tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post6690037940882845057..comments2024-03-04T17:54:32.559+00:00Comments on Iain Dale's Diary: EXCLUSIVE: Daniel Kawczynski: "The Speaker Has Let Me Down"Iain Dalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270146219458384372noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-49691392951343633402009-01-28T18:59:00.000+00:002009-01-28T18:59:00.000+00:00I am amazed that an MP could be so compliant. One ...I am amazed that an MP could be so compliant. One wonders why you are at Westminster at all.Nich Starlinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04237390959601973501noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-75763621333558794162009-01-27T20:59:00.000+00:002009-01-27T20:59:00.000+00:00I feel nothing but indifference towards Daniel Kaw...I feel nothing but indifference towards Daniel Kawczynski.<BR/><BR/>boohoo whateverAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-18806004906396360362009-01-27T17:42:00.000+00:002009-01-27T17:42:00.000+00:00Daniel let himself and his constituents down. Time...Daniel let himself and his constituents down. <BR/>Time to get a back bone instead of just whining, Daniel.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-83301152102132618162009-01-27T14:20:00.000+00:002009-01-27T14:20:00.000+00:00I presume you mean me Iain?There isn't really anyt...I presume you mean me Iain?<BR/><BR/>There isn't really anything to make up my mind on.<BR/><BR/>Parliament is a court. It needs to be protected as such.<BR/><BR/>The police should not not be raiding MPs offices, although raiding may be stretching it on this occasion, for wholly obvious reasons.<BR/><BR/>In an ideal situation if the police wanted to read a letter from a constituent to their MP, then it should be the decision of a judge as to whether they can. <BR/><BR/>That may mean that the judge reads the letter and decides to what extent it is probative of the facts in issue, or to what extent it supports the case that the police are enquiring into.<BR/><BR/>As we all know, the police will always say they don't have enough powers. I think that they currently have far too many and they are poorly regulated. I remember when Thatcher introduced the Public Order Act. There was wholesale uproar and the lefties termed it "draconian."<BR/><BR/>When this mob brought in RIPA and subsequently allowed all and sundry to abuse it, not a dickie was said.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12048026812240881086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-54414217551183007382009-01-27T13:44:00.001+00:002009-01-27T13:44:00.001+00:00Well you have clearly made up your own mind on tha...Well you have clearly made up your own mind on that one.Iain Dalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03270146219458384372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-70785701316709980882009-01-27T13:44:00.000+00:002009-01-27T13:44:00.000+00:00Daniel,Parliament made a rod for its own back when...Daniel,<BR/>Parliament made a rod for its own back when it chose an idiot as Speaker. Gorbals Mick Martin, despite your sycophancy, couldn't be more inappropriate to hold an office that his predecessors have held with such esteem. The thing is that the public know it.<BR/><BR/>Once an idiot takes root it encourages other idiots to join it, Jill Pay is wholly inappropriate and completely ill-qualified to be Sergeant at Arms. Who appointed her? Uh huh!<BR/><BR/>After the next election I am likely to be Chief of Staff for two of your colleagues. I am a lawyer, but even if I weren't plod would have been told to go get a warrant. At the very least I would have made a judgement as to the seriousness of the allegation, the content of the letter and the consequences of delaying the police.<BR/><BR/>Letters to an MP should receive the same protection as a letter to a solicitor. Could a constituent write to an MP and make serious allegations against the police if they thought that the police might raid the MP's office and find out what they had alleged?<BR/><BR/>The fact that the police think that they can do what they damn well like is the most worrying bit of it all. I take it therefore that when this horrendous government finally falls our government will tighten the legislation accordingly.<BR/><BR/>No MP's offices, either parliamentary or constituency, should be raided without an order from a court and must be signed by a minimum of two Judges. Magistrates are too compliant with police requests and simply don't have the knowledge to assess how necessary the request really is.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12048026812240881086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-9658583470104149672009-01-27T13:41:00.000+00:002009-01-27T13:41:00.000+00:00Also Iain, do you think that Daniel loves your blo...Also Iain, do you think that Daniel loves your blog so much that he wanted to give you the exclusive or do you think the mainstream media sent him away with a flea in his ear when he pitched this to them?Andyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15755490516141328662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-37182309099471791762009-01-27T12:45:00.000+00:002009-01-27T12:45:00.000+00:00Please stop referring to your researcher as young ...Please stop referring to your researcher as young - it sounds so patronising and unnecessary - the fact that they were young had nothing to do with complying with the police officer's request.