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UK PoliGAF thread of tell me about the rabbits again, Dave.

Enjoying Coked Out Osborne making the rounds

sbp5TSG.gif

My first thought was that this might be a good reaction gif, then I realised I had no idea what sort of reaction this would be trying to convey.

I've watched it loop a few times and there's about ten different things all going on at once.
 

kmag

Member
So Theresa May continues her fantastic reign at the home office. This time using a questionable legal opinion to keep negative reports from the Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigation about her departments performance sitting on her desk and not being laid before Parliament.

It's amazing to think a couple of months ago people were seriously considering her a viable Tory Leadership candidate. She's presided over a litany of fuckups, her only saving grace is her ability to do a good politicians apology but then she's had a shit load of practice at it.
 

War Peaceman

You're a big guy.
That's the Home Office for you. It is always like that. Probably why only two Home Secretaries in the last 100+ years have gone on to become PM (Churchill and Callaghan).

Yes, I said this a while back. She may be bad but the department is a disaster, having had family and family friends work in it over the last few decades. Her validity as a prime ministerial candidate is precisely because she has survived these screw ups.
 

Maledict

Member
So Theresa May continues her fantastic reign at the home office. This time using a questionable legal opinion to keep negative reports from the Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigation about her departments performance sitting on her desk and not being laid before Parliament.

It's amazing to think a couple of months ago people were seriously considering her a viable Tory Leadership candidate. She's presided over a litany of fuckups, her only saving grace is her ability to do a good politicians apology but then she's had a shit load of practice at it.

My money is still on her getting it. this stuff just isn't sticking to her, and her (bold) tactic of really challenging the police over some very sensitive issues seems to go down incredibly well.
 
So apparently a crowd has gathered outside Charing Cross police station protesting against Ferguson chanting 'killer police off our streets'.

I weep for the stupidity of some people I really do.

I'm sure it'll grab as much attention as the Million Mask March did with it's inevitable social stereotypes and bongos.
 

Maledict

Member
Virgin and Stagecoach have won the East Coast mainline contract. That's the line that went back into public ownership in 2009 and since then has been the best performing line in the country.

As someone who uses Virgin to back to Lancashire every so often, I can only presume this was due to bribery or corruption. They are, without a doubt, the most shit , unpleasant and awful company I have dealt with who clearly don't give a fuck about their customers. I was late to my grandmothers funeral thanks to them lying to me.
 

Jezbollah

Member
So along with the Smith Commission report, Cameron is now starting to push on the Devolution/West Lothian Question again. I think this is the start of one of the main threads going into next year's election.
 
To be fair, how would you look after having to sit across from Miliband and Balls every Wednesday *shudders*

Arguably, he's in between a rock and a hard place. Opposite him lies a pair of neurotics, and he has had to listen to his boss talk them down for about 4-5 years. It's a miserable job, for certain. :p
 

RedShift

Member
Lord Ashcroft polling showing Clegg is only 3 points ahead of Labour in Sheffield Hallam.

Would a leader of one of the big three parties losing their seat be unprecedented? Not to mention a deputy PM.
 

Maledict

Member
So apparently a crowd has gathered outside Charing Cross police station protesting against Ferguson chanting 'killer police off our streets'.

I weep for the stupidity of some people I really do.

You are aware there have been a number of deaths in met police custody of black men over the last 5 years, some in extremely peculiar circumstances? And some, such as Sean Rigg, in circumstances where the independent report found the police directly responsible after giving false evidence under oath? That the number of death is wildly out of proportion to the population? That there are a number of ongoing campaigns around this issue and that they are using the Ferguson incident as a trigger to highlight the issues within our own police force?

I work with the police literally every day in my job, and there are many fine, brilliantly dedicated cops, but I can also see why certain communities would be incredibly suspicious and unhappy with the police.
 

Lear

Member
Hahahaha! All the shit the papers spewed how he never said it and it was a police cover up etc. Fucking superb.

Costs are probably going to be absolutely ruinous for Mitchell. The Police Federation have racked up ~£1 million and god knows how much News Group have spent. QCs for both are saying they want £200k interim payment within 14 days.
 

Nicktendo86

Member
Hahahaha Mitchell has to pick up the costs of £300k, what a prick.

Holy shit costs are that much? Lawers in my form ate not charging enough it seems!
 
Osborne probably fucked up on some Benzos in that gif to be honest.

Hell if I had to sit through PMQs every week I would want to be fucked up too.
 
I don't get the ruling. I mean, the guy very clearly lied about certain aspects, ie there being a shocked crowd who heard it when the CCTV revealed there was no one there. I can only assume the Judge knows something we don't.

He also basically called the Policeman a moron.
 

