Ted, how come a sterling liberal like you mixes up with the "Old Guard"?!?!? Clue:
"It is a bit of conundrum," says John O'Connor, a former Scotland Yard commander. "[Sir Ian] Blair's reputation is as a moderniser. He wants to make the police less homophobic, less racist, etc, all of which is laudable. But at the same time there are a lot of the old guard who would like to see him fall flat on his face. It's a terrible mess and it's not been made better by the delay in reporting to the IPCC."
[...]
Under the former commissioner Sir John Stevens, Sir Ian had been instrumental in moving against that culture, brokering a deal, for instance, for Ali Dizaei, the Anglo-Iranian officer suspended on false corruption charges[*], to return to the force. Then, no sooner had Sir Ian succeeded Sir John in February then he approved the hiring of 24 "diversity advisers" to give advice on race and gay issues to police investigating major crimes.
But while Sir Ian cemented his reputation as a public speaker, his critics in the Met felt he was too soft. He also developed a reputation for being naive - not least when, on taking over from Sir John in February, he announced a crackdown on middle-class cocaine users and was surprised to see his comments spread lavishly all over the front pages.
That tendency to speak off the cuff is partly at the root of his troubles this week. Sir Ian's predecessors would never have commented about a a fatal shooting without having all the facts before them, argues Mr O'Connor. "There is no doubt he has given inaccurate information. I don't think it was done with any intention to deceive but the problem now is everyone will be running for the hills. The surveillance guys will be blaming the firearms guys and the firearms guys will be blaming the surveillance guys."
[snip]
guardian.co.uk
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