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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think the Met will do nothing about the Downing St parties and now seem corrupt

127 replies

Poetrypatty · 11/01/2022 09:56

AIBU to think they won't do anything? Surely there were even police officers stationed in Downing St when it actually happened.

I feel sorry for all the decent hardworking Met police officers because the bad ones, and all of these scandals and the failure to be seeming to hold up the law (by those at the top) is really damaging faith in the police.

OP posts:
SerendipityJane · 12/01/2022 08:36

Do people really want Met Police to take officers away from investigating rapes, stabbings, assaults etc. to investigate a party for which the likely conclusion would be no arrest, no fine.

(Looks at new law upon new law, new crime upon new crime)

I think the answer is a clear yes to that.

SickAndTiredAgain · 12/01/2022 08:45

If this had happened in your building or in your work place you wouldn’t blame the concierge or the security guard at the desk.

No, but if they were then the ones investigating the event, I wouldn’t have much confidence in the outcome.

BigWoollyJumpers · 12/01/2022 10:58

A caller to Jeremy Vine this morning, reminded us that at the same time the beaches were absolutely rammed. I had completely forgotten about that. That summer was really very warm, and in some ways I am not surprised that a group of workers (setting aside whether they be government workers or not) maybe shut in all day in an office together thought it reasonable to have a break after work in the outside.

EvilPea · 12/01/2022 11:31

@BigWoollyJumpers

A caller to Jeremy Vine this morning, reminded us that at the same time the beaches were absolutely rammed. I had completely forgotten about that. That summer was really very warm, and in some ways I am not surprised that a group of workers (setting aside whether they be government workers or not) maybe shut in all day in an office together thought it reasonable to have a break after work in the outside.
No I get that. I also understand they work together so they are already at risk of infecting each other. So the additional risk is probably negligible

However
They didn’t afford the same common sense approach to everyone else in the country to make decisions like that. It was against the law

Clackyheels · 12/01/2022 19:03

@ForsythiaInBloom

The Met will do nothing. There will be some partial performative contrition from Downing St (not directly from the PM) and more announcements about waiting for Sue Grey’s investigation to be concluded. They’ll sweep it under the carpet and say it’s an internal matter, sack someone faceless and unaccountable to the public. Finally we’ll be told to “move on”, “the matter is closed” and “the public want us to concentrate on real issues”. We will have a textbook brush off. Democracy and accountability and voters treated with contempt.
Exactly this.
TheRealShedSadie · 12/01/2022 19:11

Technically this work gathering will be seen to be absolutely legal. They set the rules and will be absolutely sure of this.
Reynolds will have been absolutely sure of this when he sent that invitation. He’s a lawyer.

Much hand wringing will be performed about hindsight, really unfortunate optics, and senior people will moved to ‘diplomatic’ roles (on £££) to think about what they have done.

So no, Dick and her colleagues will be required to do nothing other than adopt a sad face and ask everyone to move on.

user1363157897422457887532356 · 12/01/2022 20:22

God, our society is so corrupt.

EvilPea · 12/01/2022 20:37

I sort of hope he doesn’t resign. There’s still time for a new leader to establish and get voted in at the next election.

Leaving him there a bit longer stands a chance of getting the tories out.

I want the next leak to be Theresa may leaking pictures of the “tip” she left at Downing Street.

user1363157897422457887532356 · 12/01/2022 20:53

On the plus side, hopefully the significance of the covid pandemic will mean that future generations will forever associate his name with self-serving corruption in the same way as we associate Chamberlain with ineffectual appeasement...

That would be far greater justice than him resigning/being forced out.

superplumb · 12/01/2022 21:12

I'm a cop but not in the met .
The officer at the door would have no say on who goes in. However none of us know that he /she didnt raise it and we probably never will.
As for the met investigating them, no chance. It needs to be investigated by an outside police force to have any transparency. This will not happen though because to do so would mean admitting the top cops at the met are bent.

Kendodd · 12/01/2022 21:13

I have heard the Good Law Project is sueing the Met over their inaction on DS parties.

Skiptheheartsandflowers · 12/01/2022 21:20

Technically this work gathering will be seen to be absolutely legal. They set the rules and will be absolutely sure of this.
Reynolds will have been absolutely sure of this when he sent that invitation. He’s a lawyer.

He may be, but he's also monumentally stupid to have worded that invitation as he did, making it very clearly a non-work gathering. Deserves to be sacked for that level of stupidity, in fact.

And yes, this makes the Met look even worse, if you can imagine such a thing.

user1363157897422457887532356 · 12/01/2022 21:49

Does it make the Met look worse or does it just reaffirm how appalling it is?

