Don't be fooled by the tone in
Michael Gillard's Times article.
The crux of the "scandal" is not the outrage of several feminists and other activists (male and female alike) over two things — 1) the fact that they (especially some of the ladies!) were fooled, and 2) because of some fiddly-duddly judge, a 70-year-old who had the gall to suggest that married men (and women) are more likely to be in a stable relationship.
The crux is that all women, whatever their political leanings (and whatever their vocal protests over toxic masculinity), go for alpha males.
Police officers infiltrated a number of environmental and animal rights protest movements, and under the guise of fellow travellerdom, their alpha maleness apparently still shone through, as girls (aka "victims" of "professionally trained liars") went to bed with them and even ended up married to, and/or having children with, some of them!
Doesn't anyone know that (at least) half the male attendees in a protest march (without being undercover policemen, natch) have not much interest — alright, they may have a degree of sympathy — in whatever the object of the demonstration is and are really there only, or mainly, to meet a girl and get laid?!
Michael Gillard and Eveline Lubbers:
Police officers working undercover may have been sleeping with
political activists they were spying on for more than 40 years,
according to newly released documents.
The public inquiry into
the scandal disclosed the identity of an officer who is said to have had
a sexual relationship with a radical student during the mid-Seventies.
It is evidence to suggest that the Special Demonstration Squad (SDS),
set up in 1968, was a rogue Scotland Yard unit almost from the outset.
The undercover policing inquiry, led by Sir John Mitting, had
thought that SDS officers were forming “deceitful relationships”, some
of them resulting in the birth of children, from the Eighties. A woman
has come forward, however, with evidence that an officer using the name
Rick Gibson had had a relationship with her while on deployment between 1974 and 1976.
…/… In an interview with The Times “Mary” said … that her flatmate also slept with [an officer using the name Rick Gibson] and researchers have uncovered two other women with whom he had a sexual relationship.
In
2015 the Metropolitan Police apologised to eight women and acknowledged
that officers who had relationships with targets were violating their
human rights. The force did not contest the claims about Gibson.
Michael Gillard, earlier:
The judge chairing the public inquiry into undercover police who had
sex with their activist targets has caused an outcry by saying that
officers were less likely to enter illicit relationships if they were
happily married.
Sir John Mitting’s “old-fashioned” views angered those who were duped into relationships,
marriage and even having children with police officers who infiltrated
the environmental and animal rights protest movements. His comments, and
wider unease over his handling of the inquiry, are likely to lead to a
boycott of proceedings by victims.
The inquiry has already cost
more than £9 million but is not expected to hear any evidence until next
year. It was ordered in 2014 by Theresa May as home secretary, but has
been beset by delays.
Sir John,
70, said that his experience of life had shown that men who were in
lengthy marriages were “less likely to have engaged in extramarital
affairs”.
Victims told The Times that
the remarks added to their concerns about the judge’s ability to carry
out a proper investigation into police tactics that resulted in dozens
of women being duped into relationships over three decades.
“Alison”,
one of the eight women who successfully sued Scotland Yard, said: “How
can someone who confesses to be so naive with regards to sexual politics
be trusted as chair of a public inquiry tasked with exposing the truth
about the deployment of professionally trained liars into the lives of
female activists?”
Sajid Javid, the new home secretary, has been asked to appoint
independent advisers to assist the judge. Core participants at the
inquiry walked out in March over the judge’s unwillingness to release
information, including cover names, about many of the officers. Another
boycott is likely this week.
Sir John’s inquiry is scrutinising
undercover policing and the activities of two covert units — Scotland
Yard’s now defunct Special Demonstration Squad (SDS) and the National
Public Order Intelligence Unit (NPOIU).
Mrs May set up the
inquiry after revelations that officers had formed relationships under
false pretences with women they were spying on and used identities from
dead children. There were also claims that officers spied on the family
and supporters of Stephen Lawrence, 18, who was murdered in a racist
attack in 1993. His father, Neville, was part of the recent walkout.
Sir
John has been considering whether the cover names and real identities
of officers should be released. Discussing an application in February,
he indicated that he thought it was unlikely that the officer would have
entered illicit relationships because he had a long marriage.
He said:
“We have had examples of undercover male officers who have
gone through more than one long-term permanent relationship, sometimes
simultaneously. There are also officers who have reached a ripe old age
who are still married to the same woman that they were married to as a
very young man. The experience of life tells one that the latter person
is less likely to have engaged in extramarital affairs than the former.”
Phillippa
Kaufmann, QC, who represents victims, said: “People do all sorts of
things, specifically in relation to sexual issues, that many other
people would never have expected of them.”
Sir John later said:
“I may stand accused of being somewhat naive and a little
old-fashioned,” adding that he would reconsider his views.
The
Police Spies Out of Lives group, which has called for transparency, said
that Sir John’s comments “shocked every person in the room”.
Be sure to read the comments…
Four years ago, Thomas Sowell castigated the policies of the Obama administration that would lead, more or less directly, to the Parkland school shooting (thanks for the Instalink and for the Farm link). In April 2014, he wrote that
