Neither do I. Whilst this puts this more into the “cock-up” rather than the “conspiracy” bucket, it is the act of putting it into the “cock-up” bucket that still raises lots of awkward questions.

In particular, though in no particular order:
Can you imagine, even for one second, the Speaker allowing the Police to search a cabinet member’s parliamentary office without some very very fierce objections? I can’t. It is his abject failure to protect ALL members without regard to their party affiliation that is the issue. It is that which is shown up. It is that that is the real problem at the heart here. Whenever this is raised, there is always some moron class warrior wheeled out to suggest that all the complaints about Speaker Martin are motivated entirely by snobbery. No attempt is ever made to address the actual complaint. This will not do, even if it is a separate issue.

There may be some other questions to raise about the politicisation of variously the Police and the civil service at the root of this also. Both of these issues are a direct result of the way the Labour party has conducted itself in Government.

Separately, but relatedly, is the manner in which the leaks were used by Damian Green. Had he elicited this material and used it first in the HoC, then he would be on very firm ground. But he didn’t. The thing that I find troubling is that if he had, no-one would have noticed because:
- the Labour Government has more or less complete contempt for Parliament so he would not have achieved his objective of holding the Govt to account if he had
- the MSM has more or less complete contempt for Parliament so he would not have achieved his objective of holding the Govt to account if he had.

[/Rant]

“Far from us living in a Stalinist State, as some alledge, it is the indignant calls to account which prevent us sliding into one.”

Up to a point, Lord Copper. But this is only really true if the Govt recognised the awkward questions above. Even if Labour is thrown out at the next election, I have little confidence that Cameron’s lot would do much to correct much of this either.

:-(