The idea that the police, on the orders of an opposing political party, can invade an MP’s office and seize and disclose to the public any material it hopes might blacken his name is worthy of a totalitarian regime. Even if there was cause to suspect document theft, the purloining of unrelated material against a rainy day is hardly ethical policing.
Indeed. All we have is police officers claiming that this is true – we do not have evidence of inappropriate behaviour by Green. Quite apart from there having been no criminal activity, Green is unable to defend the claims. This is the police behaving reprehensibly and involving themselves in politics. Indeed, such is my mistrust, I simply no longer believe that they are trustworthy or act in the public interest. I am more inclined to believe Damian Green and he is a politician.
Lewis, who retired from the Metropolitan police in 2014, claimed the device contained thousands of thumbnail images of legal pornography.
He now faces a Scotland Yard investigation into his decision to go public. The Met responded to his intervention by saying: “Confidential information gathered during a police inquiry should not be made public.”
Quite right, too. This man should face criminal proceedings pour encourager les autres. It is he, not Green, that is the one who has behaved badly here. This was not, and never should have been, a police matter. If there was any impropriety proven, then it was a matter for Green’s employer and no one else.
Last time I looked, being in possession of legal pornography (ie girlie mags type material) is not an offence. Was it ever an offence? If these images in whatever form are on his PC at work then he has still not broken any law, although he may have breached HoC IT policy – but that’s not the same thing is it.
If the images are on any device owned by Green – then there is nothing anybody can do about it – and quite right too.
This is the sort of sh1t politicians lower themselves to, and then they wonder why we treat them with disdain and contempt.
Quite so. However, the police are way beneath contempt here. Even more so than the politicians.
The unholy trio of Blair, Campbell & Mandelson politicised our once impartial police force into the travesty it’s become. Together with vast swathes of our civil service, they have become a private army of the liberal left. The only qualifications for progress now are being an SJW with a Guardian-reading mindset.
I fear for the future.
“…it was a matter for Green’s employer and no one else.”
I agree.
These MPs, do they still work for us? 😉
But is it relevant? Does it have any effect on what he does? Should we care? And, importantly, was it his browsing history anyway?
What happened to RIPA? The DPA? The even tougher, ‘more teeth’ GDPR coming in the New Year?
Dear Mr Longrider
“then it was a matter for Green’s employer and no one else.”
Purely as a matter of interest, who is Green’s employer?
DP
Ultimately us. However, IPSA would deal with it on our behalf. The only time the matter should be in the public domain is subsequent to any enquiry and the allegations proven. The Fuzz leaking it to the newspapers is outrageous and is a blatant attempt at smearing.
Perhaps the Police should raid Lewis’ home without a warrant, consficate his computer and tell everyone how much porn *he* has on his computer…