The Convenience Of Timing

Is it a simple coincidence that while the world's attention was turned towards the atrocity unfolding in Mumbai, India, here in Britain the massed ranks of our anti-terrorist police were gathering to arrest -- an opposition legislator? Is it merely bad timing that a story that eats into the very fabric of our freedoms here was pushed onto the inside pages of our newspapers instead of taking pole position on the front covers?

I for one do not believe in coincidence. The idea that bad timing came into play does not sit comfortably with me.

Damian Green is a quiet unassuming member of our opposition Conservative Party, a man who wanted to bring to public attention some facts and figures our government would rather he did not. His 'crime' was that he wilfully accepted information from a government insider. A mole, a leaker, a whistleblower, as we call them here. Mr. Green was arrested under an obscure law stating that he had abused his privilege and was not acting in the public interest.

In a heavy handed act reminiscent of law enforcers from the old Soviet Union, police burst into his house last Thursday night, took his laptop and searched his office. He was publicly humiliated, interrogated and had his cellphone and sensitive documents plundered. He was released without charge nine hours later.

He is an opposition politician. His job is to bring to our attention that which the government does not want us to see. He was, in other words, working solely in the public interest.

It is very unlikely that this man could even access let alone abuse highly dangerous security material. The government machine has always and will always be oiled by leaked material.

We journalists have always and will always be told things we shouldn't know in order that we can enlighten a public kept in the dark -- but in these modern times, Britain's counter terrorism legislation can be twisted to intimidate anyone who speaks out against the government using material gathered from a mole. Unless the police can successfully prove that this was not an over-reaction, it will go down as a disgusting abuse of state power. Our collective fight against terrorism is a vital one, but how much are we prepared to give up in order to win it? How many freedoms must we lose before we give up that very liberty to those who are trying to steal it away from us?

By Petrie Hosken