As all regular readers of this blog will be aware, after the bully-boy tactics employed by Merseyside Police against Paul Rimmer, who had merely dared to utter a squeak of protest about the flying of the gay flag over Merseyside Police stations, we took up the case and we prosecuted the Merseyside Police Authority for illegally flying this flag without the required planning permission. We successfully got the Summons issued.
In the meanwhile, as a panic measure in response to this case, that bogus “Conservative”, the “Communities Secretary”, Eric Pickles MP, rushed through a statutory instrument to make it legal for the police to fly the gay flag without obtaining planning permission.
So here we have a classic case of a “Conservative” Minister in office changing the law with exceptional speed to protect/back-up a political initiative by Labour’s Liverpool Council. Is this the Lib/Lab/Con in action or is it a glaring example of Peter Oborne’s ‘political class’ which acts solely in its own interests?
Now we have received a letter from the CPS taking over the prosecution and discontinuing it. The interesting thing about the letter is that the only point that is either factually correct or legally valid is the point that they make arising from the change of the law.
The Chronology of this change is significant. We ‘Laid the Information’ at Liverpool Magistrates Court on the 29th August. The Court listed a hearing as to whether to issue the Summons for the 14th September. Pickles issued his Statutory Instrument on the 13th September and it was laid before Parliament on the 17th to come into force on the 12th October. The court issued the summons on the 14th September. The CPS discontinued the case on the 27th November!
When, after the War, Labour Ministers were heard crowing that “we are the masters now!” who would have thought that matters would have gone so far?
When it came out that Eric Pickles was taking this action I had this letter published in the Brentwood Gazette:-
Dear Sir
Re: Eric Pickles MP Article “Fly flags free under my change of the rules” – October 17th
Your readers might like to know the background to Eric Pickles “Change of the Rules” because these rules are being changed for reasons which I suspect most of your readership would not approve of.
The reason for the ‘change of the rules’ is to enable public buildings to fly politically partisan flags to demonstrate the State’s support for the current politically correct causes. Mr Pickles’ decision has come about because the English Democrats’ Police Commissioner candidate for Merseyside, Paul Rimmer, went into a police station in Liverpool to question why the police, who are supposed to be impartial and independent, were flying the “Rainbow or “Gay Rights” flag. For his troubles he was arrested, allegedly on a public order offence, but despite being held for 6 hours and questioned, the police had no case against him and they abandoned any attempt to charge him.
We are now however prosecuting the Merseyside Police Authority for flying the Gay Flag. In fact they were doing so illegally, having not applied for planning permission on any of the 42 police stations that they flew the Gay Flag over.
In the opinion of the English Democrats it is outrageous that the Police of all people should commit a criminal offence and use bully boy tactics against anyone who dares to criticise them.
We are currently appealing for funds to help in our prosecution of Merseyside Police. If any of your members would like to help, please could they ring 07834 543 505 to donate.
Yours faithfully
R C W Tilbrook