Picture of a judge's wigThe Judge RANTS!Picture of a judge's wig



Date: 08/08/09

From The Head Down

"A fish rots from its head down" (proverb)

If you want to know why the vast majority of the population now has a deep mistrust of those who rule them, and why those who rule them are desperate to monitor the movements, deeds, even thoughts of the entire population of this island, chew on this.

"Investigators decided there was no evidence of police wrongdoing in the death of Ian Tomlinson just three days after he collapsed at the G20 protests, it has emerged tonight."

This was the statement due to be issued by the 'Independent' Police Complaints Commission less than three days after Mr Ian Tomlinson was dealt fatal injuries by a uniformed thug:

"Mr Tomlinson died of a heart attack after being caught up among protesters dressed entirely in black who were charging police."

"It was during this charge and retreat that Mr Tomlinson has seemed to have been caught up in the crowds and a number of people describe seeing him 'collapse and fall to the ground'."

The 'I'PCC then went on to say that they had examined CCTV footage (presumably of the type we the public were told didn't exist because of mysteriously unfortunate 'technical malfunctions' or 'routine maintenance', or 'someone stole the camera'), police records (it's not clear if these were pre-canteen conference or post-canteen conference) and statements from 'independent witnesses', and were satisfied that:

"...no evidence that the actions of those officers present on Cornhill contributed in any way to the sudden and untimely death of an innocent bystander".

As Billy Connolly would say, "Oh, d'ye bloody think so?"

Let's see that again in super slo-mo, shall we?

"Mr Tomlinson died of a heart attack..."

LIE. He died of internal bleeding.

"...after being caught up among protesters..."

LIE. There were no protestors anywhere near him.

"...protesters dressed entirely in black who were charging police."

LIE. There were no protestors, however sinisterly they may have been dressed, charging police.

"It was during this charge and retreat..."

LIE x2. As there was no 'charge', there could have been no retreat either.

"...that Mr Tomlinson has seemed to have been caught up in the crowds...

LIE. There weren't any crowds to be caught up in, except for a gaggle of men dressed in sinister, unmarked uniforms, one of whom had just belted Mr Tomlinson with his baton.

"...and a number of people describe seeing him 'collapse and fall to the ground'."

'A number of people' also saw him being struck by the robocop. Did the 'I'PCC take their evidence into account?

OK, so here's how it is: we have a public body, charged with investigating complaints of misconduct against the police, who were going to release a statement which contained at least four blatant untruths, most of them provided by the police force ostensibly being investigated (including the farcical first post mortem, carried out by a police pathologist with a history of sub-standard professional conduct); a statement which completely exonerated the police, and put the death of Mr Tomlinson down to one of those tragic accidents which quite often befall those who get in the way of the constabulary performing its allotted function as a goon-squad for the powerful. No doubt it would have gone on to say that lessons would be learned.

And do you know what the most terrifying thing about all this is? That, but for an American tourist who filmed what actually happened, they would have got away with their rank dishonesty. The police, the 'I'PCC, the politicians and the tame corporate media would have closed ranks, and the whole criminal conspiracy would have been buried as permanently as its victim.

Apparently, the 'I'PCC have sent a file to the prosecuting authorities with a recommendation. We are not yet privy (if we ever shall be) to what that recommendation may be, but given that the 'I'PCC's first act on finding that The Guardian had put the tourist's footage up on its website was to go around to the newspaper's offices with an officer of the very police force which was being investigated in order to demand the clip's removal, one cannot be hopeful that any of the officers involved in the killing of Ian Tomlinson will ever be held liable.

Except, perhaps, under Health And Safety laws.