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DEBATE: BORIS JOHNSON MADE A MISTAKE IN FORCING SIR IAN BLAIR TO RESIGN
BORIS JOHNSON MADE A MISTAKE IN FORCING SIR IAN BLAIR TO RESIGN
Mr Johnson made it clear he no longer supported Sir Ian
On Wednesday, October the 1st, Sir Ian Blair, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, attended a board brief with Mr Boris Johnson, not expecting to lose his job that day. Mr Johnson was quoted as saying that the Met needed a change of leadership and that he wanted Sir Ian out by Christmas. Sir Ian left, promising a response in the next twenty-four hours. The next day, he resigned. Boris Johnson had made it very clear, in no uncertain terms, that he would not support Sir Ian any longer. The support of the Mayor for the Police Commissioner is crucial in presenting a united London. It is quite clear from this that Boris Johnson backed Sir Ian into a corner and did not offer him any other resolution. As the Mayor of London, Boris made a mistake by not presenting a united front, which is what Britain needs most.
This was not a decision that Boris Johnson entered into lightly, made a choice with plenty of thought and would therefore would not have made a mistake.
BORIS JOHNSON MADE A MISTAKE IN FORCING SIR IAN BLAIR TO RESIGN
Boris Johnson did not do it in the kindest way
When Sir Ian became the Commissioner, he vowed to do all in his power to make his career a success. He adored his job and despite all mistakes and problems he encountered, he did try his best to do the difficult job. And Boris Johnson did not respect his fellow human being by pulling him into an office and withdrawing support out of the blue, which he knew would be so publicly reported.
In this case Sir Ian’s best was not good enough. London needs and deserves a better chief of police. Sir Ian’s mistakes were legion and have lost him the confidence of people throughout London. Boris Johnson was simply doing what Londoners wanted and demanded he do.
BORIS JOHNSON MADE A MISTAKE IN FORCING SIR IAN BLAIR TO RESIGN
Sir Ian fell victim to party politics
Although Sir Ian has been an unpopular leader, there is anger in the police service that its most senior officer has fallen victim to party politics. In political circles, too, he had many enemies. Senior Tory and Liberal Democrat politicians were suspicious of him, regarding him as a “Labour lackey”. He was appointed by a Labour government under the previous London mayor, Ken Livingstone. During the May election campaign in 2005, he permitted police Range Rovers ferrying Tony Blair to carry “Vote Labour” stickers, while lobbying for the party’s new anti-terrorism measures and the introduction of ID cards. It seemed quite obvious that Sir Ian Blair was very pro-Labour and would not get on well with Mr Johnson.
The problem with Sir Ian was not that he was a ‘Labour Lackey’ but that he wasn’t good at his job. How could he be the last person to know that Jean Charles de Menezes was not a terrorist? How could he allow himself to be put into a situation where he could be accused of giving friends business contracts? These, and many other incidents, are the reason he’s resigned.
BORIS JOHNSON MADE A MISTAKE IN FORCING SIR IAN BLAIR TO RESIGN
The vote of ‘no confidence’ is not a sacking
It’s as good as a sacking though. The Met police chief cannot operate unless he has the support of the Home Secretary and the Mayor. Even if only one of them withdraws their support he’s in an untenable position.
Simply because Mr Johnson commented that if Sir Ian would not resign, as a result, he would bring about a vote of ‘no confidence’ in the Commissioner. This is not a sacking. This is one man expressing in no uncertain terms that he no longer believes the other is capable of performing the job well. Sir Ian should have plucked up the courage, turned round and said no. The mayor did not sack him or force him to resign: Sir Ian should have fought to stay in the job he so dearly loved and not tell the world’s press that he has resigned because it is ‘in the best interest of Londoners’. Boris Johnson did not force him out.
BORIS JOHNSON MADE A MISTAKE IN FORCING SIR IAN BLAIR TO RESIGN
Sir Ian did not enjoy an easy career
None of these incidents have been proved. There is no evidence the Met is racist, there’s no evidence he favoured his friend with business deals. He certainly made a mistake when talking about the Soham murders and probably shouldn’t have boasted about the Met’s ability to handle terrorism. But if saying stupid things disqualifies people from office then only the silent will ever be promoted.
It is arguable that being the Metropolitan Police Commissioner is one of the most difficult jobs in London. Every mistake is splashed across a newspaper: more emphasis on the bad than the good. Boris Johnson did not force Sir Ian to retire: he realised that perhaps he was not the best man for the job after all the mistakes that had been made and Mr Johnson encouraged him.
So many claims have been brought from black officers for alleged racism by the Met – civil claims that Sir Ian has vigorously denied. His reputation for arrogance meant he never achieved anything close to unity. Interviewed about the 2012 Olympics by Radio 4’s Today programme, he said his force was the envy of the world in the field of counter-terrorism and security. Within hours, British-born suicide bombers killed 52 innocent people on London’s transport system.
Sir Ian looked increasingly gaffe-prone, and even loyal colleagues winced in January 2006 when he said that "almost nobody can understand" why the Soham murders of two schoolgirls had become such a huge story. That prompted a sincere apology.
Perhaps most damaging of all, he was accused of a conflict of interest – again denied – over a businessman friend who had won Scotland Yard contracts worth £3 million. Does this sound like a man who needed to be pushed out of office? Does this sound like a man who we would regret sacking?
BORIS JOHNSON MADE A MISTAKE IN FORCING SIR IAN BLAIR TO RESIGN
Mr Johnson denies claims that he ‘sacked’ Sir Ian of forced him to resign
How on earth can Boris say he "withdrew his support in order to improve policing" and yet claim this does not equate to putting Sir Ian in an untenable position? The only way he could achieve his goal is if Sir Ian resigned. This was a calculated move and Boris would do better to acknowledge that than treat us as if we’re idiots.
Mr Johnson responded to allegations that he forced Sir Ian out of his job as ‘absolutely outlandish’ (1). He does not deny that he ‘withdrew his support’ but only too improve policing in the capital. According to Mr Johnson, he did not force him out of his job.
(1) http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/anger-erupts-over-met-chiefs-resignation-949909.html
BORIS JOHNSON MADE A MISTAKE IN FORCING SIR IAN BLAIR TO RESIGN
The inquest into the death of Jean Charles de Menezes
This was one unarmed robbery that went awry and perhaps Sir Ian was not commended enough for all the other thousands that went according to plan.
Sir Ian was worried about surviving the inquest into the Met’s 2005 killing of unarmed Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes in the mistaken belief he was a terrorist. Sir Ian told a press conference that the shooting at Stockwell Tube that day was "directly linked" to the July 21 bombers. (1) Senior officers – but not apparently the Commissioner himself – knew by then that an innocent man had been killed. With the inquest currently happening as to how this event occurred, Sir Ian Blair was under constant pressure as to how he was doing his job. This could be a major contributing factor into why Mr Johnson did not believe Sir Ian should remain in the position, forced him out and was surely not a mistake.
(1) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/ianblair/3136897/How-Sir-Ian-Blairs-relationship-with-Boris-Johnson-changed.html
BORIS JOHNSON MADE A MISTAKE IN FORCING SIR IAN BLAIR TO RESIGN
Blair going was great, but now reform the Met!
Sir Ian Blair’s departure will be celebrated by many a person in London, as he has relentlessly defended the horrible prejudices and attitudes that still exist in the Met. It’s not as if he has suddenly fallen foul of something completely unrelated; every story that has hounded him in the past few years has been completely self-inflicted, the Met has continued to mistreat and abuse the London public and even it’s own officers. The institution is racist and the way in which it deals with peaceful protesters and sceptics has been brutal and illegal.
