The Real Andrew Mitchell?

[DanaC]

So, Romney put his foot in it recently and seemingly revealed more about his opinions than might have been wise, dismissive as they were of almost half the American people.

Conservatives in the UK have been at great pains to ensure that they are not perceived as out of touch rich boys, unable to imagine, let alone empathise with, the lives of ordinary working people.

And then the Conservative Govt Chief Whip got into a minor wrangle with the police officers who guard the entrance to Downing Street.

The Daily Telegraph today publishes in full the 442-word police log of the incident in which the Conservative Chief Whip abused officers after being asked to use a side gate. David Cameron defied calls for an official investigation into the incident after Sir Jeremy Heywood, the Cabinet Secretary, discussed the matter with Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner.

But Downing Street struggled to draw a line under the scandal and aides admitted that the Prime Minister had not read the official police record.

Mr Mitchell has admitted swearing at the officers but denies calling them “plebs”. The police record, a contemporaneous note of the incident, clearly records him having used the term amid a flurry of expletives.

It details that, last Wednesday evening, Mr Mitchell was speaking to a female Pc, who is named in the log, “demanding exit through the main vehicle gate into Whitehall.” The Chief Whip was told that it was “policy” for cyclists to use a pedestrian gate but claimed that he “always used the main gates” and initially refused to do otherwise.

A colleague of the female officer who wrote the incident report continues: “After several refusals Mr Mitchell got off his bike and walked to the pedestrian gate with me after I again offered to open that for him. “There were several members of public present as is the norm opposite the pedestrian gate and as we neared it, Mr Mitchell said: 'Best you learn your f------ place . . . you don’t run this f------ government . . . you’re f------ plebs.’ ”

The officer noted that members of the public looked “visibly shocked” by Mr Mitchell’s language and the Chief Whip was warned that he if he continued to swear he would be arrested under the Public Order Act.

The police record notes: “Mr Mitchell was then silent and left saying 'you haven’t heard the last of this’ as he cycled off.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/poli...pleb-rant.html

He's admitted to being rude to the police, but denies the specific wording recorded by the police in their notebooks during the incident. The police officers concerned are adamant that the wording is accurate.

[Lamplighter]

I seldom hear the word "pleb" in my world
... maybe it's because we can't spell it and we all are one.

But is any expletive an utterance that the "perp" should be allowed to take back ?
I admit to the occasional use of expletives, even in some most awkward
of social circumstances
... and usually immediately wish I hadn't.

Maybe on reflection, Mr Mitchell will also become a little more repentant.

[DanaC]

The expletives aren't anywhere near as damaging as the word pleb. It just underlines the class issue.

[Sundae]

I finally agree with Boris Johnson on something.
Good for him on not retracting his previous opinion on people who verbally harrass the police when they are simply doing their job. I don't necessarily agree that people should be arrested, but the fact Boris is on record saying they should, means at least he doesn't about-face when another Tory is involved.

Then again, I've recently understood how much of a political animal Boris is, beneath the buffoonery. He has Cameron in his sights. Something I would not have considered only a few years ago.

[DanaC]

Boris is a very clever man. He's also a buffoon, but he is very, very clever.

[Cyber Wolf]

Originally Posted by DanaC

With a parting line like that, I fully expect this guy to have an evil underground lair somewhere, staffed with minions of citizens who, as he said, learned their place.

[DanaC]

Been meaning to post about this for weeks. There's a Dispatches documentary on tonight (rfn) looking into the aftermath.

So...it turns out that he never said 'pleb' at all. He didn;t say half the things he's accused of saying. He did get a bit narky with the police and he swore, but the words attributed to him were false.

The so-called 'eye witness' who wrote to the chief whip claiming to be a member of the public and a constituent of the chief whip was in fact a serving police officer and not present during the incident.

Basically, the guy was totally stitched up by police officers who were pissed off with the way the government was treating the police force.

It was believable to many (including me) that he would have used the word 'pleb' and that this showed his underlying attitude towards ordinary working people. It was also profoundly damaging. To Mitchell's career (he resigned his cabinet position over it), to his party (the cabinet is dominated by old etonian millionaires so anything that illustrates the profound disconnect between the worlds of the governnment and the governed tends to have legs) and the confidence of the police force (they are, like all public sector workers facing cuts, shake ups and redundancies, and a lot of police were understandably hurt, offended and upset at the apparent disdain of those they answer to).

The officer who claimed to be an eyewitness is being prosecuted. Another three (I think) officers are under investigation for leaking reports to the press.

Mitchell will recover his career, possibly, but will he end up back in the cabinet? Much as I dislike the man and his politics, he has been utterly shafted. Not just by the police and the newpaper that published the police reports, but by Downing Street, who once they had the evidence available to them, instead of supporting their man, chose to bury the CCTV that would have cleared him. Refusing at first to even let him see the CCTV on the grounds of 'national security'. They just wanted him to go away and stop being a news story.

[Sundae]

Tcha. Various Tory and Labour "villians" have been snuck back into powerful roles.
If he's needed he'll be back. Cecil "Shagger" Parkinson anyone? The Beast of Bolsover for another?

I feel for him that's he was dunned by the Police.
But how many career criminals are imprisoned on false evidence because the Police can't get them on anything legitimate at the time?

[DanaC]

Well, true. This will have damaged the police - inasmuch as it provides yet more confirmation that as an organisation they're lying twats - if further proof were needed.


As for returning to cabinet...yeah, actually, I think you're right. If he wants it he'll be able to get back in.

Jesus look at Mandy...he was on a piece of fucking elastic.

[Sundae]

But he came and he gave without taking.

[DanaC]

Hahahahaha Not an image I want in my head.

And he's a Fighter, not a Quitter! Apparently.