Off Topic The Politics Thread

It's a measure of the amount of destinations its holders can access without a prior visa, or 'without let or hindrance'.

“Her Britannic Majesty’s Secretary of State Requests and requires in the Name of Her Majesty all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance…”

 

In that case, it's hardly a surprise is it, given that we've left an organisation of 27 countries that insist in on freedom of movement of all citizens in return for frictionless borders?

I see the US had fallen off the list, probably because they reciprocally take great care who comes into their country.

 

Hardly a surprise that we have massive queues at Dover too.

 

That was a combination of factors but I believe the queues are mostly gone now

 

Not really, were your aware that the EES system which you said would solve the current problems will actually require travellers to the EU from 'third countries' to provide fingerprints and a facial biometric each time they cross an EU external border? This may work ok for air travellers, but as Tim Reardon, head of EU exit for the Port of Dover, says...

“There is no such thing as an e-gate for a car, and there is no such thing as an e-gate process for people travelling as a group. They’re all one-at-a-time processes. There is no way of doing a biometric control without getting everyone out of the vehicle. “That’s the one thing on our site which cannot happen, because you’re in the middle of live traffic. It would be equivalent to asking people to get out of their car at a motorway toll booth. It’s fundamentally unsafe and it can’t happen.”

Or Gareth Williams, strategy director for Eurostar...

“We don’t currently see a practical solution. If we take the peak of August, up to 80 per cent of people will have to go through the system. We do have a very extreme space challenge. At a minimum we would require over 30 kiosks, and an area about the size of our entire check-in area at St Pancras.”

 

The biometrics will work both ways. It's security and personally, given the terrorist attacks in the EU particularly France, I'm glad it will be there, but they have to get it right, so there will doubtless be teething problems.

 

whats happened to the power of the belgian and norwegian passports

 

Gives you powers of teleportation

 

So that's what Captain Kirk and Mr Spock kept in their pockets.

 

Along with a packet of rubbers

 

Think Farage and co thought it meant you could whack Johnny Foreigner on the nose with your shiny new blue passport and they'd let you waltz into their country, no questions asked because we won the war and all that bollox

 

Yes, you never know when you might want to erase a passport entry

 

All this happening under 12 years of tory reign....i believe

 

Westminster voting intention:
LAB: 35% (-4)
CON: 34% (+2)
LDEM: 13% (+1) GRN: 7% (-1) via
@YouGov
, 27 - 28 Jul

 

You're confusing us with China, Bobby. Police forces are independent of government

 

. Thats a good one.

But only partly true. The government helps to set the laws of the country and evidently laws have been created for the police to act upon surely?

 

The government and the courts create the criminal laws, but the police decide how much weight to give to each when enforcing them. At present, they're ignoring thefts, burglaries and some robberies in order to send their rainbow painted cop cars to chase people that tweet legal comments that have offended someone.

 

Not that useful. The Ipso Mori poll seems to be at the end of June before Boris had agreed to step down.

 

the police are far too busy with these old fools
much easier than catching real crims

Terminally-ill university lecturer, 55, who mooned a speed camera for his bucket list goes on trial as arresting police officer tells court: 'He was singing and calling me names'

• Darrell Meekcom, 55, was arrested in the garden of his home in Kidderminster
• He allegedly dropped his trousers at a mobile speed camera van in November
• The lecturer is also alleged to have verbally abused the arresting police officers
• He is standing trial at Redditch Magistrates Court' accused of obstructing police

By JAMIE PHILLIPS FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 01:57 AEST, 3 August 2022 | UPDATED: 01:57 AEST, 3 August 2022





A terminally-ill university lecturer who mooned a speed camera for his bucket list has gone on trial - as a police officer who arrested him tells the court of how he was 'singing and calling me names'.

Darrell Meekcom, 55, was arrested in the garden of his home in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, by several officers after dropping his trousers at a mobile speed camera van in November last year.

The father-of-two, who has multiple system atrophy, is also alleged to have verbally abused the arresting officers, calling one a 'c***' before singing Monty Python’s 'Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life'.

Meekcom is standing trial at Redditch Magistrates Court' accused of obstructing a constable in the execution of their duty.

Sarah Hurd, prosecuting, told the court today that police had attended the lecturer's home 'for matters the court did not need to know about'.

She said Mr Meekcom was uncooperative when officers arrived at the address, directing abuse towards them before resisting arrest.

Opening the case, Ms Hurd added that it had only been a 'short piece of obstruction', but the defendant's actions were 'unjustified'.

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Terminally-ill university lecturer Darrell Meekcom allegedly dropped his trousers in the direction of a mobile police van in November last year

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The court heard that several police officers arrested the lecturer in the garden of his home in Kidderminster, Worcestershire

She continued: 'For matters that you do not need to know about officers attended the defendant’s address at around 12.30pm on November 5.

'They went to investigate an offence and they knock on the door. The defendant answers through a window and says he will not cooperate. He does not want to give his name or discuss anything with the officers.'

The court heard that, as he continually refused to cooperate, Meekcom was 'taken to the ground' before informing officers that he has 'very serious health conditions'.

Police bodycam footage played to the court showed Mr Meekcom telling West Mercia Police officer PC Gareth Jones: 'I mooned a speed camera. I’m terminally ill. I’ve got Parkinson’s mate.'

Recalling the incident, PC Jones said: 'He immediately said you c***s, you reckless c***s. I was concerned by what he would do next.

He added: 'From the very beginning he was doing whatever he could to stop us. We did move the handcuffs as we were listening to him about his health.

'He was singing to me, calling me names, commenting on my hair, making it difficult.

'All I know is the bits he were singing at me were from [Always Look On] The Bright Side Of Life.'

Meekcom, a registered nurse, previously appeared before magistrates wearing a t-shirt depicting cartoon character Bart Simpson flashing his bottom towards police.

The same image was sprayed on an underpass near his home by a graffiti artist known as the Scottish Banksy as the court case gained worldwide notoriety.

Speaking at the time, Meekcom said he was left 'gobsmacked' at the 'heavy-handed' response and accused West Mercia Police of 'outrageous bullying'.

He also slammed the 'trumped-up' charges, claiming that officers were 'looking for any little thing to get me on'.

The lecturer added: 'It’s pathetic. What an absolute waste of public funding. This is an escalation of what they’ve done. You can’t keep changing it and altering it until you find something that fits.

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Darrell Meekcom, 55, who has multiple system atrophy (MSA) is standing trial at Redditch Magistrates' Court

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Officers pulled up outside Mr Meekcom's home in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, and he was later wrestled to the ground by officers during the arrest in his back garden

'What are they going to come up with next. They are literally looking for any little thing to get me on.

'I pulled my trousers down and mooned at a speed camera. That’s all I did.'

Meekcom lives with his wife Sarah, 36, and their two daughters.

He is alleged to have dropped his trousers at a van in Stourbridge Road, Kidderminster, while his wife had gone to buy some bread from a nearby Tesco Express.

Meekcom was originally arrested on suspicion of indecent exposure and dangerous driving before being bailed.

Two further counts of using threatening behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress were dropped by prosecutors.

Mr Meekcom denies the public order offence.

The trial continues.