First rant of the year
An interesting start to the year
The Duggan inquest reaches its conclusion. Not what sections of the support base want to hear and the hallowed halls of the Royal Courts find out what happens when the answer is no.
Its not often I have much sympathy for the upper reaches of the Mets hierarchy but Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley as he was shouted down by the baying mob, whilst a few Royal Court staff stand guard, did spark a few twinges of sympathy. .
Obviously drew the NSY top shelf short straw for that spot.
I would like to think there was a Plan B with a few vans full of the Mets finest at close hand should it get too heated at the steps.
The finger pointing and politics from this will feed certain sections of the press and interest groups for years.
What has irritated me is the post Plebgate nonsense and how it was presented /misrepresented by the press
What has particularly riled me is why Steve Williams, chairman of the Police Federation decided to apologise to Andrew Mitchell.
What is his reason to apologise? ...why does he feel he needs to?
We have an officer ( he will only know why) who decides to put himself at the scene of what is a short verbal exchange between a DPG officer at the gate of Downing Street and a politician on a bike.
When he wasn't actually there.
Stupidity is probably the politest word I can think of to describe this.
The actual officer on the gate has suffered incredible pressure during this. The CPS have found that his account is credible and there is no reason to believe he has lied. It is noted that MITCHELLS account has changed over the post 'gate' period. Again not really pushed by Her Majesties media is that the release of CCTV footage some three months after the event was 'selective'
So why is Steve Williams apologising....what is his reason?
I can understand why the Commissioner might apologise. One of his officers has clearly lied..it is on his watch....in a sensitive incident.
Why is the Fed apologising? Steve Williams is the Chairman of the Fed. If he is apologising, it is the Fed apologising. Why?
We have a FED member at the Gate who is very clear he was called a PLEB by MITCHELL.
Doesn't he require an apology?...shouldn't the FED say,' you know what at the core of this is an officer, a FED member, who is accused of lying on that fateful day. Where is our public affirmation of support to him?''
MITCHELL welcomes the apology.. surprise and surprise.. spin then follows spin
This lies at the core of the why the membership are so utterly disillusioned with Mothership Leatherhead.
They are considered well paid cosseted amateurs playing political poker with sharks and losing badly.
And this brings me onto strand two of my current New year rant
The FED decides to commission an independent survey of Fed Members. Part of a review headed by a David Normington ( a former civil servant )
Clearly a conduit for everything anti Fed by the long suffering subscribers who pay the Fees and see nothing other than ineffectual flimflam
Again, in what was probably in good faith an appeal to the subscribers who fund the FED.. its results have been seized upon by a Government hell bent on beating us with every stick available.
Its public airings bring in issues about Plebgate. That was never part of the MORI survey questions that I can remember.
It has clearly allowed politics and media issues to foment these views and the FED who are commissioning this allow it to play into the public domain.
Yes membership are completely disillusioned with the FED (certainly at National level ) and they need to change badly to be in touch with those who keep it funded
But it is our FED to change, not HMG's. Not threats of root and branch reform by the smoke and mirror artists who earn a living as politicians.
Yes the FED are a toothless tiger but they are all we have . They are not a secretive and unreformed 'union' as the Daily Bile and fellow media would have the public believe.
But they need to know what they are, their capabilities and skills and as necessary pay for professional help as they are clearly out of their comfort zone on a lot of issues.
Lastly not to forget those who pay the subs.
The Duggan inquest reaches its conclusion. Not what sections of the support base want to hear and the hallowed halls of the Royal Courts find out what happens when the answer is no.
Its not often I have much sympathy for the upper reaches of the Mets hierarchy but Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley as he was shouted down by the baying mob, whilst a few Royal Court staff stand guard, did spark a few twinges of sympathy. .
Obviously drew the NSY top shelf short straw for that spot.
I would like to think there was a Plan B with a few vans full of the Mets finest at close hand should it get too heated at the steps.
The finger pointing and politics from this will feed certain sections of the press and interest groups for years.
What has irritated me is the post Plebgate nonsense and how it was presented /misrepresented by the press
What has particularly riled me is why Steve Williams, chairman of the Police Federation decided to apologise to Andrew Mitchell.
What is his reason to apologise? ...why does he feel he needs to?
We have an officer ( he will only know why) who decides to put himself at the scene of what is a short verbal exchange between a DPG officer at the gate of Downing Street and a politician on a bike.
When he wasn't actually there.
Stupidity is probably the politest word I can think of to describe this.
The actual officer on the gate has suffered incredible pressure during this. The CPS have found that his account is credible and there is no reason to believe he has lied. It is noted that MITCHELLS account has changed over the post 'gate' period. Again not really pushed by Her Majesties media is that the release of CCTV footage some three months after the event was 'selective'
So why is Steve Williams apologising....what is his reason?
I can understand why the Commissioner might apologise. One of his officers has clearly lied..it is on his watch....in a sensitive incident.
Why is the Fed apologising? Steve Williams is the Chairman of the Fed. If he is apologising, it is the Fed apologising. Why?
We have a FED member at the Gate who is very clear he was called a PLEB by MITCHELL.
Doesn't he require an apology?...shouldn't the FED say,' you know what at the core of this is an officer, a FED member, who is accused of lying on that fateful day. Where is our public affirmation of support to him?''
MITCHELL welcomes the apology.. surprise and surprise.. spin then follows spin
This lies at the core of the why the membership are so utterly disillusioned with Mothership Leatherhead.
They are considered well paid cosseted amateurs playing political poker with sharks and losing badly.
And this brings me onto strand two of my current New year rant
The FED decides to commission an independent survey of Fed Members. Part of a review headed by a David Normington ( a former civil servant )
Clearly a conduit for everything anti Fed by the long suffering subscribers who pay the Fees and see nothing other than ineffectual flimflam
Again, in what was probably in good faith an appeal to the subscribers who fund the FED.. its results have been seized upon by a Government hell bent on beating us with every stick available.
Its public airings bring in issues about Plebgate. That was never part of the MORI survey questions that I can remember.
It has clearly allowed politics and media issues to foment these views and the FED who are commissioning this allow it to play into the public domain.
Yes membership are completely disillusioned with the FED (certainly at National level ) and they need to change badly to be in touch with those who keep it funded
But it is our FED to change, not HMG's. Not threats of root and branch reform by the smoke and mirror artists who earn a living as politicians.
Yes the FED are a toothless tiger but they are all we have . They are not a secretive and unreformed 'union' as the Daily Bile and fellow media would have the public believe.
But they need to know what they are, their capabilities and skills and as necessary pay for professional help as they are clearly out of their comfort zone on a lot of issues.
Lastly not to forget those who pay the subs.
2 Comments:
Fed are useless and rank and file don't trust them! Yet when was the last time a fed member did as instructed ( 54 a vehicle come in on time and leave on time to name a few) when it did not suit them?
The Fed have lost a lot of trust from membership.
They are completely out of touch and this post was about why I think they are
We are, in a lot of ways, our own worst enemy. We have defined regulations which we should apply rigidly such as vehicle checks,rostered hours, meal breaks ... but we make it work to get the job done.
But if things go wrong the fingers of blame only point one way and that is down.
You cant get lower in this organisation than Borough PC and DC.
When the s**t rolls downhill it can only stop with us
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