The Torys wanted to get him out following the Damian Green affair. They've succeeded, maybe it's right, but I feel very uncomfortable that an apparently honourable man has resigned after heavy critiscism from MP's who don't bat an eyelid when submitting their second home expense sheets.
A moment's carelessness cost him his job but I hope in the process that it hasn't set back the campaign against terrorism.
There's also the hint of a political execution about it - this guy oversaw the investigation into the leaks from the Home Office that ended up with the Tory MP Damien Green getting his office in the HoC searched. At the time the Tory party demanded he get sacked/transferred and their knives were out as soon as the story hit the press.
Don't think the snapper acted very responsibly in putting the document on the net but he's doing his job while it was Quick's job to maintain security.
[cite]Posted By: stilladdicted[/cite]The Torys wanted to get him out following the Damian Green affair. They've succeeded, maybe it's right, but I feel very uncomfortable that an apparently honourable man has resigned after heavy critiscism from MP's who don't bat an eyelid when submitting their second home expense sheets.
OH BEHAVE - He was utterly utterly stupid doing what he did yeah an honest mistake but FFS he could have jeopardised a massive operation protecting our country against terrorists. Bit different than a porn film on expenses.
He deserved to go and rightly so did the honourable thing. He's had 30 years service as well so will walk out with full pension so not lost everything.
The thing is, it's not the first time someone going into Downing Street has been caught out by the photographers zooming in on the Confidential document they were holding, so he should have known better. Do these people not have cardboard document wallets?
Conveniently got the Ian Tomlinson thing off most of the front pages as well.
Just a thought. As I understand it you can now be arrested for taking a picture of practically anything under anti terrorism legislation ? If that is true then what about arresting the photographer for taking the picture in the first place.
Christ on a bike, this country needs to stop and think about things for a minute. No doubt it was a cock up BUT who among us has never made a mistake in their job. Did you deserved to be sacked for an honest mistake? He wasn't exactly waving it around on the tube at rush hour was he? I'm sure 99.99% of the time he would have handled it properly but for whatever reason on this occassion he exposed a piece of paper to a photographer with a 3 foot lense...who should have considered his own position incidentally in publishing it.
Do we really want to live in a country where people are not allowed to make a mistake? 'Cos if you do then the result is that no one will ever do anything or make a decision in case it comes back to bite them on the backside and they lose their job. And then where would we be? France, that's where...
Les, I agree with you to an extent, but it's a question of the severity of the error, and the possible consequences. As I said, it's a known risk that he should have been aware of, didn't require a great deal of effort to prevent, and could have had major consequences (If the picture had been published, the suspects had done a bunk and then gone on to commit a terrorist act). Admittedly it might been seen as overkill to do a risk assessment for something as simple as going to a meeting, but for taking such sensitive data to such a high profile location, then maybe he should have done.
[cite]Posted By: aliwibble[/cite]Les, I agree with you to an extent, but it's a question of the severity of the error, and the possible consequences. As I said, it's a known risk that he should have been aware of, didn't require a great deal of effort to prevent, and could have had major consequences (If the picture had been published, the suspects had done a bunk and then gone on to commit a terrorist act). Admittedly it might been seen as overkill to do a risk assessment for something as simple as going to a meeting, but for taking such sensitive data to such a high profile location, then maybe he should have done.
Spot on ali, we mustn't look at Quick's error as if one of us had done it.
[cite]Posted By: Les Addicks[/cite]Christ on a bike, this country needs to stop and think about things for a minute. No doubt it was a cock up BUT who among us has never made a mistake in their job. Did you deserved to be sacked for an honest mistake? He wasn't exactly waving it around on the tube at rush hour was he? I'm sure 99.99% of the time he would have handled it properly but for whatever reason on this occassion he exposed a piece of paper to a photographer with a 3 foot lense...who should have considered his own position incidentally in publishing it.
Do we really want to live in a country where people are not allowed to make a mistake? 'Cos if you do then the result is that no one will everdoanything or make a decision in case it comes back to bite them on the backside and they lose their job. And then where would we be? France, that's where...
I've never made a bloody mistake that could, potentially, put hundreds of peoples lives at risk.
