« The Governor Is Missing | Main | A Question Of War Crimes »

01 Dec 2008 08:32 am

The British Police State

If you are a member of parliament and get access to secret documents revealing that the government is immensely incompetent, get ready to be arrested. The outrage is just beginning:

The arrest of Damian Green last Thursday, his subsequent detention and interrogation, together with the police search of his home and his office in the Palace of Westminster, constitute the most serious breach of the privilege of Parliament in modern times. At least eight senior figures in the British Establishment were involved; they either initiated the action, agreed to it, conducted it, or allowed it to continue. Not one of them seems to have understood how serious a “high crime or misdemeanour” they were conspiring to commit.

The legal immunity of members of parliament, when exposing government incompetence or malfeasance is an ancient liberty secured by Englishmen against the prerogative of the Crown. No, we're not going back to the days of Charles I, but if you think modern governments aren't as liable to violating freedom as the worst in the past, you're misreading human nature.

Permalink :: Trackback (0) :: Sphere It! ::

Share This