The News of The World reports that Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair now has to explain away a £6 million fraud on the part of Met officers racking up private spending on their police issue AMEX cards. Some ‘three thousand cards’ are to be scrutinised for evidence of misuse. Two cops have already been apprehended. Apparently, Blair was warned about this problem but did nothing about it and has now informed the Home Secretary that he has another ‘resignation call’ problem on his hands. Ken Livingstone, interviewed on the BBC Andrew Marr programme this morning, continues to have confidence in Sir Iain Blair’s police methods and pointed out to ungrateful press hacks that crime was actually coming down in London.
Prince Harry and Chelsy have split. Chelsy has had enough of his antics – and Harry going boozing with Jonny Wilkinson after the rugby World Cup, instead of attending her birthday party, was the last straw. The NOTW describes how Harry got over the split at London club Amika (with a ‘mystery brunette’: “The prince ran up a £2,500 bill in two hours, drinking passionfruit vodka shots and long drinks of vodka and Red Bull. His tucked-away table had an ice-bucket with a £400 bottle of champagne in it. Harry was heard to say he wanted to get “as drunk as possible” and ended the night dancing on the club’s sofas.”
Is Harry still in the army, or is this subtle black psyops to disguise the fact that he is, in fact, in Afghanistan with his regiment and a lookalike is running around London, going to rugby matches, getting pissed and dancing on club sofas?
I have to say… the picture on the right, for those Major Hewtitt paternity theorists out there… bears an uncanny resemblance to Prince Charles when he was younger.
Anyway… enough of the tabloids for the moment and on to what the blawgers are up to…
Binary Law says Holmes is ‘way bigger than Charon’ … excellent ephemera… Meanwhile Geeklawyer continues to cover matters of serious import, revealing a hitherto hidden social conscience. Simon Myerson QC, author of the useful ‘Pupillage and how to get it’ blog, states that he hyperventilated after doing a podcast with me.
Edinburgh Advocate Reactionary Snob is not at all impressed by The Home Secretary and her need to detain people for 56 days without charge. I like this understatement… “Fuck off and fuck you, Jacqueline Smith, this is horseshit and you know it.” I agree with the horseshit part. No examples given of when 56 days would be needed. Not exactly confidence building when the government cannot even give an example of why they would need such an extension of power. Not particularly impressive, either, that one of the chief spooks came out of deep cover to ‘opine’ about extension of powers on the evening of Parliament re-opening for business . Family Lore is not going to speculate on whether Mishcon de Reya sacked Heather Mills or whether she sacked them.
Head of Legal has been attending a protest in London about President Musharraf’s suspension of democracy. Pakistan’s lawyers are standing up to the plate. I am a fan of The Magistrate’s Blog. This week, Bystander JP makes a good point about the vindictive campaign being run by The Sun to get Pete Doherty jailed for ‘his own good’. (Look for the story entitled ‘Vindictive’. I can’t seem to link directly to it. Bystander is always worth reading if you are interested in the administration of day to day justice. Good comments section as well. Paranoid Pupil has a babbling heart and manages to buy some half decent (£10 a bottle) Chateau Cissac for chambers members to guzzle at the weekly drinking session. The pupils have to collect the cash and buy the wine. Dear oh dear…. Why has this set not got a Butler? I went to see a friend of mine, one of the silks, at a leading set some time ago. They had an excellent Butler. I was a bit baffled by this, it has to be said.
Inner Temple Library’s ‘Current Awareness’ service, discussed below, continues to be a useful source of legal information.
I have had a poppy on my blog header (as has Consilio) for two weeks. It is an act of remembrance for those who are no longer able to remember anything… because they are dead.. and they are dead because they fought for Britain. Whatever your beliefs, your politics… I believe we should honour those who died so we may live the lives we lead in modern Britain. Victorian Maiden, of Ruthie’s Law, makes the point better than I am able to.
Finally…
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
Charon QC 