Rupert Matthews: The shadow of Enoch Powell hangs over our two-tier justice system

Rupert Matthews is the Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicestershire and Rutland.

Nobody, absolutely nobody, supports a “two-tier justice system” nor “two-tier policing” – and yet many people firmly believe that both these exist in Britain today. How can this be so?

For the most part, this is because those implementing and supporting the two-tier systems don’t believe that they exist. They can’t see the problem. As with so much in Britain, this is due to social class.

The criminal justice system – be it police officers, support staff, lawyers or judges – is overwhelmingly made up of nice, well-educated middle-class folk of moderate or left of centre views. The recruitment policies largely take care of that. You would find it difficult to get in, and nigh on impossible to get promoted, if you don’t have a degree, preferably from a good university. Some of us fight against that. The drive to restrict entry to the police to those with a degree was defeated and my office accepts relevant experience as equal to holding a degree.

And as with many large organisations, dissent is frowned upon. Speak out too loudly with unfashionable opinions and you may well find yourself quietly sidelined. Nothing will be said openly, of course, but doors to promotion will remain closed.

These characters can smile indulgently as the antics of nice middle-class agent provocateurs such as Kneecap or Bob Vylan – both recently causing controversy at Glastonbury. Those of a middle-class background and left-of-centre views can decode the subtle, unspoken signals. Bob Vylan do not seriously intend for people to be killed. And the nice middle-class festival goers are no more likely to be inflamed into murderous action than are you, dear reader.

It is all a harmless performative action designed to attract attention, signal the holding of virtuous views and liven up a summer’s day. So safe, so familiar, so amusing.

Very different were the actions of the vulgar working classes in the wake of the Southport child killings. What was said on-line after Southport was no worse than what was said on stage at Glastonbury. But context is everything.

Pro-Palestine views are acceptable, anti-immigrant views are not. And while those middle-class denizens of the criminal justice system can easily decode the signals from Glastonbury, they can’t those from the council estate. Remember Emily Thornberry’s incomprehension when she came across a white van man sporting a patriotic flag during the Rochester by-election in 2014.

So while blood curdling language at Glastonbury is treated indulgently, that from working class estates is not. It is strange, frightening and impossible to understand. So it must be stamped on before it gets out of hand.

The real fear here is that the white working classes might live up to the vulgar, uncouth image that nice left of centre folk have of them. That rampaging mobs of angry white folks might react to mass immigration with rioting and violence puts the fear of the Devil into polite society.

Their solution is to come down hard on such uncouth people voicing such vulgar and dangerous views.

And so the Two Tier Justice System comes into being without anybody actively supporting it.

All these nice, middle class left of centre folk know little about old Enoch Powell. If asked they would dismiss him as a terrible racist of evil intent and actions. Yet they have much more in common with him and his views than they would like to think.

Like them, Mr Powell was haunted by the spectre of the majority, native population of Britain turning nasty in the face of mass immigration. He too saw the danger. But his solution was very different. Rather than seek to crush opposition to mass immigration by harsh prison sentences and two tier policing, his solution was to stop mass immigration entirely.

Tell a left of centre criminal barrister that he shares views with Enoch Powell and you’d better have your running shoes on. But the shadow of old Enoch looms over our current day debates nevertheless.