In todays news...

[Hoonercat]

Armed officers exited their vehicles and approached the Audi. The evidence suggests that contact was made between the Audi driven by Mr Kaba and the police vehicles.

It's this sort of ambiguity which has got the copper into court and may well get him convicted. Of course, if the car was driven at the police officers i.e. used as a weapon the defence would I guess like to keep that in hand for the court to take account of and not allow it to predjudice their case but it seems to me the CPS already think he's guilty.

There seems to be conflicting accounts of what happened, depending on the news outlet and which witness they choose to quote. This Sky report mentions them both. AFAIK, these are people who have talked to the press, rather than appeared as witnesses at the inquest (?), so either could be talking nonsense.

Sky News
A 39-year-old man who lives near the scene of the shooting and asked not to be named said a police car crashed into Mr Kaba's vehicle.
"Another police car came in behind him and they had him locked in at the bottom of Kirkstall Gardens," he said.
"The car was immobile when he was shot."
Another witness told the Evening Standard that Mr Kaba was driving an Audi and tried to ram his way past the police cars.

As I said above, the CPS have the body-cam footage and all the available evidence. Probably best to wait for the court case rather than take anything the media say as gospel.

[Yorick]

It's a funny idea maybe, but let a jury decide after giving them all the facts.

Rather than trial by Internet experts.

Just an idea

[Mussels]

Standing in front of a vehicle, with your weapon drawn, identifying yourself as a policeman and telling the occupant to stop.
He doesn't and drives towards you, hitting clearly marked police cars in an attempt to harm you and/or escape.

You can choose to die like Andrew Harper, or pull the trigger.

And that's from the comfort of my patio whilst sitting with a cup of tea.
When I'm frightened beyond a level that most civvies would be able to understand, because I know the car has been involved in an earlier firearms incident and I suspect (rightly as it turns out) that the occupant is a dangerous criminal, then it's a whole different world.

I hate bullies and corrupt old bill, but I struggle not to sympathise with a copper facing a known dangerous criminal in a life or death situation.

I've seen an American version of this and it looked almost like the copper put himself in that position to give him an excuse to shoot, so if a copper intentionally puts himself in harms way then I think the self-defense argument is void.

[Hoonercat]

Apologies for the DM link

Hundreds of Met officers hand in their firearms permit after officer is charged with murder

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... harge.html

I hope they all do.

There is an awful tradition in UK history of armchair warriors and experts second-guessing people that had to make split second life/death decisions and discharge their weapons.

Let the general public face the repercussions of this silliness and we'll see a quick demand for police and military to be left alone to do their jobs.

It seems a political decision. The IOPC have bottled it and handed the decision over to a jury so when the riots happen they can say it was down to the jury. It stinks.

AFAIK they don't have a choice if they believe there is any possibility that an officer has commited a criminal offence.

[Screwdriver]

AFAIK they don't have a choice if they believe there is any possibility that an officer has commited a criminal offence.

Problem is, it will be trial by media. Depends how they decide to play it. It is rare to see a balanced view in the mainstream/legacy media. This has the potential to go George Floyd no matter what. My guess is that the mainstream media won't help matters at all, social media will be demanding the death penalty (and reparations) before BLM jump on board and it's a free for all at the shops.

[Count Steer]

AFAIK they don't have a choice if they believe there is any possibility that an officer has commited a criminal offence.

Problem is, it will be trial by media. Depends how they decide to play it. It is rare to see a balanced view in the mainstream/legacy media.

Unlike other media like YouTube, 4-Chan, Rumble,Twitter/X etc. They're all very balanced.

[Screwdriver]

AFAIK they don't have a choice if they believe there is any possibility that an officer has commited a criminal offence.

Problem is, it will be trial by media. Depends how they decide to play it. It is rare to see a balanced view in the mainstream/legacy media.

Unlike other media like YouTube, 4-Chan, Rumble,Twitter/X etc. They're all very balanced.

Yes. They are.

Because you can choose your preferred source. You can construct your own balance, listen to both sides. Sadly, more often than not, the mainstream media lie by omission.

So it's not "news" the mainstream media are giving you, they are telling a story. A story with a message. They pick and choose which "facts" suit the narrative.

"Alt facts" are available in a world full of individual humans, each with an individual mind. They are often classed as "opinion pieces" which is true of course and MORE true with some random YouTube "influencers" than say, a regulated news channel which have to tread a narrower path of truth anyway.

But even if, and I suggest especially if, information is being spouted by some random YouTuber, they will also have to present their "opinion piece" with some hard actual evidence. As often as not that will be video which is why YouTube is so compelling because you can see for yourself an overview of a scenario and question why the msm have deliberately chosen not to show you that side of "the story"...

[Count Steer]

Problem is, it will be trial by media. Depends how they decide to play it. It is rare to see a balanced view in the mainstream/legacy media.

Unlike other media like YouTube, 4-Chan, Rumble,Twitter/X etc. They're all very balanced.

