WRITTEN ON April 1st, 2008 BY William Heath AND STORED IN Uncategorized
The Leader of the House of Commons takes a stroll in her own constituency.
Merely “to praise her own neighborhood police team”, just as she would wear a hard hat on a building site, or a hair net if she were visiting a cake factory, she says, she wears a bullet-prof, stab-proof vest to visit the streets of her own constituency Peckham “as a courtesy”. But she’s not scared, she says. She’s very sorry the Daily Mail reported it and that Sir Johannes Humphrissimus Maximus Inetrromptor gave it any credence by mentioning it (even though it’s also on her own web site). Hey – Humphrissimus Maximus Interromptor is working with Evan Davies today: my mate! Hurrah.
Update: Wibbies: 1. The Daily Mail stopped hating everyone and everything for a living; 2. Johannes Humphrissimus Maximus Interromptor stopped interrupting people and 3. that our political leaders showed no physical fear and made a virtue out being relaxed, confident and safe amongst the British public.
4 Responses to “Halo Britain: an MP takes a stroll among the electorate”
I heard of the recent visit by a government minister to a DWP job-centre:
He arrived in a shiny blacked-out people carrier, complete with heavies.
Seeing this, many job-seekers assumed that he was a drug-pusher!
Indeed – she’s clearly mortified that the picture, which she intended to show her being supportive of the police, is used by political opponents to discredit her. I’m not her political opponent – I love everybody. But I think we should resist language and imagery that normalises violence (“Halo Britain” – police with guns at Parliament or Waterloo station). One just reacts to a photo like this; you don’t always have time to interpret what led to it. If she says “I was just experiencing how uncomfortable they are” then fair enough. But she said it’s like wearing a hairnet to a cake factory, ie it’s normal for the environment. Her empathy is entirely for the police in flak jackets, and not – as far as we can see from this episode – for the constituents on the streets. Should we all chip in to buy a stab-proof flak jacket for Ruthie?
Re. 2: Yes, as I’ve reported: Last year’s visit to our village by the Queen (our Queen!) was a delightfully low-key affair, policed by just a handful of cheerful, friendly, unarmed police (our police!). (Although others were parked discretely out of sight.)
Similarly, the tens of thousands of visitors to last year’s free Rhythms of the World music festival in Hitchin (sadly the last such free open event) were “controlled” by volunteer stewards, with only a handful of inconspicuous police who had removed their usual day-glow jackets.
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It seems a lifetime since I went to stand just feet from a serving PM – during the IRA times – while he addressed an impromptu street rally, protected only by a handful of police; or was able to simply turn-up at political meetings addressed by senior politicians – without first being frisked or vetted by “party” officials.
We seem to have returned to Feudal times where those chosen to rule over us live in a totally different world of privilege, power and protection. However, some will discover that they are prisoners in that gilded cage.
Wibbi: Politicians and officials remembered that they serve us, not rule us.
Interesting how a photo can (perhaps) be mis-interpreted: According to (one) account from her staff, she wore that jacket in order to discover whether it really was uncomfortable or burdensome for WPCs.
How often do the government’s or media’s published images really convey reliable, unbiased information?
Wibbi: We all learnt to analyse what we’re told more critically, rather than accepting it at face value.