Met chief in phone recording row

[india-juliet]

Not again Sir Blair!!.

What more can he balls up. Firstly the denial of knowing what was going on at Stockwell & now this:

Britain's top policeman is being urged to explain why he secretly taped a phone call with the attorney general.
Metropolitan police chief Sir Ian Blair recorded the conversation with Lord Goldsmith last September without him knowing, it has emerged.

Lord Goldsmith is said to be "rather cross" and "somewhat disappointed".

Richard Barnes, a Conservative member of the Metropolitan Police Authority and the London Assembly, called for Sir Ian to consider his position.

"He must clearly discuss this with the chairman of the police authority, and no doubt the home secretary will want to talk to him," he said.

Although RIPA ACT 2000 does state that is not illegal for individuals to tape conversations providing the recording is for their own use, but im sure Sir Blair is not doubt using such taped conversations for amunition when the shite hits the fan against him.

 

[Juvenal]

It wasn't just the Attorney General either - the online Daily Telegraph is reporting that he also taped calls with the IPCC officials investigating the de Menenzes shooting. Personally I think the chap's feeling a noose around his neck and is gathering evidence as insurance against any potential stitchup. Let's face it, if the Government decides it needs a sacificial lamb over Law and Disorder, who better than the head of the Met?

 

[knuckle_dragger]

Can you blame him...dealing with a slimey oik like Goldsmith ? The legal advisor for Tonys sandpit adventures and a member of the government where you can purchase a seat in the new and improved house of lords. I am not a big fan of Sir Ian but it sounds like he had taken advice from The previous commish after his spat with beardie Blunkett ie don't trust politicians and lawyers sounds like sound advice. Also as someone who has had dealings with the IPCC on issues.... I wouldn't trust them as far as I could physically throw them

 

[abeaumont]

To be fair though, he has had bad experiences with politicians - and the Attorney-General is a politician first and law afficer second. Remember the incident when details of private meetings were leaked to the press, depsite only Ian Blair, David Blunkett, and his guide dog being present - and Sir Ians famous line that it wasn't him that leaked to the press and that he was sure it wasn't the dog. A classic case of once bitten twice shy?

Three rules for any senior police officer:

(1) Don't trust any politician of any party.
(2) Cover your arrse in any dealings with politicians in case you were right to remember Rule 1.
(3) Never forget Rules 1 & 2.

 

[OldRedCap]

This has to be proverbial straw on camels back. The Liberty people are after him in a big way and others will get onto his case as well as ay wears on. It just think it is sad that he is obviously one who feels that standards in public life have declined so far that he needs a record of what is said and cannot rely upon the honesty of those to whom he speaks.
That said, I think he has now demonstrated that there is no longer any future for him as head of the Met. Trouble is that general public see him as the Head of Police and his weaknesses rebound on all police officers. Needs to practice Dixons "Evening all" I reckon.

 

[The_Dragoon]

Because of his position I don't blame the bloke for taping any conversation he has, private or not, it's called ass-covering.

 

[Themanwho]

I have no brief for many of Ian Blair's actions and pronouncements over the last year or so, he seems to be very much a political animal first and foremost and a police officer second; but judge a man by his enemies. Anyone who has that doris Chakrabati baying for his blood, can't be all bad! As has already been said, it seems eminently sensible to retain a record of what politicians have said to you, especially considering the motley crew in charge at the moment.

 

[civvy]

It's legal to record your telephone calls without telling the other person. The tricky bit comes if you pass the recording to a 3rd party. In a work environment, if calls are recorded, you have to inform employees and I think provide an unrecorded facility for them. I'd be most surprised if the met didn't have call recording.

C

 

[student_grant]

This has to be proverbial straw on camels back. The Liberty people are after him in a big way and others will get onto his case as well as ay wears on. It just think it is sad that he is obviously one who feels that standards in public life have declined so far that he needs a record of what is said and cannot rely upon the honesty of those to whom he speaks.
That said, I think he has now demonstrated that there is no longer any future for him as head of the Met. Trouble is that general public see him as the Head of Police and his weaknesses rebound on all police officers. Needs to practice Dixons "Evening all" I reckon.

What happened to Dixon again? oh yeah, he got a bullet in the chest from some chav in an alleyway. Hes only covering his back, and I cant say I blame him. Times have changed, politicians no longer resign at the hint of incompetence and scandal, they take down the public servants doing their bidding. He obviously sees himself as being "outside the circle".

Good drills Met bloke.

 

[Manchester_Rogue]

To be fair: like most people in his position, he is looking after his job first and foremost.

