Why are we taken by collective surprise when another light is thrown on the dark arts of pernicious corruption in the Met? Is there no memory of their wilful venality? So I listened to the news about another inquiry of their wrongdoings in the Stephen Lawrence case with resignation and despair. As I have said many times before this was the sole reason I left the Met back in 1963, there may have been some limited improvements, but they are just a 'coat of varnish'. Nevertheless they are like all organisations, slow to change and also acknowledge their failings viz the Catholic Church and child abuse, the BBC and Jimmy Savile.
In many such structures their is always powerful elite protecting their power base. See the new series that started last night on BBC2 about the build up to WW1 - 37 Days. The centre of power was with the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary plus one or two others. The new Pope has found that out apparently in the Papal civil service, who hold the 'real power'. Just so with the British civil service who have a very long and illustrious history of hanging onto their power - especially the Treasury. I'm reading House of Cards by Michael Dobbs about the machinations of Francis Urquhart the chief whip and his skulduggery.
All students of organisations should have as required reading that seminal book about the elite cabals running them - Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchial Tendencies of Modern Democracy - by Robert Michels. This was first published way back in 1915 during WW1. Need I saw more?
No comments:
Post a Comment