime, handing out passes to terrorists so they could gain access to Parliament, passing nuclear secrets to Iran, tipping off drug dealers? Er no, embarrassing the Home Secretary by publishing a leaked report that showed she knew that illegal immigrants had been security cleared to work in sensitive government departments including the Home Office. In other words he was doing his job and holding the government to account.
When I heard what had happened and realised it was indeed true, it sent a chill down my spine. This was like a throw back to Nazi Germany or Stalinist Russia or today in Zimbabwe or China.
Damian Green had his home, his constituency and parliamentary offices raided by police, including anti-terrorism officers. According to Tony Benn who has spoken to Damien Green, the police rifled through his hard drive on his computer, riffled through his papers. He was arrested and held for nine hours for questioning. He has been released on Police Bail pending further questioning in February.
We are asked to believe the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith did not know. We are asked to believe she did not not know when it was the Permanent Under-Secretary at the Home Office who called in the police. If she did not know then there is a serious lack of accountability at the Home Office.
Mayor Boris was told, the Speaker's Office was told, the Sergeant at Arms was told.
Protesters and demonstrators are used to being fair game, as we have seen with the EDO demonstrations in Brighton, the banning of the film of these demonstration, the over-the-top policing at the Climate Camp this summer, at ID Card actions this week, the harassment of Brian Haw for having the audacity to protest the illegal Iraq War.
http://www.schnews.org.uk/pages_merchandise/merchandise_video.html#verge
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/413545.html?c=on
The arrest of Damien Green is to ratchet up the oppression a notch.
According to Tony Benn speaking on the BBC Radio 4 lunchtime news The World at One, this was a serious breach of parliamentary privilege, that it was a high crime to interfere with a witness to Parliament.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/news/wato/
Was it one last throw of the dice, two fingers from the disgraced Metropolitan Police Chief Sir Ian Blair who stepped down today?
Only recently The Independent reported that the Parliamentary Intelligence Select Committee wanted to bring in censorship to stop any report damaging to the national interest, ie government interest.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/mps-seek-to-censor-the-media-1006607.html
We are seeing serious abuses of anti-terrorist legislation.
Councils are using anti-terrorist legislation to spy on people putting their rubbish out.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1082225/March-dustbin-Stasi-Half-councils-use-anti-terror-laws-watch-people-putting-rubbish-wrong-day.html
All 46 schools in Aldershot and Farnborough are being placed under secret surveillance to catch any parent who may dare to drop their children off at the school gates. The evidence will then be used to issue an on-the-spot fine.
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/10/412020.html
You cannot protest outside Parliament without police permission.
Student filmmakers were recently stopped from filming in Parliament Square.
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/412849.html?c=on
http://www.schnews.org.uk/archive/news6565.php
A 15-year-old was detained by PCSOs at Wimbledon station as a terrorist suspect for taking pictures of the station.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1081995/Schoolboy-15-held-terror-suspect-taking-photos-railway-station-GCSE-project.html
A man was questioned by a female PCSO outside Leatherhead Station for taking pictures outside the station. At the time his camera was pointing away from the station!
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/412630.html?c=on
Plane spotters outside Farnborough Airport are being questioned and searched using terrorism legislation.
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/10/411431.html?c=on
There is legislation passing through Parliament that will make it a criminal offence with a ten year sentence to take a photo of a constable, ie a serving police officer.
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/412187.html?c=on
The government plans a massive data base that will record all our phone calls, text messages and Internet activity.
It will be a requirement to produce a passport or National ID card to obtain a pay-as-you-go mobile phone.
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/10/411302.html?c=on
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article4969312.ece
Citizens outside of the EU visiting the UK as of this week will be required to fingerprinted, be interrogated and be issued with an ID card containing biometric data.
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/413545.html?c=on
False information or even out-of-date information on an ID Card will lead to a thousand pound fine.
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/413420.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7742619.stm
At a recent meeting in Guildford hosted by Amnesty International to mark 60 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, veteran peace campaigner Bruce Kent spoke of his grave concern at the erosion of our freedoms. He was right to be concerned.
