Sunday 24 May 2020

Round Trip

35 years ago, the miners told the Police that the same forces, so to speak, would one day come for them. And here we are. Pointedly, in County Durham. The official position of the Government is that Durham Constabulary are liars. That is also the publicly stated view of most members of the Cabinet, including the Attorney General.

They have devised an entirely new "common sense" defence against charges of having breached the lockdown, which might have helped those who had done the conga through the streets for VE Day, but which is unlikely to help anyone who had gathered for Eid.

Imagine, just imagine, that either Jeremy Corbyn or any member of his Shadow Cabinet had said that the Police were liars. But that never happened. Although the best that the Police are now getting from a Leader of the Opposition who is, of all things, a former Director of Public Prosecutions is a strongly worded letter seeking "clarification".

Forensic, adults in the room, proper Opposition at last, you know how this one goes. And you know where it goes. Permanently, and deservedly, 20 points behind. Ash Sarkar and Owen Jones sat on this story for weeks. They expect us to find that fact amusing, and even endearing. Welcome to the Licensed Left.

As for Simon Henig, who is pretending to be outraged while preparing to reopen the schools a week tomorrow, he is demob happy. His day job is being abolished, no doubt guaranteeing him a nice little payout in his early fifties. Labour already stood no realistic chance of retaining overall control of Durham County Council next year, and no coalition would ever have been possible without his removal from the Leadership. Under Keir Starmer, joining his mother in the House of Lords is a very distinct possibility. So what the hell does he care?

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