Damian Green: Smith Refuses to Apologise
Nov 30th, 2008 • Category: Lead Story, UK Liberties: General
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith was interviewed on the BBC Andrew Marr show this morning. Marr repeatedly asked her directly if she would apologise to Damian Green and his family for the recent controversial arrest.
She refused.
Smith used the argument that a minister shouldn’t interfere with operational police matters in a particular investigation. The police should be independent of the government.
She’s quite right about that and I agree. But it doesn’t remove the requirement for, if not an apology, at least an expression of regret.
Smith’s whole approach was defiant. She gave the impression of not even understanding why people are upset. As such she implicitly condoned the police action.
The issue here is bigger than the arrest of Damian Green, that’s just a symptom of a wider problem. The issue is what’s happened to the UK under New Labour. It’s because of the illiberal, authoritarian approach taken by successive Home Secretaries that the police thought themselves justified in taking the action they did. Labour’s constant chipping away at our civil liberties has made thinkable the once unthinkable.
By refusing to even express regret about this latest small step towards a police state Smith has simply underlined the danger her party represents to British freedom.
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This arrest was under a law that existed before New Labour came to power, by the same organisation that has always been used when investigating members of parliament (The Flying Squad, now incorporated in SOCA). It was not ordered (and could not be ordered) by government. The same police force has, in recent years, made similar arrests of New Labour officials (though not, AFAIK, members of parliament). Civil servants were charged and imprisoned for revealing secrets before New Labour came to power.
So how do you deduce that this is all a result of “What’s happening to the UK under New Labour”?
I am not trying to defend New Labour on ID cards, on detention without trial, etc. I do think that a ex-PR man who is now leader of the opposition is making great play of something that also happened when his party was last in power and would happen if he were in power now.
Yes, governments have always tried to get revenge on leaking civil servants but arresting an MP over a matter such as this is, I believe, a new thing. As to the officers involved, I disagree. Sir Paul Stephenson said:
“In 2006 the Special Branch amalgamated with the Anti-Terrorist Branch to become the Counter Terrorism Command. Investigations of this nature, which previously were always carried out by Special Branch are now within the CTC remit even though they are not related to terrorism” (source).
An example of anti-terror measures seeping into civil life under New Labour.
My argument is that New Labour have created an atmosphere in which the police consider this arrest acceptable. The government didn’t order it but they’ve created the conditions for it to happen - whatever the party of the MP concerned.
The police in the ’70s and ’80s were hardly champions of liberty, however I believe even they would have baulked at the idea of using an obscure common law offence as an excuse to search without a warrant the Westminster offices of an MP. The constant erosion of civil liberties has brought us to a position where this sort of thing takes place.
And yes, the Tories are making the most of it. However the anger amongst MPs does seem pretty cross party.