The old man’s back again
In another example of the Government’s draconian stance on political protest, Steven Jago, 36, a management accountant, yesterday became the latest person to be charged under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act.
On 18 June, Mr Jago carried a placard in Whitehall bearing the George Orwell quote: “In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” In his possession, he had several copies of an article in the American magazine Vanity Fair headlined “Blair’s Big Brother Legacy”, which were confiscated by the police. “The implication that I read from this statement at the time was that I was being accused of handing out subversive material,” said Mr Jago. Yesterday, the author, Henry Porter, the magazine’s London editor, wrote to Sir Ian Blair, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, expressing concern that the freedom of the press would be severely curtailed if such articles were used in evidence under the Act.
Mr Porter said: “The police told Mr Jago this was ‘politically motivated’ material, and suggested it was evidence of his desire to break the law. I therefore seek your assurance that possession of Vanity Fair within a designated area is not regarded as ‘politically motivated’ and evidence of conscious law-breaking.”
Scotland Yard has declined to comment.
Posted on June 29th, 2006 at 9:21 am
[...] Via Justin [...]
Quite right too. “Vanity Fair” is a notorious top shelf magazine whose circulation must be hindered, disrupted,blighted, terminated, stopped.
23 June 2006 Bristol - Time for proper debate on law and order - Tony Blair “Moreover, the blunt reality is that, at least in the short and medium term, the measures proposed will mean an increase in prison places. How prison works is an essential component.”
If we do not arrest people under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act, how are we to fill the prisons ? Indeed how are we to occupy the Police ?
The less people walking about carrying copies of VF and similiar dissident propaganda the better.The less people walking about quoting Orwell the better ?
First they came for the Jagos.
PS. Interestingly Mr Blair in the speech at Bristol quoted above, also quoted (in a tantalising, brief, mysterious and unidentifiable reference) Orwell … viz
“…. But they were very effective at reproducing informal codes of conduct and order. They contained a sense of fairness and honour, what Orwell habitually referred to as “decency”.
To read Blairs speech in full
http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page9737.asp
Read itnot for enterteianment but to enable you a fleeting glimpse into the disordered mind of this frightening man - in fact carefull examine the No 10 website which daily becomes a Balir self promotion vehicle as if the State embodies Blair aand Vice versa.
It resembles the sort of propaganda froma 3rd world dictatorship - what our President did today. he hasn’t started on conducting personal floggings and hangings yet but is evidently enthusiastic about filling the prisons with the likes of Mr Jago.
Perhaps he is awaiting the completion of Wembley before the public executions start ?
When they arrested him, the policeman gave the wrong date (during or prior to the caution) - June 2005 instead of 2006.
So has he already been held for more than a year without trial ?!
Does this have any legal ramifications ?
Does this have any legal ramifications ?
Heat of the moment, y’Honour. Resisting arrest, y’Honour. Understandable mistake, y’Honour.
Does this have any legal ramifications ?
Heat of the moment, y’Honour. Resisting ….etc
This reminds one of course of the incapacity of Sir Ian Blair of that Ilk in writing to Sir John Geive, post the murder by his merry men of de Menezes, and not being able to get the date right - or at least explaining that the date on the letter in question was wrong and it should have born the date of the following day.
Try that one with the custody sergeant at your own risk.