Sauce for the Goose

When I first listened to the reaction of MPs to the arrest of an MP and the search of his office at the House of Commons I could understand the outrage of MPs but the more I think about it the more I'm coming to the conclusion that it serves them right.

The majority of them have voted for a series of repressive laws over the last six years which have reduced our human rights and continue to do so: extending detention without charge (and trying to extend it even further), routinely taking DNA samples of everyone who is arrested and retaining it even if they have no criminal record, a return to stop and search¹, logging of all our web and email traffic and, still to come, identity cards.

Now one of their number has got a glimpse of how it is out there in the real world. As for the search of his office without a warrant I'm sure the police expected cooperation from another branch of Government without having to do that but does anyone seriously think a magistrate wouldn't have granted a warrant given that the civil servant involved seems to be admitting his part in the offence.

The latest is that MPs are saying a warrant to search in Parliament should need to come from a judge not a magistrate². So one rule for us and another for them again huh?

1. Someone I know was searched in the middle of a mainline railway station recently, he asked to do it somewhere private as he didn't want the world to see the (expensive) contents of his backpack - nope had to do it there and then.
2. As it is for churches apparently! News to me. I bet it only applies to CofE or perhaps Christian churches too.