"If you've done nothing wrong" & section 7

[Resurrection Man]

It seems rather that you like to find a reason to accept the official line.

Which seems to be the 'standard' response when anyone expounds an alternative viewpoint ...

[Resurrection Man]

Up to a point Lord Copper. It means everything and nothing in those moments of panic when you've been held in a police station, doubtless shouted at and 'fallen down the station steps, m'Lud!'. You can't make head nor tail of what that sentence means to your predicament when it's just heard like that.

Yes, I know. It is disgusting. All these coppers are nothing but vicious thugs...beating up every suspect at every opportunity.

[Resurrection Man]

.... Just one of the little niceties that this Brazilian national was denied during his nine-hour detention on British soil:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miranda_warning

Oh please! Can you get your facts right for once and get off your old hobbyhorse? Miranda had a solicitor present.

[amateur51]

Yes, I know. It is disgusting. All these coppers are nothing but vicious thugs...beating up every suspect at every opportunity.

Blimey that's a rather nihilistic approach, sunshine

[johnb]

Oh please! Can you get your facts right for once and get off your old hobbyhorse? Miranda had a solicitor present.

On the lunchtime news it was stated that Miranda insisted on a lawyer of his own choice. This was finally granted after eight hours detention.

[umslopogaas]

We have just been told on The World At One that Miranda was offered a lawyer, but declined because he wanted his own, who did not arrive until eight hours after his detention. So for the first eight hours he could have had one, but didnt.

[Pabmusic]

I agree with your analysis up until your last statement which is founded on nothing more than wishful thinking. It is just as reasonable to assume that he did have stuff but insufficient etc etc ....

No. You have not read, or perhaps have not understood my point. You are introducing a fourth option, that (if I've understood you) he actually had illegal stuff, but that there wasn't enough evidence to detain him. I thought I'd dealt with that option towards the end of my post (you refer to it yourself below).

Not based on any factual evidence though...just your own viewpoint...

Hardly. Are you honestly suggesting that all possibilities have equal likelihoods? It's possible that this was all a hoax. It's possible that we had an episode of collective mass hysteria leading to delusion. It's possible that it was all engineered by the Russians. How long shall I continue?

Anyway, enough dancing around. You have proved my point for me for which I thank you.

The point I've proved being...?

You are privy then to the entire workings of the security service and the police....You must be otherwise how can you make this assertion?

I was not making an assertion - I was questioning the likelihood of your proposition. I think that is clear from the quote you have re-posted.

[Stillhomewardbound]

Oh please! Can you get your facts right for once and get off your old hobbyhorse? Miranda had a solicitor present.

I stand corrected, albeit in such rude terms. It's news to me that I am a source of such misinformation and I'm not aware of my riding any particular hobbyhorse.

[Nick Armstrong]

What do we think of the arguments presented here? (I find them persuasive).

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/danhodges/100231711/why-does-being-a-relative-of-glenn-greenwald-place-you-above-the-law/

One hopes the fact that it's in the Telegraph, and by Dan Hodges (I've never heard of him, but perhaps to some he's a known quantity and frowned upon), won't prevent a fair assessment...

[Richard Barrett]

Which seems to be the 'standard' response when anyone expounds an alternative viewpoint ...

What's "alternative" about it? It's the official line taken by a political establishment which has been caught lying so many times one loses count.

[amateur51]

What do we think of the arguments presented here? (I find them persuasive).

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/danhodges/100231711/why-does-being-a-relative-of-glenn-greenwald-place-you-above-the-law/

One hopes the fact that it's in the Telegraph, and by Dan Hodges (I've never heard of him, but perhaps to some he's a known quantity and frowned upon), won't prevent a fair assessment...

I must say that I found Dan Hodges' tone to be a touch snide but maybe I have a low scoff-threshold :erm:

I think that Frances_iom deals very nicely with most of Dan's scenario in msg #19

the detention for 9 hours seems to shriek intimidation - assuming that GCHQ + their NSA paymasters were on a fishing expedition it takes less than an hour to forensically copy all computer drives, phone sim cards etc after which they could be returned as it is extremely unlikely he would be carrying the only copy - anyway there is a 400+GB encrypted file released into the wild some days ago as an 'insurance policy' - all it needs is the passphrase to decrypt

[Nick Armstrong]

less than an hour

Hmmm... that seems optimistic.

Being in the law (albeit nothing to do with airports), the amount of time taken dealing with 'procedures' is always easy to underestimate: what to the outside world might seem simple and quick, in practice, even with the best will in the world, just soaks up time like you wouldn't believe (making copies... recording each step... the inevitable IT meltdown and need to find an IT "expert" to say: switch it off and switch it on again...). I agree 9 hours seems extraordinary but I've had 9 hours days dealing with something that in advance you'd have estimated '2 to 3 hours maximum'...

[Frances_iom]

"Maybe in the excitement of his trip he’d forgotten he was carrying information that could potentially destroy the entire security apparatus of the Western world. We’ve all done it, especially if we’re rushing to get to duty free." - Torygraph article

Have they too lost their senses - Snowdon was 1st in Hong Kong where the PRC agents are expert at dealing with laptops, then went to Moscow where again I suspect they have a number of competetent sig-int officers - likewise Berlin police would surely have raided the film maker if such info was thought to be in her possession - the 'destruction' is merely the fact that some of the citizens of the USA, UK and EU are now more aware of a rogue element in the state security apparatus and the destruction is that of a couple of careers + maybe a few politicians

[Frances_iom]

Hmmm... "one hour" seems optimistic.

They had more than adequate notice of his flight details, I suspect GCHQ operatives are somewhat better at the job than your local computer repair store (esp if it is PCW****) - they weren't going to charge him - merely a fishing expedition + a 'see what we can do to you' example

[Nick Armstrong]

I suspect GCHQ operatives are somewhat better at the job than your local computer repair store

Optimist! *winkeye emoticon - were one but available...*