Secret files: Former Chief Minister denies involvement
Friday 19th June 2009, 2:59PM BST.
Former Chief Minister Frank Walker
FORMER Chief Minister Frank Walker has emphatically denied claims made in a memo from suspended police chief Graham Power that he was behind secret police dossiers on States Members.
A memo sent this week from Mr Power to Home Affairs Minister Ian Le Marquand says that Mr Walker and another individual asked for the police’s help in ensuring that they did not support the nomination of States Members with ‘unacceptable baggage’ to senior roles.
That second individual threatened legal action and injunction proceedings against the JEP last night to prevent the publication of his or her identity. Mr Walker said yesterday that at no time did he authorise, ask for, or have any knowledge of records being kept on States Members.
The memo says that while checks could not be run on politicians and the results given to Mr Walker, Mr Power thought that the police should be in a position to alert them to anything which had implications for ‘good governance’.
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Be careful mr Power
Frank has been known to threaten libel action ageist persons initiating rumours about him
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The plot thickens……so who do we believe?
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The threat of legal action is pretty silly as it is almost certain that a States’ member will find out their identity and use their privileged position as a member of the House to name them.
However I think on balance it adds to the gaiety of the island and maybe it will launch a few office sweepstakes to cheer us in these troubled times!
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Publish and be damned …………..
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The plot thickens …..now who do we believe?
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Why can’t they leave Frank to enjoy his retirement in peace.Why is there so much concern over these files if you have nothing to hide why concern yourself. It most certainly would not concern me if a file had my name on it as I have nothing to hide.A lot of huff about nothing.
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Computer says ‘yes’, computer says ‘no’!
Accusations, denials, assumptions, he said, she said.
For once is it so difficult to get to the TRUTH of this matter for everybody’s sake. Surely Mr Le Marquand has the powers to find out exactly what the facts are, make them public and deal with it appropriately.
OR….are our police a more powerful ‘force’ than our Government?
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It is a pity the JEP couldn’t have given us the second name as it might have made things clearer.
Nevermind there are other sources who are not so worried about being sued, so we may well find out from there.
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Good on Frank Walker for speaking out. I think Mr Power had better honour the request for proof of this claim. Lets get to the truth just for a change and if Power cannot prove his claim then he will have to simply retract it.
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From Mr Walkers strong reply I think I believe him. I cannot see a reason for him to demand operation blast if he cant even see the report afterwards. That sounds stupid to me. The wishful thinking anti-establishment conspiracy theorists go off on a dumb tangent yet again.
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Re Kate: “Why is there so much concern over these files if you have nothing to hide why concern yourself.”
It depends on what you believe as to why they have suddenly come into the public domain. If their existence was revealed in an attempt to discredit Harper and Power, then it matters very much if Frank Walker and A. N. Other were the real instigators.
It is also of interest whether there were files kept on all politicians or just a few selected individuals. If just a few, was the basis of their selection politically biased or objectively based on their vulnerability to either blackmail or criminal proceedings?
The existence of such files is not really surprising, since the secret services in the UK have files on UK politicians and the Parliament Whips keep black books full of rumours and facts with which to threaten recalcitrant MPs when they need to pull them into line.
What’s funny about this story is that, if it is being used to damage Harper and Power (and discredit the child abuse investigation), it looks like it will fail spectacularly.
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Senator Le Marquand has though his statement to the house placed this issue in the public domain, he gave an assurance that he would investigate the issue and report back to the house, he has promised transparency, and that is what I hope the electorate will get.
One must ask the question why was Operation Blast reported to him in the first place, in what connection? I assume that once he was under notice he took it upon himself to make that statement to the house, an action which I commend.
I do not think it that untoward that Special Branch would keep files on politicians, there could be all manner of reasons to do so, national security being just one. The fact that the documents were not kept within the usual run of data is also not that sinister, there could be numerous reasons for such action.
I think that in Jersey certain politicians forget that they are in government to represent the people of this island and as such are accountable to us for their actions.
We only have to look to Westminster to see that politicians manipulate their positions of power and do not act in the best interests of the electorate and I think it niaeve to beleive that our crop are any different, afterall power corrupts.
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Think for one moment, Graham Power is already suspended for reasons that have not yet been made clear and he is currently fighting to vindicate himself of any wrong doing. So I ask this, why in God’s name with the entire adversary that he is facing at the moment he would lie to the media about the reason for the existence of these files and to further name the instigator (s) of said files?
I listened to the footage again yesterday where FW clearly said “you are shafting Jersey Internationally”, yes I know the BBC have given an apology to FW but, the apology referred to Jeremy Paxton foolishly misquoting the actual words used and to which he later corrected.
I know which of the two I would believe and I truly hope that Mr. Power can substantiate what he is claiming and further provide the evidence, but then again, it probably won’t pass the evidential test!!! Come on JEP, give the people of Jersey what they want, transparency and unbiased journalism.
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Carrie 13
Your trust is touching. Pity about not having any facts.
Neither of these 2 want to be saddled with the blame for these files.
Lets wait awhile the truth will eventually come out.
As I have said before. I cant see a problem with the files, probably a good thing.
Just let the people in them look at their own. If its anything horrendous and true they are not going to want to rock the boat are they ?
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I would have thought that it would be relatively easy for an ex magistrate to establish at least an indication as to who instigated these files and why.It is quite common for such files to be kept by the Security Services in the UK and in all other western countries.What is of concern here is the public money that has been expended compiling them if they are indeed unofficial? That is why it is essential that there is established asap a formal system with all the appropriate safeguards and above all full approval of the States assembly (A matter I have detailed elsewhere)Then any unauthorised file keeping would be illegal.
I myself feel the answer may lie in over zealous police work associated with the Haut la Garenne investigation.As such I don’t think the actual truth will ever be fully established.Islanders will remember that over £12mn was expended during the course of that investigation. A fair bit of which could be described as OTT or at the least unproductive as a direct result of the whole investigation being overshadowed and highjacked by various political (And personal)on and off island interests for their own purposes.
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PJG 14
Did I not say that Graham Power would need to provide the evidence? Is that not the same as providing the facts? So I take it that we are both in agreement then! The contents of the files are of no concern to me and are probably just a storm in a tea cup however, what does concern me is who asked for these files to be compiled and have any laws been broken?
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Carrie
“I know which of the two I would believe”
I think its better to wait for the evidence ?
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Operation Blast sounds like blowing something apart.One wonders why this operational name was chosen if it was just a simple exercise to protect States members from possible blackmail?
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Pluralist, a Blast is also slang for a huge Joke, as in “What a Blast!”,which bearing in mind the coconut shell saga might just hint at something!Is this a clue? If these files are part of a huge joke, who was the target and who is “The Joker?”(Tune in next week)
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