Rioting Golfers

There were 9 of us having a coffee in the bar at 7.15 this morning working out who was going to play with whom and in which order we would tee off. Naturally the conversation turned to other issues including the riots and the way the police had handled them. The perception of us all was that the police had shown weakness in not trying to stop the rioters in Enfield last Saturday night and that it was this which gave others the green light to try the same in other parts of London over the next two nights. It was also our view that the police had only gone for a more robust response last Tuesday night as a result of instructions from on high even if the police had themselves decided to increase their numbers on the streets massively. All agreed though that since Tuesday the police have acted extremely well but that the force needs reforming and that it is a pity that Bill Bratton is not going to become the new head of the Met. Orde is regarded as a prize prat and unfit for purpose. The last point discussed before we departed to change into our golf shoes was the BBC. We all felt it needs to be cut down to size and that it is a great pity the News Corp bid for the rest of Sky it does not own has not gone ahead. Interesting that this evening Harriet Harman's newly elected MP husband, Jack Dromey, ex trade union deputy leader, is demanding that Cameron not appoint Bratton as an adviser and to stop undermining the police. Dromey is also, like the good trade unionist that he is, demanding that police numbers be maintained presumably on the basis that the police force is for the benefit of those employed in it and any reform is unnecessary. Of course his understanding of the affordability of what he proposes is somewhat lacking.