So what is Smith saying ?
Jacqui Smith ( your mates Mum who Gordon Brown thought would be a good woman - ie not Harriet Harman - to be Home Sec ) is trying to smear Damian Green - suggesting darkly that there is more to this than the media are reporting ( hey does that prejudice any subsequent legal action just to provide political cover for herself ? ) and talk about systemic leaks. That is to suggest a plot to let the public know what their government is doing.
Given that this level of leaks is not unprecedented and that her boss was at the receiving end of many of them before 1997 this is a bit rich.
What's the argument for the police informing Boris Johnson and David Cameron - but leaving the hands of the Home Sec clean from any actual knowledge ?
Perhaps it was a political trap by Labour to try and get senior Conservative people warning Damian Green ?
It is certain that the attack on Parliament is unprecedented, except back to the days before the English civil war ( which was fought and won to stop exactly this sort of thing ).
I personally believe Mrs Smith is not being straight with us.
Update: Iain Dale has a good point about if the Home Sec has authorised a bug on Damian Green's phone by signing the warrant. This is going to run and run.
4 comments:
The bug would seem to be indicated.
This, is an engineered event in the true sense of the word.
Information leaked, leaked information sent to press, public embarrassment for the ruling party.
Ruling party let leaks continue, call in police. Police to arrest MP involved, spark public debate.
Much outrage, Parliament being violated, confidentiality of MP's breached, blah blah.
Leader of House, Harriet Harmen then states on Sky news.
There were "very big constitutional principles" that needed to be safeguarded, Ms Harman added, including the rights of MPs to get on with their job without interference from the law.
And she said Speaker Michael Martin should look at how police are able to enter the Palace of Westminster once the investigation into Home Office leaks is concluded.
Next week expect to hear in Queens speech new laws to protect the 'rights' of MP's and to exclude them from laws that have been written for the rest of us.
In effect, to place MP's above the law, by law.
IanPJ - I think that's a more sinister explanation that I've managed so far.
Of course it probably requires collaboration between the two main parties.
Lets see what turns up in the Queens speech, or shortly thereafter, especially if MP's are looking to disrupt the opening of Parliament to make their point.
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