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/413630.html
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/412630.html?c=on
http://www.schnews.org.uk/archive/news6565.php
websites
http://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk/
http://www.defy-id.org.uk/
http://www.no2id.net/
background and reference
A £1,000 fine for wrong ID details, BBC news on-line, 21 November 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7742619.stm
James Chapman and Ian Drury, Terror of Tory MP's daughter as NINE anti-terror police raid his home over 'immigration leaks to media', Mail online, 28 November 2008
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1090062/Terror-Tory-MPs-daughter-NINE-anti-terror-police-raid-home-immigration-leaks-media.html
Cross-party fury over MP's arrest, BBC news on-line, 28 November 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7753763.stm
Francis Elliot and Richard Ford, Tory frontbench MP Damian Green arrested over leaks, Times online, 28 November 2008
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article5248278.ece
ID Card rollout meets resistance, Indymedia UK, 25 November 2008
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/413545.html?c=on
Liberty concerned about heavy-handed tactics against opposition politician, Liberty press release, 28 November 2008
http://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk/news-and-events/1-press-releases/2008/damien-green-s-arrest.shtml
Keith Parkins, Farnborough Airport 'terrorist' plane spotters, Indymedia UK, 23 October 2008
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/10/411431.html?c=on
Keith Parkins, Big Brother targets the school run, Indymedia UK, 31 October 2008
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/10/412020.html
Keith Parkins, The surveillance state, Indymedia UK, 10 November 2008
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/412630.html?c=on
Keith Parkins, 60 Years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Indymedia UK, 26 November 2008
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/413630.html
Kim Sengupta, MPs seek to censor the media, The Independent, 10 November 2008
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/mps-seek-to-censor-the-media-1006607.html
Senior Tory arrested over leaks, BBC news online, 28 November 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7753557.stm
'The fundamental duty of the Metropolitan Police is to protect Londoners from harm, not the Government from political embarrassment.' -- Liberty director Shami Chakrabarti
I never thought the day would come when I turned on my radio and hear that a senior opposition politician had been arrested for a political crime. When I heard last night that Damian Green, Conservative front bench spokesman had been arrested and held for nine hours, I thought I must have misheard the report, but no, it was true.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7753763.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7753557.stm His alleged crime, handing out passes to terrorists so they could gain access to Parliament, passing nuclear secrets to Iran, tipping off drug dealers? Er no, embarrassing the Home Secretary by publishing a leaked report that showed she knew that illegal immigrants had been security cleared to work in sensitive government departments including the Home Office. In other words he was doing his job and holding the government to account.
When I heard what had happened and realised it was indeed true, it sent a chill down my spine. This was like a throw back to Nazi Germany or Stalinist Russia or today in Zimbabwe or China.
Damian Green had his home, his constituency and parliamentary offices raided by police, including anti-terrorism officers. According to Tony Benn who has spoken to Damien Green, the police rifled through his hard drive on his computer, riffled through his papers. He was arrested and held for nine hours for questioning. He has been released on Police Bail pending further questioning in February.
We are asked to believe the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith did not know. We are asked to believe she did not not know when it was the Permanent Under-Secretary at the Home Office who called in the police. If she did not know then there is a serious lack of accountability at the Home Office.
Mayor Boris was told, the Speaker's Office was told, the Sergeant at Arms was told.
Protesters and demonstrators are used to being fair game, as we have seen with the EDO demonstrations in Brighton, the banning of the film of these demonstration, the over-the-top policing at the Climate Camp this summer, at ID Card actions this week, the harassment of Brian Haw for having the audacity to protest the illegal Iraq War.
http://www.schnews.org.uk/pages_merchandise/merchandise_video.html#verge http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/413545.html?c=on The arrest of Damien Green is to ratchet up the oppression a notch.
According to Tony Benn speaking on the BBC Radio 4 lunchtime news The World at One, this was a serious breach of parliamentary privilege, that it was a high crime to interfere with a witness to Parliament.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/news/wato/ Was it one last throw of the dice, two fingers from the disgraced Metropolitan Police Chief Sir Ian Blair who stepped down today?