I'm not sure they can sink lower than believing it was in any way appropriate or adequate to tell women to just flag down a bus if a police officer tried to abduct them rather than changing anything about their toxic institution.

SickAndTiredAgain · 13/01/2022 07:19

Technically this work gathering will be seen to be absolutely legal. They set the rules and will be absolutely sure of this.
Reynolds will have been absolutely sure of this when he sent that invitation. He’s a lawyer.

Work wasn’t even mentioned though, in the invite. The subject was “socially distanced drinks” and the text was about enjoying the weather and BYOB. It wasn’t “as the weather is so nice, and we often work through the evening, feel free to use the garden tonight, and have a glass of wine!” Which could be defended as they were invited to use the garden to work in etc.

Plus, Carrie was there. And she doesn’t (and didn’t) work there, so would not have been legally allowed at any work event. And a social gathering like that wasn’t allowed either.

Changechangychange · 13/01/2022 07:37

@SerendipityJane

You are seriously expecting the outfit headed by Dame Cressida Dick to investigate the government that re appointed her over objections from almost every possible quarter ?

In the nicest possible way ... grow up.

This. Cressida Dick is corrupt.
Changechangychange · 13/01/2022 07:45

Do people really want Met Police to take officers away from investigating rapes, stabbings, assaults etc. to investigate a party for which the likely conclusion would be no arrest, no fine

They took time off investigating rapes etc to follow me and my two year old around the park to ensure we were “exercising and not playing”.

They took time off investigating rapes to stop Marina Hyde playing cricket with her children in the park “because sport isn’t exercise”.

They took time off investigating rapes to fine two women for walking to Borough Market together for a coffee (too far away, apparently).

They took time to fine a man for taking shopping round to his elderly mother’s house.

So yes, I would have liked them to have taken time to break up this illegal party, and if they weren’t aware of it at the time, to investigate it now.

But they won’t, because Cressida Dick is in Boris’s back pocket.

jgw1 · 13/01/2022 07:49

I don’t think you understand. There is no ‘order’. You get a list of visitors at the start of your shift and all the staff who work there have passes and can come and go as they please.

And come and go they would need to do in order to go out to buy booze for a bring your own party, or do they keep a stash under their desks just in case a party happens to take place that evening?

PinchOfVom · 13/01/2022 07:49

@Chasingaftermidnight

Yep. Party in Downing Street - fine. Vigil for woman savagely murdered by a serving Met Police officer - not fine.
Yes, it’s utterly horrendous

Why aren’t we angrier?
The entire establishment is so corrupt

something2say · 13/01/2022 07:52

The patriarchal institutions are falling. Good. Policing has always been dodgy to me because they uphold laws that are later found to have been repugnant ie arresting gay people, being racist. They do what they're told.

DingleyDel · 13/01/2022 07:57

The MET have always been terribly corrupt. They are a fraction better now if anything, because of brave people who have fought to hold them to account. They probably won’t do anything because like you said some of their own officers would be culpable for not stopping it at the time.

JuergenSchwarzwald · 13/01/2022 08:06

They took time to fine a man for taking shopping round to his elderly mother’s house

If they really did do that I hope he told them where to stick their fine!

The other examples you gave were stupid as well but it was never illegal to visit elderly or vulnerable relatives or friends for care reasons.

Babycham1979 · 13/01/2022 08:07

You've just realised the Met police are corrupt? Try being a black man in London over the last, what, sixty years.

A lifetime of being harassed, beaten, abused and framed should be enough to convince you they've always been an institutionally corrupt bunch of thugs.

Cressida 'Dirty' Dick is obviously holding out for her rewards for loyalty to the Tories come retirement.

EishetChayil · 13/01/2022 08:29

All cats are beautiful.

SerendipityJane · 13/01/2022 08:29

You've just realised the Met police are corrupt? Try being a black man in London over the last, what, sixty years.

I marched over the murder of Blair Peach by a police officer (who was never prosecuted). That was 1979.

VikingOnTheFridge · 13/01/2022 08:32

@jcyclops

Wes Streeting (Labour's Shadow Health Secretary) says the Downing Street party on 20th May should have been treated the same as the party on the very same day in Sandwell Street, Handsworth where around 100 attended a street party. West Midlands police broke up the party and told attendees to go home. There were no arrests and no fines issued.

Do people really want Met Police to take officers away from investigating rapes, stabbings, assaults etc. to investigate a party for which the likely conclusion would be no arrest, no fine.

Investigating rapes or committing them?