<BR/><BR/>While I understand some of your arguments, dealing with dangerous, offensive, and malicious mail is something that all staff on the Parliamentary estate should work together on - it's everyone's responsibility. In our office, we often had the police in to follow up on dangerous and crazy people. It worries me that their ability to do this is undermined by your reaction. <BR/><BR/>Officers who work on the Parliamentary Estate are distinct from normal police. <BR/><BR/>I also wish you would stop harking on about privacy of MPs' communications from constitutents. We all know this letter must have been from a nut case, who had been threatening a minister. <BR/><BR/>Dry your eyes, Mr K, and grow up a bit.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14753669469929449238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-66534527763285695812009-01-27T12:15:00.000+00:002009-01-27T12:15:00.000+00:00What a self-indulgent whinge.The police were condu...What a self-indulgent whinge.<BR/><BR/>The police were conducting a serious investigation and made a perfectly reasonable request of Mr Kawczynski's office. He complains that he should have been given time to consider the request. Did he ask for it? No, he just handed the letter over and then, when he regretted it, went into self-justifying publicity overdrive.<BR/><BR/>He's made himself look like a pathetic little moaner. Whether or not one agrees with every aspect of the way the situation was handled by the police officer, Mr Kawczynski has completely overblown the whole thing. I don't blame the Speaker for telling him where to get off. He should now shut up.Matthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16526211029550723258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-78878503494311281582009-01-27T11:45:00.000+00:002009-01-27T11:45:00.000+00:00Cute photoCute photoPaul Halsallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01602075031268155220noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-46572102362072732072009-01-27T11:00:00.000+00:002009-01-27T11:00:00.000+00:00D Liberal, was that a straight copy-paste or your ...D Liberal, was that a straight copy-paste or your own typo? Because if it's the former, apparently the officers have been 'selected on the basis of their ability to undertake<BR/>enquiries discretely'. Discretely from the law one assumes.OBC Newshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05199336701581647524noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-45667211842834606712009-01-27T09:20:00.000+00:002009-01-27T09:20:00.000+00:00Our system of government works on selecting 646 re...Our system of government works on selecting 646 representatives to make laws and govern the country.<BR/><BR/>One would imagine that it would the finest who would be selected for this role and that at the ratio MP:citizens of 1:100,000, our MPs would be very fine indeed.<BR/><BR/>One would imagine that they would be among our most experienced and enterprising and that their knowledge of the trust placed in them would make them courageous in our defence.<BR/><BR/>We do not expect emotional pleas for understanding nor to learn of the frisson experienced when the Speaker occasionally acknowledges them with a smile.<BR/><BR/>Every further announcement by this man suggests to me he is too callow, too fragile and too lacking in judgement to serve as an MP. He should shut up before he convinces too many others of the same thing.Weygandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11359751090279735138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-59328076971387942322009-01-27T09:18:00.000+00:002009-01-27T09:18:00.000+00:00I am pulling back after having red that Met report...I am pulling back after having red that Met report. It sounds like Mr Kawczynski has over-reacted and the Speaker may have been right to brush him off.<BR/><BR/>"Daniel Kawczynski MP<BR/>Between 2003 and December 2008, a series of 15 letters have been received<BR/>by Members of Parliament and other prominent people. As a result of the<BR/>contents of these letters, an investigation was launched by the Metropolitan<BR/>Police Service.<BR/>The Palace of Westminster is policed by a dedicated team of Police and<BR/>Security Officers. As a part of this command, there is a small unit comprising<BR/>four constables who undertake investigations and deal with matters such as<BR/>thefts from private offices, threatening letters received by members and other<BR/>confidential or sensitive inquiries in both Houses. These officers are highly<BR/>skilled and have been selected on the basis of their ability to undertake<BR/>enquiries discretely. The officers are located within an office in the Palace of<BR/>Westminster, are well known throughout the House speaking to Members and<BR/>their staff on a daily basis and are highly regarded. The good relationship<BR/>between these officers and Members and their staff has continued despite<BR/>recent events.