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A very quick translation of the Beeb's ten o'clock news convoluted report tonight in simple words is "Damian Green MP has been arrested and held in custody for telling the British People the truth" .

Good man Damian.

I remember the days when there were Conservative governments, and civil servants leaked to Labour politicians. Remember Clive Ponting? Tam Dalyell did not go to the press with the documents he leaked. It was reported at the time that Michael Heseltine had personally insisted that Ponting be prosecuted, and the Attorney-General Sir Michael Havers personally led the prosecution - a decision that led to embarrassment when Ponting was acquitted.

In the event of a Conservative government, will civil servants be free to leak what they like to the Labour opposition?

The time is approaching for this country when the transformation from nanny state into total state will be complete. We have just moved along another degree on the thermometer – and like all gradual usurpations, what is a brazen affront one moment will be greeted with indifference a while later ('counter-terrorism officers' were involved!)

For those who cherish their freeborn-liberty, only one morally appropriate response remains - rebellion.

How this rebellion is to start, only the Almighty knows. For now, we should nurse our anger that those who lead this current government imagine they have the right to intimidate with force those who oppose them – until such time as that anger can be most effectively directed.

Hear,Hear!

A Party Political arrest may just have been invented and Damian Green deserves our thanks as well as support.
There is a smell of dirty tricks about this and if that were to be true, it should rebound with the fullest force.

I would agree with those who counsel waiting before the full facts emerge before passing judgement,however if this last thread is true it does look bad for the government, very bad indeed.
If QT was anything to go by things are pretty grim for them anyway, Dougie Alexander was given the biggest pasting I've seen in years.
Hopefully Damian Greene will be fully exonerated.

FWIW, I too sincerely hope Damian doesn't go to jail. He's a very kind, very nice man, with beautiful manners. But, I equally sincerely hope he doesn't go to jail because he's innocent, and not because he has beautiful manners, or is an MP, or is a Tory. As for those of you still intent upon insisting that we have entered the foothills of fascism, be very grateful fools that we have not.

Watched the Jon Craig report with my hubby at 9pm tonight on Sky.
His comments summed up what has happened perfectly. Opposition Minister arrested for doing his job and embarrassing the present government. In fact, am gobsmacked that some on here cannot yet even comprehend what has actually happened today, and the implications for our elected representatives and their ability to hold the government of the day to account.
If anyone doubts how serious this is, just check out the reaction of Diane Abbot and Chris Huhne on This Week! Welcome to Gordon Brown and this Labour government's Britain.

Some of the earlier comments, and those here tonight do not reflect well on the regulars of this site. When the government are really keen to get it out on the airwaves that "it wasnae me, I didnae know nothing", that should have sent an alarm bell ringing!

And the media? Well, if they are going to arrest a Shadow Minister for leaking this information, I expect them to extend the same courtesy to government Ministers and the journalists too?

Interesting that the Labour blog rebuttal machine is so geared up all over the place - kind of suggests that they were expecting something.

Is this part a 'master plan' or just jackboot politics?

pp, I smelt the biggest, and most pungent rat tonight! When after hours of speculation with no one in the blogsphere able to get the story out, the details conveniently came out in time for the 10pm news, tomorrows papers, and even QT where David Dimbleby questioned George Osborne!

What is the status of the investigation into the leaks from the Treasury that preceded the collapse of RBS and HBOS share prices prior to the official announcement of recapitalisation?
Or did it never start?

Hold on, here!

Are the above commentators saying that civil servants have no loyalty to their employer? If so, should this be applied equally to private enterprise?

What may be convenient today would not be so under a different dispensation.

If Green was in possession of "sensitive" material, and passed it onto (by the look of it) News International journalists, rather than exploiting the Parliamentary privilege available to him on the floor of the Commons, more fool him.

If anyone from CCHQ is reading this, message to David Cameron!

Come out guns blazing tomorrow on this attack on our elected opposition politicians, and on no account should you walk side by side with Gordon Brown on the official opening of Parliament until this is resolved!

If Boris knew about this before the arrest, who else from the government did? As Diane Abbot pointed out on This Week, she cannot believe they took this action without political cover, and we know the views of the Mayor of London already. If he was informed before hand, which government Minister was accorded the same privilege, and what was their opinion of this action?

"Are the above commentators saying that civil servants have no loyalty to their employer?"

No. What they are saying is that if civil servants are in posession of information that is in the public interest but which is being kept secret for political reasons, you could make an argument for them to release it. The civil service work for us - not the Labour party.

ChrisD - I think browns misjugement is reaching epic proportions - from the election that never was, through to his pasting in the polls over the PBR, to this.

QT, Newsnight and This Week have all condemned this (to varying levels).

My first thought was 'what is this a smoke screen for', but heck... this needn't be a smoke screen - it is a blatant attack on democracy - the kind of thing that you would expect a differnt smoke screen to conceal...

Nothing happening in India comes close to mattering compared to a direct attack on democracy here.

Terrorist want to attack our democracy - why is Labour allowed to indulge in terrorism against us?

pp.
" I think browns misjugement is reaching epic proportions - from the election that never was, through to his pasting in the polls over the PBR, to this."

I agree, and I really don't think that Cameron should walk shoulder to shoulder with this PM until this is sorted out!
I suspect that this will be a big operation to smoke out a whistle blower from the civil service.

You know, Damian Green comes out of this so well that you could almost beleive that it was his own publicity stunt.

However, regardless of how well he comes out of it, the governments intentions are clear, so be afraid - be very afraid.

I look forward to the Tory who tops the private members' bill ballot introducing legislation to protect MPs from such blatant abuse of power - particularly searches of their offices in the Palace of Westminster. I cannot believe Boris was told and Jacqui Smith was not - this is simply not how the present government and its organs of state operate (ask any lawyer who deals with the state regularly).

Fine, if our national security is put at risk, the police need to act swiftly and decisively - but if all that is at risk is a Minister's reputation for competence, the police would do well to concentrate on knife crime and terrorism instead.

And I agree with ChrisD that the State Opening would be a good time register our disgust with this calculated abuse of Parliamentary privilege.

Hello?! Did I wake up in the U.S.S.R.?! This is really rather crazy.....

Common Purpose Fabians of the Yard doing the politicians’ bidding:


http://www.stopcp.com/cppolice.php

I am appalled by this. This is surely so serious that it cannot be allowed to slip out of the news.
It seems to me that arresting oppositon MPs is the kind of thing we expect in Zimbabwee, Stalin's Russia or Hitler's Reich...

A tragedy for Britian and Democracy...

What about all the Treasury leaks about the PBR over the weekend before? Will Robert Peston et al and their sources face similar treatment and charges? If not, why not?

Is this the UK or Zimbabwe?

According to Dave, he and Gorbals Mick were told 'shortly before' the arrest. Boris was also informed. And yet Gordon and co claim they knew nothing? Seems unlikely. McCavity PM, McCavity government.

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