There Is No New Guardian Police Probe

You may have formed the impression over the last few days that the Metropolitan Police had begun an investigation into the activities of the deeply subversive Guardian, over the material obtained by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. The Murdoch Times suggests this to be the case. But there is an inconvenient problem with this scenario: it is not true.

Yes, despite all the noise made by amateur sleuth and professional know-all Louise Mensch, and her Parliamentary poodle Julian Smith, I bring news from the planet Reality: there is no new investigation into the Guardian. Yes, there is a probe in progress, and yes, Cressida Dick of Menezes foul-up infamy is leading it, but this investigation is not a new one.

How can this be? After all, the Times proclaimed via Twitter “Police to investigate Guardian’s role in Snowden affair”. Its crime man Sean O’Neill weighed in with “Top cop Cressida Dick, already in charge of Ops Elveden and Weeting, investigates the Guardian”. Ah well. Neither statement is untrue. But, even if falsehood is not being deployed here, there is always the potential for misinformation.

One load of misinformation ...

And, on top of that, there is the further opportunity for creative dishonesty, as can be seen from Ms Mensch’s paranoid witterings, asserting that the investigation was for “muling GCHQ agents’ names abroad”. Just in case you thought that was a momentary aberration, it’s followed by “@arusbridger could have written about mass surveillance WITHOUT handing over the names of GCHQ intelligence agents”.

But this is all flannel, the mere talking up of events to suit the narrative being pushed by the shameless and feeble minded (plus Murdoch hacks doing as they are bloody well told). And how can I be so sure? Because “the criminal investigation was launched after David Miranda, partner or former Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald was detained in Heathrow airport while carrying top-secret files”.

... with another right behind

What did I tell you? All that the Met has done is to confirm to Smith that an investigation is already under way, as a result of the Miranda detention. Cressida Dick told Julian Smith this. And for those slavering at the prospect of arrests at the Guardian, the paper has advised “We have no details of any criminal inquiry and have not had any contact with the police regarding this matter”.

It gets worse for Smith, Ms Mensch and Rupe: Index on Censorship’s Padraig Reidy has noted that “GCHQ have as yet not claimed that agents have been endangered as a result of the Guardian’s revelations”. Well, Louise Mensch and her pals are good at all the “no denial” stuff, so how are they going to wish that one away? Isn’t it strange how all the hot air has been shown to be just that?

There is no new Police investigation into the Guardian. Minor inconvenient fact.