There’s been a lot of fluff in the papers about the arrest of Conservative MP Damian Green much of it directed at Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, accusing her of using the police to silence an opponent, others that she should have intervened to stop the arrest whilst many believe we are sliding into a police state.

Tory home affairs spokesman Dominic Grieve has been on the offensive.

Jacqui Smith was accused of failing in her duties as home secretary as the controversy about the arrest of Damian Green developed into a major row between the political parties.

Dominic Grieve, the shadow home secretary, said it was “astonishing” that Smith had been unwilling to take responsibility for the police’s decision to arrest Green and raid his office in the Commons.

Some MPs at Westminster have been concentrating their fire on the Speaker of the Commons, Michael Martin, who they believe should have refused the police access to Green’s office in the Commons.

But, in a sign that the Tories are determined to turn this into a party-political issue, Grieve used an interview on the BBC’s World at One to launch a strong attack on the competence of the home secretary. Source: The Guardian.

Over at Conor’s Commentary Conor Ryan has some questions for Damien Green

1. If you are Home Secretary and a good friend is being investigated by the police for a crime, do you (a) take to the airwaves to demand his immediate release because you know he’s a good egg, and apologise for any inconvenience caused or (b) let the police conclude their investigation without interference and say sorry afterwards if the police got it wrong?

2. If you are Home Secretary and you find that secret documents are being stolen on behalf of the Opposition on an almost daily basis, some of a sensitive security nature, do you (a) say: “well, that’s democracy for you, not to worry” or (b) ask your permanent secretary to conduct a leak inquiry?

3. If you are Home Secretary and the Met Police Commissioner has strong reason to believe that an MP is actively and wholly illegally encouraging a member of your Private Office to steal confidential documents and pass them to him, do you (a) tell the commissioner to stop his investigations immediately because the MP is only exercising his democratic right to break the law or (b) allow him to carry on his investigations until they reach a conclusion, even though an MP is accused?

4. If you are Home Secretary and you are told that an opposition front bench spokesperson has been arrested, do you (a) go on the Today programme to denounce the police or (b) recognise that you do not run the police but resolve to review procedures after the investigation is complete?

5. If your answers are mostly (a) do you really think you are ready to be Home Secretary?

Still don’t expect any answers soon.