Cash for Peerages, Labour squealing like pigs!

Well, You will no doubt have have heard about the dawn arrest of No 10's Ruth Turner, which I wrote about here.

The BBC has this article whilst today's Telegraph this.

Since then various Labour figures both big and small have been squealing like pigs, and spitting blood over the arrest.

For example, from the articles above we have:

Former Downing Street aide Lance Price said: "It does look a bit theatrical.

"Ruth Turner has co-operated with the inquiry all the way through up until this point. There's been no suggestion that she wasn't willing to give police any help that they asked for.

"So it does seem pretty extraordinary to do the sort of dawn raid that we associate generally with people who are about to abscond justice and fly on a plane to Bermuda or something."

What? Given the police any help they asked for? Why then do you think she was arrested on suspicion of Perverting the Course of Justice? What do you want the police to do? ring up and say "Hello Miss Turner, we think you have been either lying to us or destroying evidence, possibly both, could you pop along at your own convenience for a chat, and don't destroy any more evidence?

Clearly that is bonkers. If they have a suspicion of an offence as serious as that they make an arrest when the suspect is not expecting it.

Lord Puttnam, who has worked with Miss Turner, said she was a woman of "complete probity". He added that the early-morning swoop was "the stuff of movies".

Clearly the police are not quite as convinced of her probity, hence the arrest for perverting the course of justice. However Lord Putnam goes on:

"What about turning up at 9 o'clock, or what about phoning and saying: 'I wonder if you'd mind coming into the police station, we'd like to talk to you'? Why do you send four policemen at 6.30 in the morning to arrest a perfectly nice woman? It's ludicrous. I think they're into theatrics."

*Cough* see above. If the police have reason to suspect someone is perverting the course of justice, they don't get an invite, they get pulled in.

Still, however our noble Lord continues:

"I have known Ruth a long while. She's one of those half-dozen people I would stake my life on. I think the police should put up or shut up."

Well, if Yates of the Yard feels he has enough to charge her and it goes to court then you can give a character reference there. Until that time, it is time for you to shut up.

Now all this of course looks like a rather cack handed attempt to put pressure on the police to stop their investigation or play with kid gloves. I hope they don't, it would be very very bad for the rule of law and democracy in this country.

The police are now hitting back, or at least people are doing so on their behalf. We have had this from Len Duvall, the Labour politician who chairs the Metropolitan Police Authority, who called on others not to try to "manipulate or pressurise" officers. In a statement, he told critics that "no one in this country is above the law".

The Metropolitan Police federation has also weighed in by saying this was not an appropriate time to make such comments. They are right. If Yates lays off now, it will look very bad for all concerned.