Or maybe they're just turning on each other as each faction vies for more power.
I've been criticised in the past for saying the Police are too politicised and too cosy with Politicans. "Where is the evidence?" my detractors would say and honestly, I couldn't give them hard procedural evidence, instead citing practical examples where undue political influence seemed to be swaying Police actions and vice versa. There are numerous examples now where Police investigations into MPs has resulted in a damp squib, and also examples of how the MPs roll over and give the Police ever wider powers at the merest request.
Similarly the other partner of the cosy cabal; the media show how cosy they really are with both the Police and politicians in the way they steadfastly refuse to hold either to account for their actions or inaction.
Its interesting to note that the current crisis has been a long time coming. Threads started to unravel several months ago. One could say the spat between Boris Johnson Sir Iain Blair was indicative of things unravelling. The investigations into government leaks which saw the Police entering Westminster and the arrest of MP Damien Green another. The Telegraph buying the unedited details of MP's expenses and then releasing them caused as we know consternation in Parliament (mainly because they thought they were doing nothing wrong) and the arrest and imprisonment of some of the worst offenders. Others quit Westminster altogether in order to hold onto their ill-gotten gains.
At issue is the reason for all of this posturing and infighting. The main reason is the lack of power. Real power doesn't reside in Westminster any more. The EU controls the legislation and the Mega Banks and Corporations control the economy. Organised crime is international now and well beyond the reach of the Police and MPs, unable to effect powerful legislation thanks to the omnipresent EU, instead tinker with minor laws in effect reducing the Police to glorified tax collectors and pub-closing-time bouncers. Sure they have helicopters and fast cars, but more often than not, these tools are used to affect tax collecting fines on the public. Such is the importance placed on the job of tax collection placed on the Police by Parliament.
With the withering of Police and Political power, the media have also seen their grasp on the hearts and minds of the elite reduce, with the elite moving into Pan-European and even Global enterprises as the power in Parliament fades. Witness now the huge influence the likes of the IMF, UN and others have on the world stage, along with an infinite number of quangos, committees and NGOs.
One only has to look where the monied classes reside now. Once they craved power in Parliament: double-barrelled names and received prunounciation were de-rigeur. Now you only need to look where those same names and accents have made a home in order to see where the real power resides.
The current commoner infighting might be interesting to some, but it's not the new political paradigm that some in the media would have us believe.
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