Damian Green Goes

[Peter Pedant]

another Liar MP goes down the tube

altho he was in the news for possibly looking at porn
he fiddled Kate Maltby when he said he hadnt

Theresa May - 'I have therefore asked for your resignation'
I can't recollect a minister going with that reproof echoiong in his ears

[andy-hughes]

Kromo - // I find it very hard to get het up about Damian Green lying about porn. It is not a lie which seriously affects his former duties as a minister, and is frankly quite understandable. //

First things first - personally, I get het up about any politician lying about anything - the subject of the lie is not the issue, the lie is.

Secondly, if you think a government minster accessing pornography on publicly funded computers during time when he is in the pay of the electorate is OK, then I don't.

But - and this is the actual point here, Mr Green was not sacked for accessing pornography, a point which remains unproven.

He was sacked for lying about whether or not he knew about the allegations concerning accessing pornography.

So the issue of misuse of government property is not the sacking issue, although were it proven, I think it should be - even if you don't - and we can agree to differ on that - the sacking occured because he lied about knowing about it.

You may be selective about what you think government ministers should be allowed to lie about (Embarassing? Lie, it's fine!!) - but I am not, and it appears that the Prime Minister government is not selective about lies either!

[Kromovaracun]

Not all lies are serious ones, Andy. I don't think any sane person would equate, for example, a middle aged man lying about a porn habit with the Blair government's deceitful behaviour about the "dodgy dossier" (or the fork-tongued behaviour of the current U.S. president). The reason nobody would do that is because the latter are clearly more serious and have far heavier consequences.

If you accept that not all lies are serious, I can't see how you can possibly put Damien Green's one in the "serious" category. I would even call it trivial. Of course he's going to deny knowledge about porn on his work computer. Who wouldn't?

//if you think a government minster accessing pornography on publicly funded computers during time when he is in the pay of the electorate is OK, then I don't. //

Bully for you. Whether or not we like it is irrelevant. That is a matter of taste. I can't see any evidence that Green's porn habit had any significant impact on his former duties (certainly I don't think it is the root cause of his incompetence).

The real story here is one of illicitly-obtained information being used strategically. This very rarely happens so brazenly (though I sincerely doubt it is new) and is an opportunity to discuss the role of low-level corruption and dirty tricks in governing the UK. I've got a feeling that ship has sailed though, because Britain's reliably prudish newspaper readers have gotten their knickers in a twist over porn.

[naomi24]

Krom, absolutely right. Well said.

[Togo]

//The retired police officer who leaked details about the pornography on Damian Green’s computer had “liked” anti-Tory posts on Facebook, The Times can reveal.
Neil Lewis, 48, who assessed Mr Green’s computers during a Commons leaks inquiry, liked a post from a campaign to remove the Conservative government as well as satirical articles containing abuse against ministers.
The disclosure came as Theresa May said that the pornography leaks must be properly investigated. Conservative MPs called for laws requiring police to keep material confidential even after leaving the service. They suggested that breaches of conduct should affect pension entitlements.
Mr Lewis and Bob Quick, the former head of counterterrorism who first confirmed the pornography find, are being criminally investigated. Cressida Dick, the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, repeated her criticism of the leaks yesterday and said that confidentiality was for life.//
Good! I will post the link but it may well not open if you are not subscribed.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/neil-lewis-officer-behind-damian-green-porn-leaks-liked-anti-tory-posts-3n3th99m3

[Togo]

And.
//The head of the Metropolitan Police Federation joined forces with Tory MPs last night to condemn the “abhorrent” actions of two retired officers who helped to bring down Damian Green.
Ken Marsh, chairman of the organisation that represents 30,000 rank-and-file officers, strongly criticised leaks revealing that pornography had been found on the parliamentary computer of Mr Green, who resigned as deputy prime minister on Wednesday.
Theresa May said that she expected the leaks, which are the subject of a criminal inquiry, to be “properly investigated” and “taken seriously”.
Influential Tory MPs rounded on the former counterterrorism chief Bob Quick and Neil Lewis, a retired detective constable, for leaking details of the pornography last month, nine years after it was uncovered during a raid on Mr Green’s office. Critics said that retired officers should face cuts to their pensions if they breached confidentiality.//