Only recently The Independent reported that the Parliamentary Intelligence Select Committee wanted to bring in censorship to stop any report damaging to the national interest, ie government interest.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/mps-seek-to-censor-the-media-1006607.html We are seeing serious abuses of anti-terrorist legislation.
Councils are using anti-terrorist legislation to spy on people putting their rubbish out.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1082225/March-dustbin-Stasi-Half-councils-use-anti-terror-laws-watch-people-putting-rubbish-wrong-day.html All 46 schools in Aldershot and Farnborough are being placed under secret surveillance to catch any parent who may dare to drop their children off at the school gates. The evidence will then be used to issue an on-the-spot fine.
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/10/412020.html You cannot protest outside Parliament without police permission.
Student filmmakers were recently stopped from filming in Parliament Square.
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/412849.html?c=on http://www.schnews.org.uk/archive/news6565.php A 15-year-old was detained by PCSOs at Wimbledon station as a terrorist suspect for taking pictures of the station.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1081995/Schoolboy-15-held-terror-suspect-taking-photos-railway-station-GCSE-project.html A man was questioned by a female PCSO outside Leatherhead Station for taking pictures outside the station. At the time his camera was pointing away from the station!
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/412630.html?c=on Plane spotters outside Farnborough Airport are being questioned and searched using terrorism legislation.
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/10/411431.html?c=on There is legislation passing through Parliament that will make it a criminal offence with a ten year sentence to take a photo of a constable, ie a serving police officer.
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/412187.html?c=on The government plans a massive data base that will record all our phone calls, text messages and Internet activity.
It will be a requirement to produce a passport or National ID card to obtain a pay-as-you-go mobile phone.
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/10/411302.html?c=on http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article4969312.ece Citizens outside of the EU visiting the UK as of this week will be required to fingerprinted, be interrogated and be issued with an ID card containing biometric data.
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/413545.html?c=on False information or even out-of-date information on an ID Card will lead to a thousand pound fine.
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/413420.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7742619.stm At a recent meeting in Guildford hosted by Amnesty International to mark 60 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, veteran peace campaigner Bruce Kent spoke of his grave concern at the erosion of our freedoms. He was right to be concerned.
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/413630.html http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/412630.html?c=on http://www.schnews.org.uk/archive/news6565.php websites
http://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk/ http://www.defy-id.org.uk/ http://www.no2id.net/ background and reference
A £1,000 fine for wrong ID details, BBC news on-line, 21 November 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7742619.stm James Chapman and Ian Drury, Terror of Tory MP's daughter as NINE anti-terror police raid his home over 'immigration leaks to media', Mail online, 28 November 2008
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1090062/Terror-Tory-MPs-daughter-NINE-anti-terror-police-raid-home-immigration-leaks-media.html Cross-party fury over MP's arrest, BBC news on-line, 28 November 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7753763.stm Francis Elliot and Richard Ford, Tory frontbench MP Damian Green arrested over leaks, Times online, 28 November 2008
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article5248278.ece ID Card rollout meets resistance, Indymedia UK, 25 November 2008
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/413545.html?c=on Liberty concerned about heavy-handed tactics against opposition politician, Liberty press release, 28 November 2008
http://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk/news-and-events/1-press-releases/2008/damien-green-s-arrest.shtml Keith Parkins, Farnborough Airport 'terrorist' plane spotters, Indymedia UK, 23 October 2008
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/10/411431.html?c=on Keith Parkins, Big Brother targets the school run, Indymedia UK, 31 October 2008
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/10/412020.html Keith Parkins, The surveillance state, Indymedia UK, 10 November 2008
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/412630.html?c=on Keith Parkins, 60 Years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Indymedia UK, 26 November 2008
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/413630.html Kim Sengupta, MPs seek to censor the media, The Independent, 10 November 2008
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/mps-seek-to-censor-the-media-1006607.html Senior Tory arrested over leaks, BBC news online, 28 November 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7753557.stm
Keith Parkins
Comments
Hide the following 7 comments
Same shit
29.11.2008 10:47
Winston Smith
Conspiracy
29.11.2008 10:50
Winston Smith
interesting timing
29.11.2008 14:08
It coincided with Sir Ian Blair standing down as chief cop Metropolitan Police. It also coincided with the House of Commons not sitting. Had the Commons been sitting an emergency debate would have been forced.
