Andrew Mitchell - Plebgate

[Recycle]

This morning on R4 in a wonderful moment of brilliant comedy that no satirist could invent Michael Brown MP stated that it wasn't Andrew Mitchell but the bicycle wot dunnit.

According to Michael Brown, If Andrew Mitchell had used a ministerial car rather than insisting on using a bicycle the whole plebgate affair would never have happened. Paraphrasing: "this is why ministerial cars are provided, to protect ministers from incidences of this kind".

I have news for Mr Brown. It's not the bicycles fault that Andrew Mitchell behaved like a bellend, and the expense of a ministerial car to protect us from their social failures is not the best use of taxpayers money.

 

[Paulus]

If Andrew Mitchell had never been elected in the first place, plebgate would never of happened!

 

[shouldbeinbed]

I guess we'll never know exactly what was said, just the judicially declared balance of probabilities that he did act as accused. I have no sympathy for him if he thought he could speak to people in that manner in an official capacity, but I do for objecting to the officialdom attitude that a bicycle is more like a glorified walking aid & treated as such rather than a bona fide mode of transport meritorious of the same consideration as a ministerial car.

I grind my teeth at work that I have to stop, dismount, get onto the footway, faff around getting my swipe card out & punch in the associated pin, just to exit by the secure pedestrian gate, then tidy my card away, negotiate the invariably full visitors parking bays to get back to the carriageway just to ride off, rather than the car gate recognise my presence or the gatehouse be allowed (they aren't by order of house management) to pop the barrier up as they spot me approaching it. Yes its been argued, no we, with union backing didn't get any concessions on it, they played the H&S card because their barrier is not one that routinely recognises bikes and the outcome that is basically f**k them off and treat them like foot traffic is the 'economic option of choice'.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

The annoying thing about it, for me, was the implication that the Officer involved was not an intelligent man

Weighing up the competing claims, the judge said PC Rowland was "not the sort of man who would have had the wit, imagination or inclination to invent on the spur of the moment an account of what a senior politician had said to him in temper".

So, is the Judge stating in open Court, that PC Rowland is thick? (damages, for slander?)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-30235009

 

[Recycle]

The listen again http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04pvk1c is now available and Michael Brown's contribution starts at 2:11:12, with the bicycle comments starting at 2:12:50. It's worth a listen, particularly his exampling of Eric Pickles as the behaviour model.

 

[vernon]

The annoying thing about it, for me, was the implication that the Officer involved was not an intelligent man

Weighing up the competing claims, the judge said PC Rowland was "not the sort of man who would have had the wit, imagination or inclination to invent on the spur of the moment an account of what a senior politician had said to him in temper".

So, is the Judge stating in open Court, that PC Rowland is thick? (damages, for slander?)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-30235009

My take of the statement was that Toby Roland was a straightforward, open and honest copper and lacking the corruption or deviousness required to fabricate a compelling and believable deception.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

My take of the statement was that Toby Roland was a straightforward, open and honest copper and lacking the corruption and deviousness required to fabricate a compelling believable deception.

Yep, it's an ''or'' not an ''and.''

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

I agree with you Vernon, which is why I wrote that it was annoying, I thought it was a bit ambiguously worded

 

[vernon]

Yep, it's an ''or'' not an ''and.''

Point taken and post amended.

 

[ColinJ]

Point taken and post amended.

And "is" rather than "was" unless the trauma of 'plebgate' has since made a dishonest man of him?

 

[Glow worm]

The whole plebgate thing - repulsive Tory toff vs Plod reminded me of a Man Utd vs Arsenal fixture- you dislike both to the extent that you wish there was a way they could both lose!

 

[vernon]

And "is" rather than "was" unless the trauma of 'plebgate' has since made a dishonest man of him?

Bog off.

 

[benb]

He was talking drivel. I got a bit peed off when he said "all this cycling nonsense" and suchlike.

 

[vernon]

[QUOTE 3399907, member: 259"]Woohoo, a semantics thread! [/QUOTE]

Nope. A bog standard one.

 

[swee'pea99]

Surely a complete dearth of wit or imagination is a job requirement for either plod or MP?