<BR/>At 1750 on 21 January 2009, by appointment, one officer from this unit<BR/>attended the staff office in Lower Secretaries to speak with the staff of Daniel<BR/>Kawczynski MP (Shrewsbury and Atcham) to follow up the above<BR/>investigation. This was not the Member’s private office which is located in a<BR/>different part of the estate. The purpose of the meeting with the MP’s staff<BR/>was to ascertain whether they had received letters with similar handwriting to<BR/>those received as a part of the investigation. The officer explained the<BR/>purpose of her visit and a member of MP’s staff volunteered to look through a<BR/>pile of letters on a nearby desk. The member of staff found a letter with<BR/>similar handwriting and passed it to the officer. The officer asked whether she<BR/>could take it away for handwriting comparison.<BR/>At this point a second member of staff said that he would like to ask the<BR/>Member before releasing the letter. The officer agreed to wait while this was<BR/>done. The staff member went away but returned at 1820 stating that the<BR/>Member was in the chamber. The officer indicated to the staff that she felt that<BR/>she could take the item as evidence but recognised the position and agreed to<BR/>continue to wait for the consent of the Member.<BR/>Unbeknown to the officer, the Member was informed of the request by text<BR/>message and at about 1840, the Member returned to the office. The member<BR/>expressed his concern about the message he had received and the fact that<BR/>he had had to come out of the chamber. The officer apologised for any<BR/>inconvenience and reassured him that she had not ‘demanded’ anything or<BR/>required him to leave the chamber. The officer informed him of the<BR/>investigation and the purpose of the request. The Member acknowledged the<BR/>similarity in the writing between the suspect letter and the letter identified by<BR/>his member of staff, gave the letter to the officer and then left the office.<BR/>A copy of the letter was left with the Member’s staff and the original has now<BR/>been processed as a part of the investigation.<BR/>The officer was carrying out a routine crime enquiry and was inside the<BR/>Secretary’s office at the invitation of staff by appointment. Approaching<BR/>Members’ staff on this type of matter is a regular occurrence and at no time<BR/>did the officer search, or seek to search, the communal office."DespairingLiberalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02903904463236135611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-64020718912069296282009-01-27T08:47:00.000+00:002009-01-27T08:47:00.000+00:00You appear to be labouring (pun intended) under th...You appear to be labouring (pun intended) under the misapprehension that the UK is still a free Country.Not a sheephttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14123293202225008273noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-25247446401267889162009-01-27T01:41:00.000+00:002009-01-27T01:41:00.000+00:00Gosh. How nice that the Loyal Friends of Draper ca...Gosh. How nice that the Loyal Friends of Draper can find so much time to come here when there is so much work to do at Labourlist...Martin Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04148241391183658112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-70893819131181085922009-01-27T01:38:00.000+00:002009-01-27T01:38:00.000+00:00Well put, Daniel! In this heartfelt article he dec...Well put, Daniel!<BR/><BR/><I> In this heartfelt article he declares that the Speaker of the House of Commons has let him down</I><BR/><BR/>It goes deeper than that. Speaker Martin has let himself down and let down the honourable tradition of hundreds of years of House of Speakers. <BR/><BR/>Martin has now in effect changed the rules to allow the police absolute power to march into the office of any MP whenever they feel like it. doworMartin Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04148241391183658112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-86704809494406886122009-01-26T23:47:00.000+00:002009-01-26T23:47:00.000+00:00Metropolitan Police report on the Daniel Kawczynsk...<A HREF="http://press.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/met-police-kawczynski" REL="nofollow">Metropolitan Police report on the Daniel Kawczynski allegations</A> published by the Home Office, seems to make a distinction between the MP's Private Office and the shared "staff office in Lower Secretaries" where his research and secretarial staff were.<BR/><BR/>The Met Police seem to be implying that, in their view, this shared office is somehow not covered by Parliamentary Privilege, and confidential constituents correspondence can be seized there without a warrant.Watching Them, Watching Ushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17639668344807251447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-72167285332332733182009-01-26T23:42:00.000+00:002009-01-26T23:42:00.000+00:00I admire his civility in this matter. He was proba...I admire his civility in this matter. He was probably also shocked that something like this had occurred again so soon after Mr Greene's arrest.<BR/><BR/>I would want to air my grievances too in a calm civil matter.<BR/><BR/>Mr Martin is an ignorant pig!Suehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07165615283953837706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-14059765065771638172009-01-26T23:40:00.000+00:002009-01-26T23:40:00.000+00:00tory boys never grow up said @ 10:59: 'It appears...tory boys never grow up said @ 10:59:<BR/> <BR/> 'It appears that Mr Kawczynski has now briefed his staff properly on how to handle these matters - perhaps he should ask himself why he didn't do so beforehand?'