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And Look Whose Crawled Out From Under His Stone

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bazwillrun | 12:54 Sat 11th Jan 2014 | News
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http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/jan/11/tories-andrew-mitchell-ken-livingstone

talk about clutching at straws the odious grade 1rsole ken livinginthepast is the one thats missed the point...its not about whether mitchell used the f word or any other word...its about a fit up by old bill
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Mitchell said: "I am looking forward to seeing justice done in the up to 10 other related disciplinary cases involving police officers so that I can focus all my energy on delivering for my constituents and help David Cameron win a Conservative majority at the 2015 election."

So not the slightest hint of the Tories playing politics, ooooh noooo!
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whats that got to do with livinginthepast totally missing the point ?

nothing thats what

whether you like it or not, at least mitchell is actually doing what hes supposed to be doing, politics
At the moment it is 1-0 to Mitchell, now let's wait for the police officer to sue Andrew Mitchell for libel.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/dec/04/plebgate-police-officer-sue-andrew-mitchell-libel
-- answer removed --
One of the dafter things uttered by Ken.

Mitchell has always freely admitted he swore at the police. It was the press who zoned in on the alledged word 'Pleb'.

Why wpyld the Tories keep stoking this. There is no political advantage. To be seen as attacking the Police is not going to win the Tories any votes.

It was probably a throwaway remark from Livingstone that has been overblown.
Gromit

/// Why wpyld the Tories keep stoking this. There is no political advantage. To be seen as attacking the Police is not going to win the Tories any votes. ///

Well if the multitude of anti Police feelings we regularly see on AnswerBank, are a true reflection of public opinion, I would say that it is certainly a vote winner.
// Well if the multitude of anti Police feelings we regularly see on AnswerBank...//

You are mistaking concern that the Police are sometimes failing in their duty to the public, for 'anti Police'. We want the police to uphold the law, not break it. If any public officials let down the public, then people are going to ask questions. If MPs, Doctors, or Police Officers break the law then it is only fair that we punish them. That is not being anti anyone, we just want the system to work as it was designed, and not undermined by any corrupt individuals.
I think Livingstone wrong. It was not Mitchell's swearing that was ever in question; It was the use of the word "Pleb" that caught the media interest - a toxic word for any Minister to use.

If it had just been an outburst of expletives, nothing more would have come of it.

And AoG - only a simpleton fails to understand the distinction between being "Anti-Police" or "Anti-Our Troops" or "Anti-British", and legitimate questioning or criticism of the guiding policies or specific actions of uniformed individuals or indeed anyone claiming to represent our country.

Unquestioning and unqualified support for everything - blind patriotism - is dangerous.

LazyGun, as I recall it was indeed the swearing: the (alleged) use of the P-word did excite the media but the initial claim was that Mitchell's swearing - which he admitted to - had upset members of the public - which turned not to be true.

But despite the non-existence of the witnesses, the (alleged) swearing at the cop really was at the nub of all this. Whether it actually happened, a court will have to decide; I can't.
Jno
That swearing took place was never contested. When Mitchell met representatives of the Police Federation, he told them (on the transcript)...

// "I will not as a supporter of the police for twenty six years be put in a position of suggesting an officer is not telling the truth but equally I did not say and I give you my word, I give you my word, I did not call an officer an f'ing pleb I did not say you are an f'ing moron and I did not say you should know your f'ing place.

"I would never speak to anyone like that least of all a police officer and you have my word I never said those things."

He goes on: "I don't want to impugn, it is quite possible that there was a mishearing or something. The incident was very brief. I complied with the officer and I picked up my bicycle.

"But I did say, under my breath but audibly, in frustration, I thought you lot were supposed to f***ing help us and it is for that I apologise, and I am grateful to that officer for accepting my apology. //

Mitchell qualifies his reply by suggesting the officer may have misheard and then relates what heclaims to have said. I don't think a libel action will get very far.
It is the Guardian!
Yes Carole. We too can read urls and follow links.

Is your point that the Guardian are reporting it because it knocks the Conservatives? The Guardian have been reporting and leading on Plebgate from he beginning.
The voice of the left.
Except that he happens to be right.
Incidentally, baz, you'd never pass as an old criminal. It is "fitted up by Old Bill" not "the old bill". TV has a lot to be blamed for !
Apologies, baz. That was a complete misreading on my part.
so BAz would pass as an old criminal after all? That's a relief.
Yes, jno, I had mistakenly, in my eagerness to defend his reputation, made a correction.
So Fred the bizzies..... darn sarf - are Old Bill
or... the Old Bill ?

when ah get nicked I wanna use the right phrase yeah ?
All my esteemed clients of the old school called the police "Old Bill" after the character created by Bruce Bairnsfather in the Great War. A grizzled old soldier, given to advising frightened young ones [in a shell hole, under fire, to the scared young man with him "Well, if you knows of a better 'ole, go to it"] and complaining a lot, the cartoons of him were immensely popular. Many old soldiers became policemen after the war and could be identified with him.

"The bill" is a creation of television and sometimes adopted by youngsters.

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