'The Police' is big institution and you can't tar them all with the same brush. 

 

I don't think Mitchell should resign but yet I do think he should resign.

 

The argument for: People are being put in prison for writing shite on facebook.  A bloke was put in prison for wearing a t-shirt.  

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-e...-manchester-19911943

 

A t-shirt of appalling bad taste, true, but it's just a bl***dy t-shirt FCS!  It's utterly ridiculous.  So if someone can be put in prison for wearing a t-shirt, then the least Mitchell should get is the sack.

 

The argument against: Then on the other we have David Laws, who stole £30k in fraudulent expenses and should be in jail but is now back in the cabinet. 

 

Mitchell lost his rag but we've all done that and we've all said stupid things in the heat of the moment.  Even 'pleb', it does fit with what he Tories seem to think and I could quite imagine one of Dave's born to rule cronies thinking that way.  But even so, I've known some working class people occasionally use that expression - they sound like idiots when they do - but they don't think they sound like idiots.

 

 

 

 

Agreed. You should treat each incident on it's own set of circumstances and judge it accordingly.

Donkey. i think it's a red herring thing to get us off the Savile and Hillsborough stories.

....join the dots and win a prize.

I think its pathetic, blown out of proportion and should never have made the news....

it will always make the news when a high ranking member of the government (or opposition) has an altercation with the police.  Better that than it being hushed up. 

I agree Velvet and Stonks

So do I.

I thought the Police were'nt allowed to divulge anything like that to the press..they'll be doing page 3 next....

They've always divulged things to the press!  Mitchell didn't get arrested, he should count himself lucky not to have been arrested for abusing a police officer.  I think it's a bit much to let him off and hush it up.  He is a public servant after all. If you or I had spoken to a police officer like that, we'd be in cuffs.

Well they should'nt, its very unproffesional..Allegedly verbally abused police officers and if that is the case they should have arrested him but they did'nt they went for trial by media which was wrong and have made the police look pathetic....

It isn't 'allegedly', he admits it himself, but disputes that he used the word 'pleb'.

 

It was more unprofessional for a government minister to shout abuse at a police officer employed to look after the security of MPs.

 

If they'd arrested him he would probably get a fine but there would still be a trial by media.

I still think its blown out of proportion, he said, she said..if it was that bad they should have done their jobs and arrested him rather than go to the press..I am not and never have been a Conservative but I can see things in an unbiased way....

I don't disagree with you as much as you may think.  As I wrote way above, we all have our moments up to a point, but we're not all politicians. A fair employer would forgive a rash moment of stupidity.

 

I recall a while ago the press reporting about a temp getting sacked for writing on Twitter (about Lloyds TSB, I think) "He [top fatcat] gets £1m bonus and I get £1.50, that's fair!" or words similar.  She got the sack for that. I thought that was harsh but never the less, a perfectly legal response by her employer. 

 

Others have got the sack for similar minor discretions.

 

So professionalism does come into it and I'd expect a gov't minister to be more professional than a temp.  As a gov't minister, it is 'their' police who they expect others to respect.

 

Where I have sympathy is the way MPs claiming dubious expenses has involved slaps on the wrist.  These claims were often abuses of public money and involved senior MPs of all parties.  That was far more important than Mitchell losing his rag and that's why I feel like you, he is being trialled by media.

 

I regard myself as a socialist (probably a bit of a right wing one TBH) but having leftist views doesn't mean I can't understand where those of other views are coming from, that's the mistake 'moderates' make. Moderates tend to think that you can't be highly critical of capitalism without understanding why others are highly critical of socialism.

Now stop that,  the police officer that Mitchell offended is still under treatment for his hurt ego,  he might never recover from the shock and injury he suffered.

 

Show a little respect for this brave officer.

Do you think if it were reversed, and a Labour minister had abused a police officer, the Tories wouldn't be demanding his resignation?

I saw members of the public being asked about what they found most offensive, from his alleged words. The majority went for the 'Know your 'effin' place' phrase.

 

Personally, I think he's done huge damage to Dave's attempt at nicing up the Tory image and not being welcome at the party conference and his picture actually getting booed by the party faithful, shows that they would have done well to relieve him of his position at a far earlier stage. I have no problem with him staying, as it will confirm to the public that his views are acceptable to the leaders of the party. 

True, but their conference this week did even better to show that the nasty party is back in town!

that bloke wasn't just arrested for wearing a t shirt, it was behaviour likely to cause a breach of the peace ,under the public order act,because of the slogan on it.

mitchell should be sacked he hasn't as yet told us  or the police exactly what he did say but keeps on denying what the police report he said, so he's calling the police liars, considering he's had to apologise for his outburst and then almost in the same breath accuse the police of lying, shows you how much that apology was worth, the man has no integrity.

 

 

I think you may find his remarks were directed at a woman police officer. 

No matter anyway. We need to get rid of the top brass. Can we have one down, next to go.

Well well...

 

What a difference a hidden microphone makes.

Doesn't it just Velvet  

Yep Baz  

 

Nice to have you back by the way  

From the off I knew there was some bent coppers lying, the whole thing is a farce and I'm glad one of the charges is suspicion of unauthorised disclosure of information to the media..as I said from the beginning the police are'nt allowed to talk to the press..thats what the police press office is for....I'm so sick of bent coppers....

It's not often you're wrong stonksy    

 

Lying swines.

 

Today should be good.

Or...the morra  

Sad though.

I'm a DCI.

 

How do you think I feel.

 

Morning meetings they're laughing at me.

 

We've got six grannies up on armed robbery this week alone.

I'm picturing that.

A sort of singing and dancing Taggart.

Read them lines.

It's not as exciting as the fern hacking stuff though is it? I'm not a big fan of gossip but remain intrigued as to what happened between her and one of the Mitchell bruvvers.

Shame on those of you who were quick to assume Tory boy (with a girly basket on his bike) was guilty.

 

I always reserved judgement...apart from that basket on his bike, that was the disgrace.

It's like Alien vs Predator...The Police vs an MP...who would you want to win in a fight?  or both to lose.

I remember Michael Portillo saying on This Week, that knowing the man, he wouldn't say those words and he thought he'd been stitched up.

 

Turns out you were both right Video 

 

 

.....