Nicktendo86

Member
Yeah the judge's verdict was basically the policeman was too thick to think up the word pleb so Mitchell probably did say it. Whatever you think of Mitchell (and he is a twat) that is bollocks.
 

kmag

Member
Yeah the judge's verdict was basically the policeman was too thick to think up the word pleb so Mitchell probably did say it. Whatever you think of Mitchell (and he is a twat) that is bollocks.

Simple rule of thumb, don't bring a libel case unless you have overwhelming proof preferably of the written kind. If it's a he said she said you'll typically lose, and losing a libel case can be ruinous. There's a reason carter ruck only end up in court in under 20% of their cases
 
I don't get the ruling. I mean, the guy very clearly lied about certain aspects, ie there being a shocked crowd who heard it when the CCTV revealed there was no one there. I can only assume the Judge knows something we don't.

He also basically called the Policeman a moron.

I might be wrong here but wasn't it another police officer who emailed their MP claiming there was a shocked group of tourists? I don't think it was the same one Mitchell apparently called a pleb.
 

Maledict

Member
Yeah, people are getting confused here and allowing some of the very bad journalism to colour their thoughts.

Andrew Mitchell almost certainly did behave badly, swear at the cops and probably said something along the lines of pleb. He has a history of altercations with the police, and other bullying incidents, including swearing and belittling them, and even an incident involving his bike previously apparently. There were a number of friends who took the stand who all admitted he swore a lot. Furthermore this has been investigated and the judgement found to be that something basically did happen along those lines.

Also, the judge didn't base his entire decision on the comment re the police mans speed of thought - it was just a pertinent, and probably accurate, point that the policeman would have had to have thought up a very specific and very out of character insult incredibly fast based on the timings of events and footage.
 
Simple rule of thumb, don't bring a libel case unless you have overwhelming proof preferably of the written kind. If it's a he said she said you'll typically lose, and losing a libel case can be ruinous. There's a reason carter ruck only end up in court in under 20% of their cases

Erm, I thought that was the definition of libel? Isn't it slander when it's not written down?
 
D

Deleted member 231381

Unconfirmed Member
Ashcroft conducted a poll on Clegg's constituency that shows him ahead of Labour by less than the margin of error. Would be an... interesting and significant result if the Liberal Democrats ended up decapitated immediately prior to a coalition scenario.
 

Jackpot

Banned
I don't get the ruling. I mean, the guy very clearly lied about certain aspects, ie there being a shocked crowd who heard it when the CCTV revealed there was no one there.

Yeah, not to mention he threw out the conspiracy charge amongst the 3 coppers even though one of them wasn't even present at the incident and therefore would have had to have been coached what to say.

Also, the judge's conclusion was about the "balance of probability" that it happened. Surely you have to have proof something happened rather then judge the likelihood that something happened vs something not happening?
 
Yeah, not to mention he threw out the conspiracy charge amongst the 3 coppers even though one of them wasn't even present at the incident and therefore would have had to have been coached what to say.

Also, the judge's conclusion was about the "balance of probability" that it happened. Surely you have to have proof something happened rather then judge the likelihood that something happened vs something not happening?

I haven't looked into the case in any depth, but the balance of probability is just the standard of evidence required for civil matters (c.f. "beyond reasonable doubt" for criminal cases)
 

kmag

Member
Yeah, not to mention he threw out the conspiracy charge amongst the 3 coppers even though one of them wasn't even present at the incident and therefore would have had to have been coached what to say.

Also, the judge's conclusion was about the "balance of probability" that it happened. Surely you have to have proof something happened rather then judge the likelihood that something happened vs something not happening?

Civil cases are on the balance of probabilities, and although in normal English Libel cases the burden is normally on the defendant to prove the defamatory statement was correct, in this case where issue is whether a statement was spoken at all is that burden is far muddier.

For all the talk of the police having incorrect statements, the judge also noted that Mitchells account of events did not match with the CCTV footage. The judge obviously found the testimony of the police officers to be more valid than Mitchells. Don't bring libel cases unless you have real proof is the main lesson of this. Mitchell only has his own hubris to blame, the public narrative had largely moved in his favour, had he just ignored it and offered a vague apology for the altercation while ignoring the content then he'd probably be back in Government at this minute, instead of over £2 million in the shitter.
 

Walshicus

Member
Yes, they definitely should make no attempt to appease the average person.

What do they know?
Government isn't here to appease, it's here to govern. UKIP are wrong and Cameron doesn't have the fucking balls to make the case for why European free movement has been overwhelmingly positive for almost every segment of society.

Legitimising Pint-in-Hand-Man's bullshit benefits nobody.
 
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