<BR/><BR/> Not true, the intern didn't hand over the document and alerted Daniel. That seems to be an absolutely correct course of action.<BR/><BR/> 5 minutes warning isn't an appointment. The officer should have known how grave the issue was. It had only been all over the national news.<BR/> The Speaker has acted badly. He has let down the nation, Parliament and the Monarch whose primary duty is to ensure the proper functioning of Parliament.<BR/><BR/> Perhaps at the next appropriate reception or drinks party the Speaker should tell the Officers on the Parliamentary estate what the correct procedures are, and that they should actually follow them.Conandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18028671462205997161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-72776227477432582162009-01-26T22:59:00.000+00:002009-01-26T22:59:00.000+00:00It appears that Mr Kawczynski has now briefed his ...It appears that Mr Kawczynski has now briefed his staff properly on how to handle these matters - perhaps he should ask himself why he didn't do so beforehand? Leaving young and inexperienced staff to handle such situations unbriefed is not the act of a good employer. <BR/><BR/>It is also interesting how his story of events is now different from that which he presented in the House - a case of speak first and then learn the facts afterwards. Perhaps the Speaker has a point about him speaking too early.<BR/><BR/>I suspect that the Police feel that they did make an appointment despite Mr Kawczynski's assertion to the contrary - they probably called up, asked his staff if they could come to the office and the staff then agreed that to do so in 5 minutes was ok.tory boys never grow uphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11172736984147732661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-78537584238283964062009-01-26T22:56:00.000+00:002009-01-26T22:56:00.000+00:00Not only does young Daniella show himself to be co...Not only does young Daniella show himself to be completely useless, he then shouts about it from the rooftops. Isn't there some kindly senior member of the Tory party somewhere who can have a quiet word in his ear. Sad, Very Very sad.Rog Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08139705078907584931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-9354417945683570512009-01-26T22:54:00.000+00:002009-01-26T22:54:00.000+00:00"... the Speaker has stated that the matter is clo...<I>"... the Speaker has stated that the matter is closed. I find this deeply disturbing."</I><BR/><BR/>As do we all.<BR/><BR/>Some might accuse you of making an unseemly fuss but I encourage you to continue making it. There's something really rotten going on here, the whole country can smell the stench. The mother of all Parliaments has lost its proud and independent voice under the boot of the ruling party. Welcome to the Duma.John Pickworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02166443099429490782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-40683541575502063312009-01-26T21:06:00.000+00:002009-01-26T21:06:00.000+00:00Daniel, you let yourself down and worse still you ...Daniel, you let yourself down and worse still you let us all down.<BR/><BR/>We rely on the Members to defend our freedoms from the unelected police. If you cannot defend youself with a swift ' get out of my office', you are very little use to the rest of us.<BR/><BR/>Stop trying to justify yourself, admit you failed, no shame in that, but re double your efforts to react to every incident of loss of personal liberty.<BR/><BR/>In that way you will regain your own self respect and gain some of ours.<BR/><BR/>This endless whining of how badly you were treated dimishes you.<BR/><BR/>I am not a Conservative supporter, but having been elected start acting like a man, admit your failure and fight bad.<BR/><BR/>The public have to do this everyday when harrassed by 'authority.Guthrumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17499979740864497256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-14570495114876274842009-01-26T20:52:00.001+00:002009-01-26T20:52:00.001+00:00For Christ's sake, what relevance does Mr Kawczyns...For Christ's sake, what relevance does Mr Kawczynski's own action, which he regrets and has accepted he made the wrong decision in the brief time he had, have to the matter? Whatever he did is between him, the police and his constituent. Michael Martin's dreadful response goes to the heart of parliamentary independence.<BR/><BR/>Speaker Martin has never been up to the job. Every time anyone says so he hides behind childish claims that the mean people are being snobby towards him. No, Mr Speaker, they just recognise that you have no idea how to fulfil the roles of your office. You should resign forthwith.Doubting Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16507892426345836143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-57215276210827265762009-01-26T20:52:00.000+00:002009-01-26T20:52:00.000+00:00Oddball who once had confidence in Speaker now say...Oddball who once had confidence in Speaker now says he feels betrayed shocker!<BR/><BR/>I think Fleet Street can sleep easy tonight...The Grim Reaperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05543130733645367498noreply@blogger.com