Harriet Harman let off by corrupt judicial system

This serial offender didn’t even have to bother turning up in court, so lightly does the judicial system take bad driving.

The court heard that a second charge of driving while using a mobile phone had been withdrawn.

Oh yeah? Why?

The court heard that the 59-year-old was using her mobile phone when she got into the car and throughout the low speed incident.

She got into her car chatting on a mobile phone, started the engine and drove off. She was plainly guilty of driving while using a mobile phone, and it probably caused the collision. So there was no reason to let her off this charge – other than to spare the government the embarrasment of a minister losing her driving licence.

Harman is also a liar as she repeatedly denied to the press using a mobile phone.

And for some historic irony, take note of this.

She was also let off the charge of driving away from a crash without leaving her particulars, of which she was plainly guilty. Harman is the typical serial offender whom the British judicial system pampers and protects.

The court heard that she already has six penalty points on her licence after being caught twice speeding in a 30mph zone.

The first speeding incident happened in April 2007 and the second in April 2008.

On the last occasion

After the fine was imposed the AA described it as "lenient" considering her then £125,000 annual salary.

1. The penalties for driving without due care and attention are:
1. A maximum fine of £5000
2. A licence endorsement of between three and nine points
3. Disqualification from driving is discretionary.

2. The penalties for driving whilst using a hand-held mobile phone are:
1. A maximum fine of £1000
2. A licence endorsement of three points
3. Disqualification from driving is discretionary.

Motorists who accumulate 12 points on their licence face a ban. After being prosecuted for only one of the three offences she committed, Harman now has a total of nine.

She should have been given 3 points for the mobile phone offence and thereby lost her licence.

Harman, incidentally,

is Member of Parliament for the Peckham constituency, just a few miles by bicycle from Westminster. Instead of driving to work each day she could get on her bike and follow the delightful Cycle Route 23 up through Dulwich, Camberwell, Walworth and Kennington. Should she feel a little trepidacious about taking to two wheels, it’s worth remembering that as a resident of the London Borough of Southwark she qualifies for free one-to-one cycle training from the excellent Southwark-based social enterprise Cycle Training UK. And that she will be certain to join Southwark Cyclists, London’s premier borough group that contributes so much to London cycling

Footnote for Waltham Forest readers

The rumour is that Harman’s husband Jack Dromey will be imposed on Leyton and Wanstead Labour Party as their parliamentary candidate. The comrades are not happy.

The Tory candidate chuckles

Yes, this is the same Jack Dromey that, despite being the Labour Party's Treasurer, claimed he knew nothing about the loans-for-peerages scandal. It is the same man that claimed he knew nothing of secret donations to his wife through proxies. And it is the very same man that remortaged his house to the tune of £40,000 to finance Harriet's bid for the deputy leadership: £40,000 which she "forgot" to declare.

"Labour can't trust any locals to stand in this seat as Waltham Forest Labour Party is disintegrating. But if they think local voters will choose Harriet Harman's husband to prop up her leadership campaign then they're more divorced from reality than we thought they were."