Yes. They are.

Because you can choose your preferred source. You can construct your own balance, listen to both sides. Sadly, more often than not, the mainstream media lie by omission.

Indeed. But you constantly assume that 'we' are all so stupid we cannot sift through all of this ourselves and have to be told what the 'real' balance is.

Frankly it's fucking insulting,

[Screwdriver]

Unlike other media like YouTube, 4-Chan, Rumble,Twitter/X etc. They're all very balanced.

Yes. They are.

Because you can choose your preferred source. You can construct your own balance, listen to both sides. Sadly, more often than not, the mainstream media lie by omission.

Indeed. But you constantly assume that 'we' are all so stupid we cannot sift through all of this ourselves and have to be told what the 'real' balance is.

Frankly it's fucking insulting,

You are assuming I am assuming something. You could just try asking.

So for example, instead of making a sarcastic comment about "balance", you could have made an observation along the lines that YouTube, 4-chan, Rumble are unregulated, potentially biased and not to be trusted.

But you said "balance" and that means and equal weight on either end of a spectrum or a "cancellation" by equal amounts of opposite forces . You don't get that from mainstream "news". Not ever. They keep a finger on the scale at all times although interestingly, that might be what is required in a functioning society and the "problem" is that we the proles are now so easily able to discover a hidden truth. The hidden truth that most people it seems, do not want to hear.

[ZRX61]

Canadian PM & Zelensky just honored a Ukrainian member of the Waffen SS. Apparently a lot of people are a bit miffed about this.

[KungFooBob]

I've always said that people who wear them are wrong'uns.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-66920778

[Greenman]

Unlike other media like YouTube, 4-Chan, Rumble,Twitter/X etc. They're all very balanced.

Yes. They are.

Because you can choose your preferred source. You can construct your own balance, listen to both sides. Sadly, more often than not, the mainstream media lie by omission.

Indeed. But you constantly assume that 'we' are all so stupid we cannot sift through all of this ourselves and have to be told what the 'real' balance is.

Frankly it's fucking insulting,

Thing is, that is very much the truth in relation to quite a high percentage of society these days, especially the younger generations who don't have life experience to guide their judgements!

[Dodgy69]

I don't use trains, not been on one for years. Wonder what percentage of folk do ? Last time was probably Telford to Birmingham. HS2 won't benefit me.

We could be living in a pothole free country.

[KungFooBob]

I don't use trains, not been on one for years. Wonder what percentage of folk do ? Last time was probably Telford to Birmingham. HS2 won't benefit me.

We could be living in a pothole free country.

Trains have their uses...

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/whats-on ... e-11481499

[Dodgy69]

Ticket please.

[Screwdriver]

Unlike other media like YouTube, 4-Chan, Rumble,Twitter/X etc. They're all very balanced.

Yes. They are.

Because you can choose your preferred source. You can construct your own balance, listen to both sides. Sadly, more often than not, the mainstream media lie by omission.

Indeed. But you constantly assume that 'we' are all so stupid we cannot sift through all of this ourselves and have to be told what the 'real' balance is.

Frankly it's fucking insulting,

Wait, hang on. Are you now trying to suggest that all those things which have come to pass were known to you? You were not "so stupid" that you didn't realise what I was saying was a valid (if not to say prescient) opinion? My observations and opinions are so "obvious" to you it's "fucking insulting" to speak them out loud? Is that why no one ever enters into a discussion but simply throws mindless insults at my person as if that will scare the truth away?

How am I supposed to accept that after years of being accused of being a conspiracy theorist? @Potter is correct in suggesting such a concerted attack on my mental state does eventually sink in and I do have to question my sanity. But then many if not all of those "conspiracy theories" which have me labelled a nutjob or moron have transpired to become an accepted truth.

'Fraid you'll just have to suck it up and be wrong because I don't buy that line. Looks like hindsight to me.

[DefTrap]

Calm down Nostradamus - are there really no shed projects that you can show us FFS.?

[Screwdriver]

Calm down Nostradamus - are there really no shed projects that you can show us FFS.?

This morning I am mostly doing this:



It's "The Secret Shed". The square frame shows the original height. Coincidentally two band stands high. It was made from bandstands and fence panels with a few zipties to hold down the roof.

Now the neighbour has installed a "lovely" new plastic fence (!). I can expand...

[JackyJoll]

I've always said that people who wear them are wrong'uns.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-66920778

From Yorkshire, eh.

[JackyJoll]

Canadian PM & Zelensky just honored a Ukrainian member of the Waffen SS. Apparently a lot of people are a bit miffed about this.

Someone must have forgotten what they once learned about keeping their head down.

https://notesfrompoland.com/2023/09/26/ ... om-canada/

A Polish government minister has launched a bid to extradite Yaroslav Hunka, the 98-year-old Ukrainian-Canadian man who fought in a German-Nazi division during World War Two and last week received a standing ovation in Canada’s parliament.