28 November, 2008

UK: Terror Police

The news that the Shadow Immigration Minister, Damian Green, has been arrested by counter terrorism police is genuinely staggering.

Green has received on a number of occasions government documents and released them to the press. These include a memo by the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith to the effect that crime was likely to rise in the recession.

I am not quite sure what crime Green is alleged to have committed - the police say 'aiding and abetting misconduct in a public office' which would seem to indict the entire parliamentary Labour Party. What is most disturbing is that the arrest seems to have taken place under anti-terrorism laws. Police were permitted by the Speaker and the Commons authorities to search Mr Green's House of Commons Office, which I should have thought carried grave constitutional implications.

Points to note are that one of the aggrieved parties is the Home Secretary who would presumably have authorised this and that it was the last day at work for Sir Ian Blair, the outgoing Commissioner for the Metropolitan Police.

When people complain that we are giving too much power to the Executive under the Anti-Terrorism measures they are told they are being soft on terror. When the government uses anti-terrorism measures to pursue its agenda on something other than terror,, we are surely justified in questioning the whole edifice.

Forward Mr Cameron. Let's get to the bottom of this.

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