Si_Crewe wrote:McAz wrote:Does it matter? The fact remains that Special Branch assisted in its foundation.
Well, yeah. I'd say it DOES matter.
It'd only be fair to say plod "assisted" in it's foundation if he WAS in a position of power within the organisation.
Do we know what this peter Francis fella looks like?
Surely there'd be pictures of him up on stage with the other leaders of the group if this was the case?
Has nobody looked into this?
I don't mean to refute what you've said.
I'm just saying that I would have thought somebody would have dug up some evidence if he might've been responsible for organising anything dodgy.
My first though, TBH, was that maybe he's just some clown who released a book in 2014 and was trying to hype it with his statement.
A bit of googling, however, reveals that he seems to have quit the force after claiming for PTSD and then sued it and received a settlement before going on to become a long-term critic of the police.
I'd be hesitant to take what he says at face value, without evidence to support his claims.
Well I imagine it depends on how many whistle-blowing undercover Special Branch operatives it takes to convince a Si Crewe - one is enough to raise my suspicians. And no-one suggested that he was lying during Theresa May's enquiry into the SDS to which he gave evidence under oath.
Regardless, it's a strange notion you have that founder members of something are NOT assisting in that something's establishment however minor their contribution.
I am a voting member of the Co-op - am I not contributing to it?