Fink and the Police

Let's start with the funny one. Danny Finkelstein has been keeping a list of nominative determinisms (CC): you know the sort of thing, my art teachers who were Mrs. Board (painting) and Mr. Hand (pottery, and those are both absolutely true). Well, here is an opposite effect: the Assistant Commissioner of the Met has admitted that a serious blunder forced anti-terrorist police to swoop on suspects far earlier than they had planned (Telegraph). Just as Caroline Flint was famously caught, the officer was photographed walking into Number Ten with a "SECRET" dossier on full display. Asst. Comm. Quick must feeling a little slow at the moment.

But more seriously, something else regarding DF and the Met. A week ago, Danny Finkelstein had this to say, concerning some Lib Dems' decision to attend the G20 protests as "legal observers":

Aside from being an extraordinary insult to the police, it misjudges the public mood about the protests I think. (CC)

Normally, I think Danny Finkelstein is a pretty astute commentator. But as I commented on that post itself, there have been records of undue heavy-handedness in the policing of the Kingsnorth protest. Subsequent events have borne out my concerns (Telegraph). I am quite serious in stating that I await Mr. Finkelstein to allow, at the least, that he had been excessively hasty in coming to a judgment concerning the need for independent observation at the protests.