I’m glad Damian Green has been released on bail: this affair is quite worrying, and David Cameron is entitled to be angry and ask questions, I think. Home Office ministers in particular need to explain what if anything they knew about the arrest, and we need an explanation of why this happened on Sir Ian Blair’s last day in post. Is this simply a coincidence?
A sidelight, though. Politicians sink in the eyes of the public every time they appear to want special, different treatment from the rest of us; and there’s a nasty tendency of politicians, especially those in office, to want to protect politicians from legal sanctions while being quite content to see officials carry the can.
If what Damian Green did is all right in the public interest (and I’m instinctively sympathetic to him) then it must follow, mustn’t it, that what the Home Office official did is all right – the one who it seems may be accused of having passed papers to him? Yet we hear no complaints about his arrest and treatment. I expect to see Conservatives who back Damian Green also backing the civil servant – and telling us what they plan to do in office to reform the law on “leaks”.
‘I expect to see Conservatives who back Damian Green also backing the civil servant – and telling us what they plan to do in office to reform the law on “leaks”.’
what, as opposed to sniping and negative soundbites comparing brown to an alcoholic or drug addict? dream on. that would involve having a policy other than boris’ ‘i am here to protect the down-trodden minority on £150K’ bless!
Some Press reports say that Cameron, Brois Johnson and Michael Martin knew of this “raid” in advance but it is claimed that Brown and Jacqui Smith did not know. Now, members of the jury ….
IF illegal immigrants were (or are) being used in “security posts” then that is something which Parliament ought to know about. To attempt to keep that secret is scandalous.
Is the Civil Servant not bound contractually? And what about the Official Secrets Act in this connection? But this sets an interesting precedent in that Ministers have repeatedly leaked information – so what is their legal position?
Is it possible for one’s blood to boil and curdle simultaneously? I fear it is.
What’s most disturbing is Plod piling into Parliament and raiding his office while everyone else normally there was absent.
Don’t you understand that?
I don’t to be honest, Bob, no. I’m concerned about the Parliamentary privilege aspect, yes, but I don’t see it as the most important aspect of this – not by far. The important issue here is whether we want the current situation to continue – in which ministers are above the law and may leak government documents at will; whereas civil servants and now apparently MPs too are subject to criminal sanctions simply to protect closed and secretive government – post-FOI – regardless of where the public interest lies.
Unsworth, civil servants are bound contractually, yes, but I don’t see that as making any difference. I’m not suggesting the civil servant should be safe from sacking.
I am suggesting that if we think it’s wrong for an MP to be arrested for handling and publishing government information, then it’s incoherent to think it’s right for a civil servant to be arrested for disclosing that same information to the MP in the first place.
I think it misses the whole point if we focus entirely on the fact that this is an MP.
Is there any evidence that action has been or is going to be taken against the Civil Servant?