They don't like it up 'em!

            Three people making the news today all share something in common. All three have spoken out against something and a majority of people agree with them. It begs the question why their respective stances have become headlines in the first place.

             In a refreshing departure from recent British political practice, the Home Secretary, Theresa May, yesterday bucked the trend by making an announcement without first leaking it’s contents to the press. For this act alone, she is to be applauded. Addressing the Police Federation in Bournemouth yesterday, the Home Secretary informed them that funding to their organisation would end in August. She also shared with their conference a few home truths which had underpinned her decision. Her speech was long overdue for an organisation which has become synonymous with the worst aspects of modern public life in Britain. She reminded them of their role in the Hillsborough tragedy. Twenty-five years later not one police officer has been brought to book despite the Independent Panel concluding in 2012 that the tragedy was due to “a lack of police control” meaning that crown safety “was compromised at every level”. No fewer than 164 witness statements had been altered with 116 having been amended to alter comments which would have reflected negatively on South Yorkshire Police. The South Yorkshire Police were also found to have carried out blood alcohol tests on some of the victims in an attempt “to impugn their reputation”. Some of those tested were children. For their handling of the Hillsborough tragedy alone, the Police Federation had this coming from the Home Secretary. That none of those responsible have yet been prosecuted is nothing but an insult to the families of those who died and the people of Liverpool at large. That none of those responsible even had the basic decency to offer to resign only serves to highlight the absolute arrogance which pervades our police system.

            Theresa May also took the opportunity to remind the Police Federation of it’s role in the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry. As with the Hillsborough tragedy, it makes for grim reading. Despite the police taking nearly twenty years to finally serve justice on those responsible ( only because of the unstinting dedication of Doreen and Neville Lawrence), investigations found them to be corrupt (2006) and duplicitous having used undercover officers to try and besmirch the names of the Lawrence family members. If anything good has come out of the Stephen Lawrence murder, it is in spite of the police and not because of them. Stephen’s mother Doreen is to sit in the House of Lords specialising in race and diversity. I can think of no Baroness whose title has been so worthily earned.

            But the Home Secretary didn’t end there. She also brought up the ongoing case of the former Government Chief Whip, Andrew Mitchell. Thus far, three serving police officers have been dismissed for lying. Their actions were not exactly opposed by the Police Federation. That is shocking and unforgivable. The police need to be above party politics. After her speech, I was utterly amazed to hear several police officers complaining about her decision as an insult to their organisation. Well, try telling that to the families of the 96 who perished at Hillsborough or to Baroness Doreen Lawrence or to Andrew Mitchell. Their job is to uphold the law irrespective of personal prejudice. They have repeatedly displayed their patent disregard for this and now they must pay the price. It is high time somebody made a stand against the arrogance and widespread lack of accountability which has come to infect our public life. We need to remind ourselves what we expect from a public servant. Quite rightly, Theresa May has told them to go away and sort themselves out through meaningful reform. Failure to do so will see them go without Government funding for a long time to come – and rightly so.

            Confirming that his right to his own views will always be scrutinised, Prince Charles engaged a lady in conversation during his current tour of Canada. During their conversation, the lady had been talking about the Nazi occupation of several European countries during the Second World War. The lady to whom he was speaking had to leave Poland for Canada before the German takeover. History informs us that her family had made a wise move. In comparing the actions of the Nazis to the recent actions of President Putin in the Ukraine, it’s really difficult to see what all the fuss is about. Granted, Putin hasn’t gassed Jews to death in concentration camps that we know of, but he has absolutely behaved like the Nazis in his blatant use of military force to assume control of Eastern Ukraine. Whether our future monarch is allowed his own views or not, one fact remains. The analogy he made in Canada have found sympathy with millions of ordinary people who have seen Putin’s behaviour laid bare on their TV screen over the last few weeks. Charles simply said what many people were already thinking. As a society, we should applaud those willing to stand up and be counted. The Russians for their part have today branded Charles' views as outrageous. Russia have famously dispensed with their own royal family having had them shot following the 1917 revolution. This perhaps explains their discomfort at having to listen to the chillingly accurate views of a member of our royalty. I hardly need to point out that those shot in 1917 were closely related to our own royals. 

            As people prepare to go out and vote in the Euro elections today, Nigel Farage and UKIP have emerged as favourites to win the vote. The reason for that is patently obvious. It is not to do with being right wing or left wing because he has garnered support from all sides of the political spectrum. It is to do with choice. Anyone born between 1958 and 1996 has never been afforded the right to have their say on our continued membership of the European Union. That is a lot people and the implications are huge. We have suffered a succession of condescending leaders assuring us that they know best going right back to Jim Callaghan. Put simply, people have had enough of the establishment arrogance; they want their say. That is why UKIP will win tonight’s vote. Not because their policies are any better than the others but because they are crystal clear about what they want and it resonates with the wishes of the British people. Whether you are a Europhile or a Europhobe, Farage just wants everyone to be able to have their say. I fail to see what is so unreasonable about that.

            May, Farage and Prince Charles are all to be applauded for having the strength of character to stand up for what they believe in. The proof of the pudding will be tomorrow when the European election votes are counted. Theresa May has delivered the best possible response to the Police Federation and Prince Charles should just continue to be himself and express his view. It is surprising just how many people agree with him.
            The late 1960s and early 1970s saw people expressing their political views in song as never before. A glut of artists were spawned in the wake of the Vietnam war and the Woodstock generation was born. It's notable how few recording artists continue that trend today. John Lennon was as active as anyone even before the demise of the Beatles. Bob Dylan wrote the foreword to that generation and artists such as the Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young took up the baton. Even the politicians and public figures of that time had a greater tendency to speak up for their principles. Martin Luther King and Enoch Powell were both brilliant orators. Although they occupied the polar opposites of the political divide, they stood out because they had the strength to express their views. It is that same quality which has made Nigel Farage stand out from his contemporaries. As with Powell and King, his views don't necessarily strike a chord with everyone but it is refreshing to have a politician bold enough to come off the fence and tell it like it is.