Who wouldn't?

 

[bowman_guru]

He has spent his life getting to where he is, and if he is to be made a scape goat, which looks fairly likely, then fair play to him.
Unless he can prove that he had the full backing of ministers for his actions, he will be out on a limb, and if the backing comes in the form of verbal rather than on paper, who can blame him for wanting a record of exactly is said.
Before jumping on the band wagon, think about your own job, and how you would fight to keep it or clear your name if you were being dragged through the mud for doing what you have been ordered to.
Its always handy to have the "Get out of jail free" card

You might not like the nugget, but I for one think its ok to keep a record of what has gone on. That way it is harder for people to do a u-turn and stab you in the back.

BG

 

[Vimeiro]

As the people he is dealing with can't be trusted to give a straight answer when cross examined at a later date who can blame him for taping.

Possibly he thinks he's on borrowed time what with everything else going on, Stockwell and his 'media gaffs'. Perhaps he's making sure he can take others with him.

 

[india-juliet]

It now appears that Lord Goldsmith has accepted Blairs Apology over the phone recording.

But what was the contents of this tapped conversation?. The MPA will still meet senior officers to discuss the Commissioners actions.

 

[RABC]

Has he not committed an offence contrary to the Telecommunications Act, in recording a phone conversation without first notifying the other party ??

I suppose he makes his own rules

 

[Languid_Doc]

Just what is the question here? The CC records a telephone conversation about the use of phone taps in court, so why the fuss? Surely it's plain CDF to record everything that's said on the phone, as is the practice for 999 / 101 calls.

If a politician howls about having his conversations taped, you know that he feels that he might have made an error of judgement during the call, so it must be a good thing!!

As for the civil liberties industry, let's take them at face value and assume that they're in it for the public good. On the other hand let's call a spade a shovel and accept that they would get a proper job if they could and that their only raison d'etre is to fly in the face of civil liberty, which is defined as "liberty restricted only by those laws established for the good of the community". I translate that as meaning that the community comes first.

Not a great fan of what I have seen regarding Sir Ian Blair, but he's only a copper and there to serve the community.

 

[Private_Pike]

A spokesman ( or should that be spokesperson?) for Lord Goldsmith has just announced that he has accepted Blair's apology and explanation. That's nice of him.

 

[civvy]

Has he not committed an offence contrary to the Telecommunications Act, in recording a phone conversation without first notifying the other party ??

I suppose he makes his own rules

I think the offence occurs if the content of the conversation is disclosed to a 3rd party. This is why call centres have "your calls may be recorded and used for..." as someone else is going to listen to the call; QA, training etc. The act is The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act. It is a right crock and bits of it are modified / clarified by something like "Legitimate Business Practices. That's a right hoot too. It refers to the secretary of state as 'he' throughout and then it is signed by a woman. Anyway, back to thread. Blair might have recorded the conversation so that he could "remind himself" of things that were said.

C

 

[Queensman]

This is simply symptomatic of the untrustworthiness of Labour senior politicians and their acolytes. If 'one of their own', aka Sir Ian Bliar, can't trust the fcukers to the extent that he feels the only way to protect his arrse from a rogering with a prize-winning leek, when, at some time in the future, they round on him and try and make him a scapegoat for another of their acts of duplicity and dodgy dealing. You can almost guarantee that 'the other side' will have recordings or transcripts of everything he has ever said in readiness for a bit of blackmail as and when required.

This Labour government has reduced the running of this country to a state once only found behind the Iron Curtain, or nowadays in somewhere like Rhodesia (sic).

The soon to be aired BBC programme about the planned military coup against Harold Wilson will make interesting viewing, and hopefully give someone with more clout than me a few good ideas.........

 

[smithie]

The MPA has the authority to request the Commissioner stands down. Particularly, it can be directed to do this by the Home Secretary.

So why has the Prime Minister's spokesminion just declared the matter closed? Why wasn't this dealt with by the Home Office?

Shoddy government.

sm.

 

[countdokku]

I'm no fan of Blair2, but I don't blame him for recording conversations with politicians and lawyers - the two least trustworthy groups of people on earth.
I did the same thing myself a few years ago; I was getting BS at work from a manager, so I taped her telling another member of staff to break Health and Safety regs. Next time she tried to give me s""t, I played the tape back for her and told her if she did'nt jump off my d""k, a copy was going to a major tabloid. She backed down so fast, the Italian army in full retreat could'nt have kept up with her.
Don't trust anyone. And get your retaliation in first.