Wheels-within-wheels as they churn around back to my first posting’s reference to the MI5 Director’s prediction of Britain “sleep-walking into a police state”:
On Thursday I asked Is UK police shake-up another sign the Lord’s clearing rot? and cited Daily Telegraph’s report Labour to scrap Police & Crime Commissioners. Then on Saturday Daniel Hannan, former member of the European Parliament and advisor to the Board of Trade, confessed to it being his idea to introduce a scheme to oversee and direct police chiefs.
In I know a way to destroy the woke Blob – but you won’t like it, he writes
‘…First, although not all these cases (recent, RB) led to prosecutions, all have a chilling effect on free speech. At the very least, they are a spectacular waste of police time. Every copper on the Isle of Wight tied up with investigating whether Kung Fu Fighting is a hate crime is not rounding up escapees from Parkhurst.
Second, all these cases date from before 2012, when police and crime commissioners (PCCs) were introduced. Now that Labour says it will abolish PCCs and give their powers to a combination of mayors and local committees, it is worth reminding ourselves of why they were created in the first place. Democracy was supposed to constrain the wokery of our chief constables. We didn’t call it wokery back then, of course. We would speak instead of “political correctness”. But you get the point.
In the event, the idea never caught on. Turnout at PCC elections was typically below 25 per cent, and as a consequence, many PCCs were recycled party hacks from the old police authorities. Nothing really changed.’
His conclusion for solving the problem is for we citizens to step up to the plate:
‘We need to put ourselves forward more often, whether as parish councillors or school governors, and challenge the consensus of the Blob. A democracy, as the old chestnut has it, gets the leaders it deserves. This is everyone’s responsibility.’
So it was very good to read a most positive reader’s letter about our very own county from Dale Fletcher in Gosport: “In Hampshire and the Isle of Wight we have Donna Jones, an exceptionally good PCC, who on our behalf has rigorously held successive chief constables to account, and commissioned some ground-breaking resident-led crime prevention and detection services. She has a great reputation for action and accountability – and, fortunately for us, is likely to go on to be our regional mayor.”
[PS Insert – LOL No of likes, my birth year!]

APPALLING, UNJUSTIFIED ARREST

‘Police have agreed to pay two parents £20,000 in compensation after they were wrongly arrested for complaining about their daughter’s school in a private WhatsApp group.
Maxie Allen and Rosalind Levine said they feel “vindicated” by the force’s admission of unlawful arrest, having been detained by six police officers at their home in front of their young daughter.
But the couple, who were held for 11 hours after they criticised Cowley Hill Primary School in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, in January, said they had now lost trust in the police.
Having questioned the couple on suspicion of harassment, malicious communications and causing a nuisance on school property, Hertfordshire Constabulary ruled that no further action should be taken after a five-week investigation.’
It admitted it was wrong to arrest the couple and has agreed to pay them £10,000 each in compensation…’
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11/16/police-admit-wrongly-arrested-couple-complained-school/
PREACHING ON PUBLIC STREETS
I was most impressed on Friday evening upon hearing the Evangelical Alliance’s CEO Gavin Calver’s interview and address, ‘Having Confidence in the Gospel in our Cultural Landscape’
Gavin spoke at length upon the very considerable legal protection within the UK to speak freely about Jesus Christ and all topics affecting freedom of conscience and belief, as published in the EA’s excellent booklet Speak Up [DOWNLOAD HERE]
“A lively and legally informed route map for courteous and competent Christian contention.” – His Honour Judge David Turner QC, Circuit Judge
Contents, Page No.:
Why this? Why now? 5
What does the law say? 6
Sharing the gospel in private spaces 8
Sharing the gospel at work 10
Sharing the gospel in public 14
Advertising and printed materials 16
Conclusion 19
Key documents referred to in this resource 19
Other resources 19
What Does The Law Say?
‘The strength of the legal protection to speak freely about Jesus Christ and all topics affecting freedom of conscience and belief is very considerable indeed.
Freedom to share, discuss and debate religious beliefs has benefited from legal protection for many centuries. The protection that exists today covers the spoken word and written publications, including online content. It ranges from protecting a street preacher, to allowing a billboard displaying Bible verses, to ensuring a conversation in a home can occur without inhibition.
The protection is found in the principles of the common law, in domestic legislation like
the Public Order Act 1986 and in European legislation – principally the European
Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) which was incorporated into British law
by the Human Rights Act 1998. The 2016 referendum on membership of the EU does not affect the UK’s status as a signatory to the ECHR.
Articles 9 and 10 of the ECHR (see facing page) are now the primary source of protection for Christians wanting to share the gospel of Jesus in many different situations, although there are other laws and statutes which are also relevant.
This is not to say that there are no restrictions or limitations, however, and some of the qualifications that exist are outlined in this resource, but in general, you have a lot more freedom than you may think.’
Therefore, the harassment of street preaching shared last Monday on my Facebook, as shown herein, is likely to be another instance of illegal police action!

To watch Gavin’s speech, play from 37 minutes mark (apologies for poor image).



BACKGROUND:
Maybe the most appalling of the dozen cases is that former head of Met Police Federation Rick Prior banned from running for election!
One would think police officers’ offensive activities are contrary to their Oath of Office in swearing allegiance to the Crown? Having become meaningless it is utterly irrelevant!!




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