Can we throw Michael Gove in prison for his cocaine use?

[AlaskanOilBaron]

I mean seriously, this fella was Justice Secretary- i.e. responsible for sending people to prison for using cocaine - and he's used cocaine?

What a complete twat. He tied himself in a pretzel on Andrew Marr trying to talk his way out of it, how he was 'fortunate' and so on - THAT'S EXACTLY THE POINT. He got lucky because he's white, because he's middle class, and so on -so sod the poor fools who haven't been so lucky?

I do hope this is the end of his career.

How so LadyRannaldini?

The extremely ambitious Mr and Mrs Gove have offended some very influential people whilst clawing their way up the ladder. Very keck-handed and no surprise at all that someone on a higher rung has stomped hard on those fingers. He'll be lucky to get a place in any new government.

Her leaked email re: Johnson proved pretty disastrous with hindsight.

Middle-class cocaine use is a big driver of criminality

Only midddle class use?

Omg can't believe someone pretty much said it's OK for white middle class to do drugs but black /working class need stopping as they are 'involved in criminality' oh my please sod off sick of this discriminating way of thinking being normalised

I'd say paedophilia is more common in the upper classes anyway, just ask may! I know which deserves jail more

I'd say paedophilia is more common in the upper classes anyway, just ask may!

Look at who was involved in the PIE movement of the late 70's as well.

One must possess it in order to take it.

If you find yourself in possession of an illegal substance then assuming you aren't breaking any other laws (eg you are not in a police evidence locker) you must destroy it or report/give it to the police.

Mr Gove seems to have destroyed it ASAP which was very publicly spirited of him. The man's basically a hero.

(Surprised he hasn't said this himself to be honest 😂)

Her leaked email re: Johnson proved pretty disastrous with hindsight.

Ooh. What's this?

I agree. It shows just how machiavellian the Tories are. I read in the guardian that they reckon the leak was from Raab's team. Apparently some candidates had signed a non-backstabbing agreement. Like that'd be worth the paper it was written on if so.

The article also said gove was hosting parties with coke around the time of writing that article in the mail about the horrors of taking drugs. It must be common knowledge and just too juicy for someone not to spill.

He is a complete hypocrite (although I am surprised at how effective he has been in environment). Highly entertaining.

I actually quite liked Gove for a brief moment when he brought the scourge of drinking straws to the fore... but all this posturing about the scourge of drugs (and by the way, he really stuck himself out there - it wasn't just falling in line with the party policy) - I cannot abide him.

It would be almost like catching Nancy Reagan doing coke (not quite, but almost).

Mrs. Gove's leaked email:

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/29/michael-goves-wife-raised-concerns-about-backing-boris-johnson-f/

And, my apologies for the double 'scourge' - unacceptable.

But you'd hope he'd be astute enough to be expecting a big expose that casts him as Satan, wouldn't you? Par for the course, he should have been prepared or stayed out of the game. No sympathy. The contest begins . . . It wont be pretty.

I absolutely hate drugs, but i really cannot muster the energy to get wound up about this. The prison system is already under huge strain, if you threw everyone in who admitted to taking drugs when they were younger (without any actual evidence) it would be absolutely crippled; better ways to spend money to be honest. I think people would be surprised how many people have dabbled.

One must possess it in order to take it.

On this technical legal point I did a little bit of looking yesterday, but in couldn't find a clear answer. The law is clear that one element for the offence of "possession" is "control". My assumption would be that if someone who has some coke chops it up into lines and offers you one then even if you snort it, at no point did you have control of the stuff, so you didn't "possess" it. Anyone who knows more law than in do with an insight into this? There seem to be no cases deciding this point, presumably because people in that situation never get prosecuted.

(Incidentally, the person offering the cocaine is guilty of the more serious offence of possession with intent to supply - ie the law treats them as a dealer.)

Omg can't believe someone pretty much said it's OK for white middle class to do drugs but black /working class need stopping as they are 'involved in criminality' oh my please sod off sick of this discriminating way of thinking being normalised

I'm not sure whose comment you are referring to. If it was mine, I was being sarcastic and trying to make the point about how hypocritical white, middle class drug taking is and how disgusted I am that it is portrayed as fine by so many.

I couldn't possibly comment on whether Gove's confession should result in a criminal conviction, but I do think he should immediately and unilaterally withdraw from the leadership contest.

I know there are other law breakers of various descriptions in Parliament, but generally speaking I believe that law breakers should not be in our legislature.

I also think there is a big difference between someone admitting that they shared a spliff as a teenager and someone admitting that they took cocaine on several occasions in their 30s. Cocaine is a class A drug associated with the illegal trafficking of arms and vulnerable women and children. I would expect anyone seeking high office to have a sufficiently strong moral compass to be able to opt out of cocaine if they find themselves in a situation where it is being used.

This revelation suggests that Gove is a weak individual who is driven only by personal ambition. In short, he is not leadership material.

I'm not sure whose comment you are referring to. If it was mine, I was being sarcastic and trying to make the point about how hypocritical white, middle class drug taking is and how disgusted I am that it is portrayed as fine by so many.

I would have thought it was blindingly obvious, perhaps not.

Did he sign off on the debarring of any drugs users as teachers when he was SoS for Education.

www.tes.com/news/gove-defends-overseeing-teacher-drug-bans

In his first statement, his emphasis on the need to ignore 'past' mistakes is interesting. Not sure what other kind of mistakes there are (I expect he meant mistakes made before someone became a politician).

I could be reading too much into it but press picture editors seem to be using more photographs with him appearing wider/wild eyed and less-formally dressed.

I don't give a fuck whether or not he did a line of coke 20 years ago, and I was quite annoyed that all the questions he was asked were focused on that. Is this really more important than asking him about Brexit, and what he intends to do if he becomes the new PM?

He's not giving up. Brexiting away nicely on tv right now.

Only midddle class use?

No, I was responding to an OP who was arguing the police could use their resources more wisely than going after MC cocaine users. There seems to be a trope that it's harmless and victimless. It's not.

Tories don’t have the monopoly on being Machiavellian, look at what’s going on in labour at the moment. I think it’s the type of people who go in to politics that are likely to be like this, not just members of one party.

The Greens always seem decent though?

The Greens always seem decent though?

Greens have a worryingly sensible and pragmatic approach to drugs. Tending towards a legalised and taxed model. Nowhere near hysterical enough to scoop a badge wearing Daily Mailista ...

You have to be a born finagler to be a politician. Greens? Amy Challener and Amy's dad. I believe Amy is now hanging out with the Lib dems. Politicians. We've got to have them. Fortunately we don't have to like them. And certainly don't have to trust them.

I’d agree with a legalised and taxed model. Prohibition doesn’t seem to be working.

Prohibition doesn’t seem to be working.

Depends who's talking ....

I agree with the possibility that someone supporting a rival candidate has spilled the beans-possibly directly to the Daily Mail.

I just don't want Boris Johnson to benefit.