Thin-skinned

Reluctant though I am to spring to the defence of 
your standard, unprincipled, Tory toff, I am perplexed at the attacks on Chief Whip Andrew 
Mitchell from all sides of the
political spectrum for swearing at a policeman.

The English police service is the same service that has so far escaped being held to account for its unprovoked assaults on striking miners, took nearly 20 years to admit its conspiracy to frame the 
victims of Hillsborough for the disaster, assassinated an innocent man on an underground train and assaulted a newspaper seller at the G8 protests who died soon after, and these are the men reacting like startled 
virgins because an MP has sworn at them!

Maybe our Scottish coppers are made of stronger stuff; I can’t imagine any I have known throwing a fit of trembles, and running for the nearest journalist or union rep because a councillor swore at them in the Grassmarket on a Saturday night.

Mitchell might epitomise the English MP, out of touch with his public, but before the southern police cast the first stone at him, they might care to look at each other first.

David Fiddimore

Calton Road

Edinburgh