Best Of

What are the chances?

https://x.com/Steven_Swinford/status/2036460110579450052

@Steven_Swinford
Exclusive:

Police did not investigate the theft of Morgan McSweeney’s phone because officers were “too busy”, despite the sensitivity of his messages and contacts

Sir Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff told the Metropolitan police that his phone was stolen as he returned home from a restaurant in central London on October 20 last year

Pretty high, I’ve mentioned on here friends have had their phones/tablets/watches stolen and they’ve gone to the police saying that FindMyLocation says their device(s) is/are at this property and the Rozzers say, nah, cannot be bothered, here’s your crime reference number and claim on your insurance.

I posted a video a couple of weeks ago where they followed a company who track stolen cars. They identified the location of 3 cars that had been stolen. One was in a lockup, £100k car, the police wouldn't come out initially, eventually they did, said here is a crime number, we won't be investigating and pottered off, no scene of crime dusting for prints etc, it was basically here is a crime number you are on your own, up to you in you want to break into the lockup and retrieve the car. Another a £120k car was tracked to a chop shop, the police did actually arrest the two suspects in the process of stripping the car, the CPS didn't proescute not enough evidence.

If the CPS can’t be bothered you can see why very quickly the police decide that they to can’t be bothered

What are the chances?

https://x.com/Steven_Swinford/status/2036460110579450052

@Steven_Swinford
Exclusive:

Police did not investigate the theft of Morgan McSweeney’s phone because officers were “too busy”, despite the sensitivity of his messages and contacts

Sir Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff told the Metropolitan police that his phone was stolen as he returned home from a restaurant in central London on October 20 last year

Pretty high, I’ve mentioned on here friends have had their phones/tablets/watches stolen and they’ve gone to the police saying that FindMyLocation says their device(s) is/are at this property and the Rozzers say, nah, cannot be bothered, here’s your crime reference number and claim on your insurance.

Yeah, but are they reporting stolen a government phone?

Was it a government phone or his personal phone?

Sorry, should have included: "The theft of the work device..."

Ta, I should be surprised at the police in this instance but I am not.

Dan Hodges makes another point:

https://x.com/DPJHodges/status/2036469140571988163

@DPJHodges
We were specifically told by Steve Reed on Sunday the theft pre-dated the issues relating to Mandelson. I’m going to say it again. This is a blatant cover-up. And Ministers - from the Prime Minister down - are openly lying about it.

https://x.com/singharj/status/2036466148946976932

@singharj
McSweeney's phone was stolen around a month after Starmer was forced to sack Mandelson as US ambassador.......

How unfortunate....what were the chances.

I worked in Number 10 for a short while. It's absolute bull that the police would be too busy to look into it. And that's with everyone conveniently forgetting that it would be the number 10 security team that would take a lead on this, not the met. They lose their shit if someone mislays their pass, let alone a government device.

What are the chances?

https://x.com/Steven_Swinford/status/2036460110579450052

@Steven_Swinford
Exclusive:

Police did not investigate the theft of Morgan McSweeney’s phone because officers were “too busy”, despite the sensitivity of his messages and contacts

Sir Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff told the Metropolitan police that his phone was stolen as he returned home from a restaurant in central London on October 20 last year

Pretty high, I’ve mentioned on here friends have had their phones/tablets/watches stolen and they’ve gone to the police saying that FindMyLocation says their device(s) is/are at this property and the Rozzers say, nah, cannot be bothered, here’s your crime reference number and claim on your insurance.

Yeah, but are they reporting stolen a government phone?

Was it a government phone or his personal phone?

Sorry, should have included: "The theft of the work device..."

Ta, I should be surprised at the police in this instance but I am not.

Dan Hodges makes another point:

https://x.com/DPJHodges/status/2036469140571988163

@DPJHodges
We were specifically told by Steve Reed on Sunday the theft pre-dated the issues relating to Mandelson. I’m going to say it again. This is a blatant cover-up. And Ministers - from the Prime Minister down - are openly lying about it.

https://x.com/singharj/status/2036466148946976932

@singharj
McSweeney's phone was stolen around a month after Starmer was forced to sack Mandelson as US ambassador.......

Off topic, but timely. On Saturday it was sunny here, and so I took the opportunity to walk along Lake Washington and take a few photographs. To my surprise, I encountered a small pro-Shah demonstration at a favorite park. The demonstrators were displaying the traditional Iranian flag, American flags, and -- trigger warning -- an Israeli flag or two.

There were three or four groups of pictures of, I assumed, young people who had been killed by the Mullahs.

Here's one:


(My apologies for the quality of the picture. I should have taken more time, but was still surprised by the demonstration.)

The demonstrators looked wealthy and secular.

This Saturday there will be, as I understand it, a "No Kings" demonstration, protesting Trump, in the same park. (I expect I will find myself in the odd position of favoring both demonstrations, wanting the Mullahs overthrown, with as few lives lost as possible, and the Loser driven from power, with the same caveat.)

I don't think that's an odd position at all Jim.

Off topic, but timely. On Saturday it was sunny here, and so I took the opportunity to walk along Lake Washington and take a few photographs. To my surprise, I encountered a small pro-Shah demonstration at a favorite park. The demonstrators were displaying the traditional Iranian flag, American flags, and -- trigger warning -- an Israeli flag or two.

There were three or four groups of pictures of, I assumed, young people who had been killed by the Mullahs.

Here's one:


(My apologies for the quality of the picture. I should have taken more time, but was still surprised by the demonstration.)

The demonstrators looked wealthy and secular.

This Saturday there will be, as I understand it, a "No Kings" demonstration, protesting Trump, in the same park. (I expect I will find myself in the odd position of favoring both demonstrations, wanting the Mullahs overthrown, with as few lives lost as possible, and the Loser driven from power, with the same caveat.)

PB official style guide update

Use of either 'roofs' or 'rooves' is acceptable. Further discussion of this topic is prohibited. Go talk trans instead.

I would like to mention the story about Tolkein and his publisher who objected to the author pluralising dwarf as dwarves.

The publisher tried to quote the Oxford English Dictionary at which point Tolkein pointed out he was one of the editors of the OED and knew perfectly well what was in it.

I have heard a very similar story. Defence counsel was making a somewhat misconceived objection on the basis of a commentary on the Criminal Procedure (S) Act. The commentary was written by Peter Ferguson QC (as they then were) who happened to be the AD in the case, something the Judge appreciated but apparently the defence counsel did not. Peter, being ever tactful said, "what I think the learned author meant by that was..."

AD?

Sorry, Advocate Depute, the prosecutor.

What are the chances?

https://x.com/Steven_Swinford/status/2036460110579450052

@Steven_Swinford
Exclusive:

Police did not investigate the theft of Morgan McSweeney’s phone because officers were “too busy”, despite the sensitivity of his messages and contacts

Sir Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff told the Metropolitan police that his phone was stolen as he returned home from a restaurant in central London on October 20 last year

Pretty high, I’ve mentioned on here friends have had their phones/tablets/watches stolen and they’ve gone to the police saying that FindMyLocation says their device(s) is/are at this property and the Rozzers say, nah, cannot be bothered, here’s your crime reference number and claim on your insurance.

Yeah, but are they reporting stolen a government phone?

Was it a government phone or his personal phone?

The article says it was his work phone. I had my bag stolen from a coffee shop once. I phoned the police and happened to mention that my government pass was in the bag (I was more vexed about my brand new ipad that I got for my birthday). I had an officer round in about 45 minutes so it's a bit odd about McSweeney. Maybe he was too embarrassed to mention it?