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# Molehunt doesn't justify breach of privilege
- URL: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/molehunt-doesnt-justify-breach-of-privilege/
- Published: 2008-11-29T14:11:23.000Z
- Updated: 2019-02-14T22:42:22.000Z
- Author: Tom Griffin
- Tags: #en, #Migrated, #Import 2026-04-09 18:49

**Tom Griffin (London,** [**OK**](https://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom)**)**: I spoke to a civil servant yesterday who was very bullish in support of the police's decision to arrest Damian Green. According to their version of events, documents were being leaked systematically by a woman with links to the Conservative Party who was employed as cover for another member of staff. It looks as if [Mick Fealty](http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/mick%5Ffealty/blog/2008/11/28/damian%5Fgreen%5Farrest%5Fparliament%5Ffreedom%5Fof%5Fconscience%5Fand%5Ftrojan%5Fhorses?ref=opendemocracy.net) has heard a similar account.

*If, for instance, Mr Green had someone in the Home Office who seemed to be less motivated by a desire to expose corruption, and more by a determination to run an anti-government campaign from within a government department, it would be a different matter - particularly if Mr Green knew this to be the case.*

If, for instance, this person was leaking other material to other senior Conservative spokesmen, for example - or worse still, if this person had some sort of record of Conservative activism - then it really would be a problem.

Such partisan leaking is no doubt wrong, but it wouldn't nullify [the concerns raised by Anthony Barnett](https://www.opendemocracy.net/blog/ourkingdom-theme/anthony-barnett/2008/11/28/one-reason-why-the-are-police-dangerous-undemocratic-and-stupid) below. The prospect of the police [rifling through Green's files and hard drives](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/lawreports/joshuarozenberg/3534362/Why-Tory-MP-was-arrested.html?ref=opendemocracy.net) is bound to have a chilling effect not just on potential future whistleblowers, but on MPs themselves and their constituents.

Further to my [blog round-up](https://www.opendemocracy.net/blog/email/tom-griffin/2008/11/28/damian-green-blog-reactions) below here are a few more reactions:

- FT Economist [Willem Buiter](http://blogs.ft.com/maverecon/2008/11/another-poke-in-the-eye-for-freedom/?ref=opendemocracy.net) thinks the arrest is 'a further reminder of just how assiduously the British government has been chipping away at our freedom.'
- [Sunder Katwala](http://www.nextleft.org/2008/11/broad-consensus-on-green-arrest.html?ref=opendemocracy.net) points to the parallels with the case of Mark Kearney and Sally Murrer, [acquitted yesterday](http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article5254372.ece?ref=opendemocracy.net) of the same offence that Green is accused of.
- [Roy Greenslade](http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2008/nov/29/1?ref=opendemocracy.net) blogs the uniformly negative press reaction to the decision to arrest Green.