Friday morning Sir Ian Blair was on the Today programme complaining of the politicisation of the Police. There has been no senior police officer more political than Blair. Was the arrest of Damian Green not a political act?
Presumably what Blair was complaining about was the power of politicians to sack incompetent police chiefs. Like himself maybe?
Keith
Police State now official
29.11.2008 14:09
'Where have the priorities of the Metropolitan Police gone? It would have been perfectly possible for a couple of policeman to have interviewed him in the office. He is an MP - he's not going to flee the country. For five years, I have avoided using the term 'police state' because I think it is an over-the-top term, but the kind of things we have seen today are the kind of thing you see in a police state or a banana republic, not in Britain.' -- Former shadow home secretary David Davis MP
'None of this put in any way national intelligence, national security, or international relations at risk - yet we end up with a situation that is in some way reminiscent of Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe, with an opposition spokesman being arrested for nine hours. It is extraordinary, frankly.'-- Former shadow home secretary David Davis MP
'Once the police can interfere with Parliament, we are into the police state. Parliament is a safeguard against the abuse of power and once you start clamping down on it you are saying goodbye to the freedom it gives you.' – Tony Benn
On Any Questions (BBC Radio 4 Friday night repeated Saturday lunchtime) Geoff Hoon talked a load of garbage on doctor-patient confidentiality and of the confessional, the implication being this applied to Ministers.
He seemed to forget, the government be it national or local, is there to serve the people. What we require is greater openness and transparency, not more secrecy.
The police raid on Damian Green using anti-terrorism officers and if reports are true involvement of Special Branch was a fishing expedition, it was also clearly intended to intimidate. According to a report in the Evening Standard, they took away for examination his computers and mobile phone.
The raid was intended to send out a message to the country: you mess with us and we will be round in our jackboots. If so, then it has spectacularly backfired, as it has alerted the country to the fact that we are living in a Police State, something no amount of beating up of demonstrators has managed to do as they can always be dismissed as a bunch of troublemakers who had it coming to them.
And what was the heinous crime that Damian Green was accused of that needed anti-terrorist police to attend, that resulted in his files being taken away, his e-mail account blocked, nine hours under police detention - "aiding and abetting misconduct in a public office". The maximum sentence for which is life imprisonment!
Instead of harassing lawful protest, intimidating a Member of Parliament, should the police not be dealing with the real threat of Muslim terrorism? Or was that a Bogeyman invented to justify Draconian legislation to control the population and an excuse to mount illegal foreign wars?
On a day when innocent civilians were being slaughtered by terrorists in India, the best our anti-terrorist officers could do was to intimidate a parliamentarian for embarrassing the Home Secretary.
Dating from the time of Charles I when armed men entered Parliament to arrest five MPs, it is a "high crime and misdemeanour" to interfere with the lawful activities of an MP. These are hard won priveleges. The Speaker of the House should be put on trial, and at the very least put on trial
Keith
Further press coverage
29.11.2008 14:18
James Chapman, Most shocking 6 hours of my life, Mail on-line, 29 November 2008
Damian Green arrest is affront to Parliament, Telegraph on-line, 29 November 2008
Leading article: Our freedoms under threat, Independent online, 29 November 2008
Nicholas Watt, Sandra Laville and Alan Travis, Blunkett leads attack against police 'overkill' after Green's arrest, Guardia online, 29 November 2008
Keith
Indymedia UK coverage
29.11.2008 14:48
Keith
Not new at all - it's the style thats changed
29.11.2008 16:47
What is different is the style - a poster above mentions Special Branch - in London they don't exist any more - all that is left is the Counter Terrorist Command and they have only one way of working - kick the door in and seize everything.
This might be usefully for any opposition Home Affairs spokespersons to remember when they come to power.
A F Williamson