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Government cannot be allowed to cover up uncomfortable truths
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Damian Green attacks Government over civil liberties at event in Reading
13th February 2009 The Conservative Front Bench MP who rose to fame after his ‘Stalinesque’ arrest in November, spoke at a special ‘Freedom Dinner’ last night for Reading Conservatives. He discussed his arrest by counter-terrorism police (within the confines of legal advice) and the nature of the Government’s response, particularly Gordon Brown’s reaction and accusations that he had prior knowledge of the arrest. Damian said that his arrest was a clear attempt to prevent him exposing the Government’s failure on crime and immigration. He also said that the Government cannot be allowed to cover up uncomfortable truths that the public has a right to know. He added that, as Shadow Immigration Minister, he has, on a number of occasions, legitimately revealed information which the Home Office chose not to make public. This information categorically did not jeopardise national security or interests. It included information about 5,000 illegal immigrants cleared by the Security Industries Agency, including 12 who were working for the Metropolitan Police and one guarding the Prime Minister’s car. It also revealed Government efforts to cover-up a security breach in which an illegal immigrant was employed in parliament. Damian wasn’t able to comment further on the affair, due to the ongoing police investigation, however he did express concern over the recording of his fingerprints and stated that if no charges were brought, he would be writing to the Metropolitan Police to request that his records are destroyed. This led on to the main part of his speech concerning civil liberties. He attacked the Government for its increasing authoritarianism and the erosion of freedoms in the UK , primarily due to the ID Cards scheme, the proliferation of CCTV, and the news that the Home Secretary is planning to create a database to record everyone’s telephone calls and emails. He explained how, under this Government, surveillance powers designed to combat terrorism and serious organised crime have been used by local authorities to investigate things like fly-tipping. Local MP, Rob Wilson, also spoke at the event, and praised his colleague for his resilient stance on protecting people’s civil liberties. Commenting on the evening, he said, “It was great to have Damian back here in Reading. He went to Reading School so has a great affection for the town. The issues he talked about are very serious and have implications for everyone – Damian’s arrest highlights the need to protect our freedoms. If the Government is infringing the freedoms of Members of Parliament, goodness only knows what it is doing to the general public. The erosion of civil liberties under this Government must be stopped and I thank Damian for coming to Reading to talk about these issues with local campaigners.” Alok Sharma, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Reading West, thanked Damian Green after his speech and said, “Damian is one of the most courageous, one of the most effective and one of the most admired front benchers in Parliament and it is easy to understand why Labour MPs squirm uncomfortably on the Government benches when Damian Green gets up to speak in the House. There are many reasons for getting rid of this hapless Labour Government, and one of the most important is because Labour has ridden roughshod over the civil liberties of the British people which have been established over many centuries.” |
