20th May 2021
Yesterday’s post was about the home secretary making an extraordinary intervention that would delay the long-awaited publication of report of the independent panel on the death of Daniel Morgan.
And then came further news that the panel were refusing to give the report to the home secretary:
Daniel Morgan murder investigation panel refuse to hand over their report to Priti Patel for vetting. https://t.co/fZleFCjFmX
— Jim Waterson (@jimwaterson) May 19, 2021
This is a splendid and spirited response from the panel to what is an unconvincing attempt by the home secretary to intervene.
And alluding to that infamous parish council meeting, one wag caught it perfectly:
"You have no authority here Priti Patel, no authority at all!"
— @blurbfly (@blurbfly) May 20, 2021
(Though, of course, in that other instance, the recipient of that comment was the one in the right, as this blog then explained.)
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The move by the home secretary may not only fail – it may be counter-productive.
Last week those who followed the Daniel Morgan case were wondering whether the impending publication of the independent panel report would get any press or public attention.
And then our clumsy bullying Home Secretary sought to clumsily bully the independent panel.
Well.
Such PR is priceless.Without her intervention, the report may have generated little interest beyond those who had an interest anyway.
Now there is far more interest.
And as someone was quoted in the news report:
“There are no national security issues involved. There are national embarrassment issues.”
If this is correct (and I have no idea) then, thanks to the home secretary, more people will now be aware of this.
Before attempting to intervene, the home secretary should have read the terms of reference of the independent panel – read them, and understood them.
**
(With apologies to the great Jackie Weaver)
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This phenomenon actually has a name; “the Streisand effect”:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect?fbclid=IwAR0GFbF8Xv0MJnsYi5yS-oPrkfFiI-FddNE6HN3BAdsBBw2uqugzaNEFB8Q
If all the criticism of Pritti Patel is true – and why would it not be – there can be nothing to stop the panel from releasing the report now. In this day and age, there is no need even to wait while it is printed. Every delay raises suspicion as to the integrity of the report itself.
Have you ever heard the phrase always assume incompetence over malice?
Legally the Home Secretary has a duty to ensure the report doesn’t breach anyones Human Rights. That includes the law enforcement corrupt or otherwise as you point out reguarly rights apply to those even we dislike. The panel knows this.
The Home Office cant just accept the word of someone else including the panel or MET police. It needs to be HO lawyers looking at it as its Home Office which is legally liable as Home Office has been disclosing the documents. Or is that wrong? Can Home Office just deflect any legal challenge to the panel? Tell a judge not upto us, we stopped having responsibility when we gave it to the panel?
Rather than any attempt to bury the report is it more likely to be a fuck up in communication between Home Office and the Panel. Panel shouldnt set dates it didn’t have the power to keep. As reported the Home Office still haven’t been given the report. Why not if it was ready to go at the Printers? Sounds like a one sided deflection to cover up panels part in this and just blame the Home Office rather than mutual cock up.