Plebgate

[removeduser_487563287433]

Background: The Conservative Chief Whip, Andrew Mitchell, was accused of calling a police officer guarding 10 Downing Street a "pleb" when he refused to open the main gate for him. The story broke when the official police log book was leaked (obviously by somebody within the police) to the press. Channel 4 claims that the police officer that leaked the document lied about being a member of the public when doing so.

Mitchell resigned, admitting he swore, but not directly at the officer and strongly denies the main accusation. He has now given an interview alleging he has been the victim of a "stitch-up".

And now it's gotten interesting: its looking increasingly like Mitchell is right: the police did falsify the log book in order to attack the Tories, who have made serious efforts to reform the police.

A week ago a police officer was arrested on suspicion of misconduct, and more recently than that CCTV footage has strongly backed Mitchell. Another man was arrested on the 19th December.

The Met Police Commissioner has cancelled his holiday, and the Police Federation are investigating.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20829901

So! What we have here is yet another Met Police conspiracy. The main lesson here is not to leap on any narrative that fits too easily in party political stereotyping on the basis of he said she said "evidence".

[Jack04]

The police have had a great year for cover-ups, why end in any other way?

I found it odd at the time how little support Mitchell seemed to receive from the rest of his party. It increasingly seems that politicians (of all parties) are now more worried about their immediate image than what has actually occurred with these scandals. Which is a little worrying.

[removeduser_487563287433]

The line from 10 Downing Street is that Mitchell was supported until he could no longer do the job. The fact that Mitchell's interview openly admits he was losing weight and too stressed to sleep or function normally does give some support to that. So if this is true, I think we have to accept that. The Chief Whip is an important person, and must be able to do his job. They supported Mitchell for a full month before accepting his resignation - I think it would be unfair to say the concern here was "immediate image".

[Jack04]

The line from 10 Downing Street is that Mitchell was supported until he could no longer do the job. The fact that Mitchell's interview openly admits he was losing weight and too stressed to sleep or function normally does give some support to that. So if this is true, I think we have to accept that. The Chief Whip is an important person, and must be able to do his job.

Ah, I was not aware of that. If that were the case there really wasn't any option.

They supported Mitchell for a full month before accepting his resignation - I think it would be unfair to say the concern here was "immediate image".

My memory was that there wasn't much in the way of public support from the government (whether they initially accepted his resignation or not), but there's every chance that I just wasn't paying enough attention...

I do wonder what will happen if his version of events does (as it seems it might) turn out to be true. When considered alongside the recent problems the police have faced with PR and their relationship with the government, the police unions might seriously struggle to resist changes (and the government will be hard-pressed not to implement some).

[removeduser_487563287433]

My memory was that there wasn't much in the way of public support from the government (whether they initially accepted his resignation or not), but there's every chance that I just wasn't paying enough attention...

I do wonder what will happen if his version of events does (as it seems it might) turn out to be true. When considered alongside the recent problems the police have faced with PR and their relationship with the government, the police unions might seriously struggle to resist changes (and the government will be hard-pressed not to implement some).

Well, this will lead to a shift in public perception against the police, but really - the last few years have made the MET look as corrupt as the old days. To review - they hid their IDs then beat protesters, one of them pushed over a man without provocation who then died as a consequence and then got a dodgy coroner to clear the officer who did it, they were being paid by Murdoch to leak details of cases concerning child murder/rape victims and they're actively trying to swing public political views by setting up politicians.

Will it be enough? No. There's a huge undercurrent in this country to be against the Tories and for the public sector, without thinking about it. But I think we need to wake up and be aware the MET police seem themselves as being above the people, not as serving them.

didn't care at the time, don't care now. Seriously even if he did yell at them what did it tell us we didn't already know?

Exhibit A.

Most politicians are .

Exhibit B.

[justicar5]

Well, this will lead to a shift in public perception against the police, but really - the last few years have made the MET look as corrupt as the old days. To review - they hid their IDs then beat protesters, one of them pushed over a man without provocation who then died as a consequence and then got a dodgy coroner to clear the officer who did it, they were being paid by Murdoch to leak details of cases concerning child murder/rape victims and they're actively trying to swing public political views by setting up politicians.

