When will Ian Blair go?

The media have upped the ante on Ian Blair's departure again..

Oliver Kamm, a blogger taken on by The Times for opinion pieces, said today:

"It is not a witch-hunt, but a response to a man lacking a sense of public duty, to demand that restitution to the de Menezes family start with Sir Ian’s dismissal."

And as he points out, he is hardly a civil liberty headbanger.

The Times and Telegraph editorial teams also turn up the heat:

"Sir Ian will no doubt be relieved at the lawyers’ inability to frame charges of criminal negligence. He should feel, nevertheless, a huge moral weight on his shoulders. There remain very real questions about the conduct of senior police officers in this affair." - Times leader

"The Home Secretary, to whom the Commissioner is ultimately answerable, must see to it that Sir Ian is made to answer for the actions of his force." - Telegraph leader

Who will replace him?

Deputy Editor

Comments

[malcolm]

When will Sir Ian Blair go?Soon I hope.It is very important that the public support the police and have confidence in their high command.Blairs actions in ineptly handling the aftermath of the Stockwell shooting and various other mistakes have lost that confidence.

[Sally Roberts]

Sir Ian Blair seems to have an inbuilt talent for knowing where his mouth is and inserting his foot into it! I am sure everyone remembers his offensive remarks about the Soham murders for example.
Unfortunately he seems to be the only person not to realise that his time is up. Will he go quietly? No, sadly not.

[Chad]

I thought John Stevens was a buffoon, but it can only highlight a new degree of buffoonary for Ian Blair to be so bad that Stevens is now not just being remembered fondly but considered as potential mayoral quality!

Of course he has got to go, but those Blairs are deaf to the fat lady's song.

[mirthios]

Part of the CPS 'Vision' statement says that it is working to become a world-class, independent prosecuting authority that delivers a valued public service by inspiring the confidence of the communities it serves: being visible, open and accountable for their decisions; being responsive to the needs of the community and providing a valuable public service; being seen as the decision-makers who decide which cases should be brought to court and bringing them to justice.

Having sat on the report since JANUARY, it has clearly failed to achieve every single one of those objectives. Perhaps we should be clamouring for the heads of Lord Goldsmith and Mike O'Brien, except that they, of course, are a vital link in ensuring that any investigations involving No. 10 are hidden away for at least another year.

[Richard]

Can't we just have a traditional no-nonsense policemen in charge of the Met? Someone who believes policemen should be hunting down criminals and teaching them a lesson instead of going on pointless diversity courses?

[Serf]

What Richard said

[Alfred of Wessex]

Richard 18/7/06 at 11:15. I wish. Trouble is, such a person would never even apply for the job, because I doubt that ensuring criminals are caught is even part of the job specification.

Teaching criminals a lesson is the job of the criminal justice system, not the police. The same comments apply, in spades. From what I recall during at least part of the Thatcher/Major administration it was well known to successive Home Secretaries that the National Association of Probation Officers was in the hands of 3 avowed Marxists. NuLabour hasn't fared much better ( http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/article.php?article_id=1215 ).

[Graeme Archer]

If this government had any shred of decency left, it would already have ensured that the Iain Blair would have resigned. It is a disgrace beyond parody that that man remains in charge of London's police service. Is there any sight less edifying in public life than someone clearly in the wrong, clinging onto their position, when all moral authority has gone? This man was in charge of the Met when his officers held a wholly innocent man down and pumped seven bullets into his head. He was in charge when the media dissembling took place - a dissembling that encouraged the spectators I was standing with in Tottenham Ct Rd, faces pressed against the television shop window, following the news on Sky, to break into spontaneous applause. The gap between what we were told and what actually happened is so enormous that - completely independently of whatever is legally correct or not - the man in charge should have recognised the events for the atrocity they were and stepped down.

[John Hustings]

"Who will replace him?"

Most probably someone just as bad.

[Sally Roberts]

Sadly, John, you are most probably right! Until we get rid of the appalling PC-ness (and no, I don't mean "Police Constable"!) of the Met, this is what we will be stuck with.

[Geoff]

Sally, it is awful to think that it is possible to replace this appalling man with something even worse than he is but I agree with John and your good self. The next person in line is likely to be just as dreadful.

It's probably better to give him enough rope to hang himself properly so that he piles on the embarrassment for No10 and then afterwards he can't climb on the quango gravy-train when he is finally forced out.

[Daniel Vince-Archer]

"Most probably someone just as bad."

I think I recently read somewhere that Richard Brunstrom has been tipped for promotion soon.

North Wales's (and motorists everywhere) gain will be London's loss.

[David Banks]

Could both Blairs leave soon please.

[Sally Roberts]

The Mad Mullah of North Wales????!!!! Now that WOULD be worse.....

[Alfred of Wessex]

No, please, not HIM. Aaaargh!!!

[Annabel Herriott]

I thought "Blair" was synonymous with hanging on by ones fingertips until said fingertips got wrenched off!

[Craig Cox]

Annabel has got it spot on!

As long as the Met advocates these barmy policies, much better aligned to the sandal wearing majority of the LibDem ranks, then we will be subjected to the idiocy of Sir Ian.

As to who takes over...Kojak.