Despite the change in Government, it seems the Bully State is alive and well - in Romford, at least.
Given the commitments by both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats that they wanted to move Britain away from its recent obsession with pernickety regulations, intrusive policies and oppressive officials, one might have hoped that we had seen the last of police officers pushing photographers around for the heinous crime of taking photos in the street.
Sadly, it seems it will take time to rid elements of the police of these bullyboy habits - or failing that to rid the police of such bullyboy elements.
A disgraceful incident occurred in Romford on Saturday, at the Armed Forces Day Parade. A young photographer by the name of Jules Mattson (who, entirely coincidentally, snapped the TPA's Debt Clock in Westminster on Emergency Budget Day) was taking pictures of the troops on parade, including a contingent of military cadets.
Suddenly, Mattson was ordered by a police officer to stop taking photos. When he questioned their legal right to boss him about, the officer in question then proceeded to babble a barely comprehensible series of claims about child protection, public order and even anti-terror legislation, which didn't hold up in the face of someone who actually knew that he was perfectly within the law. Fortunately, the photographer had the good sense to make an audio recording of the incident which you can listen to below, illustrated with photos of what went on:
This occurrence is shocking because it shows the Bully State in all its glory - not wielding real, legal powers but simply throwing its weight around on the assumption that it should be obeyed regardless of the actual law.
Threatening, manhandling and, apparently, injuring Mattson does absolutely nothing for public protection and zero for law and order - instead, it further harms the public standing of the police, and undermines yet again the public's trust that the police are chasing real criminals, rather than harassing the innocent and law-abiding.