Will it be enough? No. There's a huge undercurrent in this country to be against the Tories and for the public sector, without thinking about it. But I think we need to wake up and be aware the MET police seem themselves as being above the people, not as serving them.



Exhibit A.



Exhibit B.

[King Gambrinus]

Non issue. Most politicians are . The police in Britain are a corrupt band of emotionally charged wallies. What has changed?

[justicar5]

didn't care at the time, don't care now. Seriously even if he did yell at them what did it tell us we didn't already know?

[John ''True Grit'' Wayne]

What is a pleb?What is wrong with the word?

[justicar5]

What is a pleb?What is wrong with the word?

plebeian. Posh way of saying worthless, unwashed, poor, to be despised etc etc. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pleb

[King Gambrinus]

What is a pleb?What is wrong with the word?

The politician calling somebody a pleb infers that that person is somehow inferior to him.

EDIT : Ferrets, are you implying Mitchell doesn't deserve what he's getting? He's the definition of a corrupt, arrogant, career politician. I have no sympathy for what the police have done to him whatsoever.

[John ''True Grit'' Wayne]

They all think this of us that is why the posh boys with their private schools need to be beaten and a revolution invoked.

Upperclassman: "He doesn't have an education and he has a crappy job that earns him very little money. He's such a Pleb"

Low class man stabs Upperclassman in the head.How do you like them eggs bro...

[King Gambrinus]

They all think this of us that is why the posh boys with their private schools need to be beaten and a revolution invoked.

Upperclassman: "He doesn't have an education and he has a crappy job that earns him very little money. He's such a Pleb"

Low class man stabs Upperclassman in the head.How do you like them eggs bro...

Let's not get ahead of ourselves. As Justicar just pointed out with that image, the Met police are far worse than the politicians (even if they are less hate-able). Beating up miners in the 70s, accusing any left-wing person with an irish name of being IRA, searching black people x times as often as white, shooting up black people (Mark Duggan), letting riots happen because some of their funding has been cut.

They are not trusted in London at all. That's why you have gangs.

[removeduser_487563287433]

Justicar. Guess what my reply is. It begins with a "s".

[justicar5]

Justicar. Guess what my reply is. It begins with a "s".

second word begins with u?

Let's not get ahead of ourselves. As Justicar just pointed out with that image, the Met police are far worse than the politicians (even if they are less hate-able). Beating up miners in the 70s, accusing any left-wing person with an irish name of being IRA, searching black people x times as often as white, shooting up black people (Mark Duggan), letting riots happen because some of their funding has been cut.

They are not trusted in London at all. That's why you have gangs.

Wouldn't blame them for gangs. Would blame them for alot of things, but the existence of thug culture isn't one of them. Gangs have always been around since before their where police.

[removeduser_487563287433]

second word begins with u?

Source it.

[Jack04]

Whilst there might be an undercurrent against the Tories, there appears to be a growing public distrust of the Met and, to a lesser extent, some other police authorities (South Yorkshire police spring immediately to mind, even if the reasons for it are not recent). I'm not sure the one necessarily defeats the other, as they are two independent public feelings.

[King Gambrinus]

Whilst there might be an undercurrent against the Tories, there appears to be a growing public distrust of the Met and, to a lesser extent, some other police authorities (South Yorkshire police spring immediately to mind, even if the reasons for it are not recent). I'm not sure the one necessarily defeats the other, as they are two independent public feelings.

It's the Tories fault the Met and South Yorkshire are in such positions. Thatcher gave them carte blanche and since then they've been demonised and rightly so.

[removeduser_487563287433]

Whilst there might be an undercurrent against the Tories, there appears to be a growing public distrust of the Met and, to a lesser extent, some other police authorities (South Yorkshire police spring immediately to mind, even if the reasons for it are not recent). I'm not sure the one necessarily defeats the other, as they are two independent public feelings.

I don't think they are independent. The police are the public sector, the Tories the public sector boogeymen. To disassociate the two in the current climate is impossible.

[justicar5]

Source it.

ah yea, usually when people do that it's a veiled insult :p. http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datab...e-custody-data