So, the Mayor's spokesman described Jacqui Smith's abandonment of directly elected members to police authorities as "cowardly," and Kit Malthouse told the Standard:
I feel sorry for Jacqui, it's blindingly obvious that she's out of her depth. This comes on the back of her blunder over knife crime and her botched Taser announcement. She's looking around for anybody to blame other than herself. The truth is the Home Office is paralysed by its own weakness. It's a bit rich to accuse us of politicising the police. It's the other way round.
Miaow. I'd say both the mayor and the home secretary have have got themselves in a fix over this, hence the mutual recriminations. Me at Cif:
Ms Spliff has had a dig at Boris Johnson for fraying fuzz nerves with his roles in the departure of Blair and the Damian Green affair. This might be a cheap shot but it has force.
Not least, I'd guess, with shortlisted candidates Stephenson, Orde, Hogan-Howe and the outsider Scott-Lee. Still, at least Boris has moved the issue up the agenda. All he has to do now is make his case coolly, sensibly and without phoning a friend. The rest of my Cif piece is here.