[cite]Posted By: stilladdicted[/cite]The Torys wanted to get him out following the Damian Green affair. They've succeeded, maybe it's right, but I feel very uncomfortable that an apparently honourable man has resigned after heavy critiscism from MP's who don't bat an eyelid when submitting their second home expense sheets.
Good point this, I'd not thought of it like that. It was a catastrophic error, though.
Ken Livingstone wiped the floor with the Tory spokesman Chris Grayling on Newsnight about this issue last night. Grayling wouldn't commit himself either way as to whether Quick should go. No doubt he was waiting for David Cameron to text him the answer. If it had been a boxing match it would have been stopped.
I've never made a bloody mistake that could, potentially, put hundreds of peoples lives at risk.
Fair point Ledge but it sits very uncomfortably with me that a bloke (maybe the best bloke for the job) has gone because some pap with a high powered lense has caught him in an unguarded moment when he was maybe thinking about a meeting which may have saved 100's lives if you want to follow your example.
What he did was negligent I agree and he should have been sanctioned for it but the 'punishment' seems excessive for what can only be an honest, simple, mistake that any of us could have made. It's too easy to say what we would do in hindsight.
[cite]Posted By: Airman Brown[/cite]Ken Livingstone wiped the floor with the Tory spokesman Chris Grayling on Newsnight about this issue last night. Grayling wouldn't commit himself either way as to whether Quick should go. No doubt he was waiting for David Cameron to text him the answer. If it had been a boxing match it would have been stopped.
Good to see ol' "i would never shake the hand of the Queen" (but he did) Friend of the IRA, Anti English Ken. Still hard at work.
[cite]Posted By: stilladdicted[/cite]The Torys wanted to get him out following the Damian Green affair. They've succeeded, maybe it's right, but I feel very uncomfortable that an apparently honourable man has resigned after heavy critiscism from MP's who don't bat an eyelid when submitting their second home expense sheets.
OH BEHAVE - He was utterly utterly stupid doing what he did yeah an honest mistake but FFS he could have jeopardised a massive operation protecting our country against terrorists. Bit different than a porn film on expenses.
He deserved to go and rightly so did the honourable thing. He's had 30 years service as well so will walk out with full pension so not lost everything.
Sorry, not made myself very clear. I was more worried that the honourable resign, whilst the dishonourable carry on. We end up with a sytem that becomes a survival of the most corrupt. Quick made a pretty big mistake, but it was still a mistake and he resigned. MP's deliberately flout the spirit of expenses, brazen it out and further weaken our political system. MP's conduct is meant to set an example, right honourable and all that. It just seemed to be more about settling old scores than any genuine concern for our safety.
As a former Metroplitan Police intelligence officer I can only say that it was the right and proper thing for him to do to resign- The Police Sevice is still run as a disciplined force and if I,as a Constable, had done something as stupid as this, I would have been sacked or at the very least disciplined but almost certainly would have been removed from the role.He also only had a few months left so it made sense for him to resign rather than get sacked as he would have lost a portion of his very healthy pension. Someone in his position should have had more sense- any sensitive correspondence HAS to be carried under cover- that is mandatory in intelligence circles. The fact that it was labelled Secret at the top makes it even worse. The Police are subject to the Official Secrets Act and at the very least he has caused a breach in this by his lacksidasial attitude. The fact that the photographer that took this photo had already warned NUMBER 10 that it had happened before just makes it even worse as, if anything, they should have been even more careful!
Do we really want to live in a country where people are not allowed to make a mistake? 'Cos if you do then the result is that no one will everdoanything or make a decision in case it comes back to bite them on the backside and they lose their job. And then where would we be? France, that's where...
Don't know anything about Bob Quick but I know more than I need to about France.
Don't know where you're coming from with this statement. If you have a CDI (full-time contract) then you can make loads of mistakes and still be virtually un-sackable.
Comments
There's also the hint of a political execution about it - this guy oversaw the investigation into the leaks from the Home Office that ended up with the Tory MP Damien Green getting his office in the HoC searched. At the time the Tory party demanded he get sacked/transferred and their knives were out as soon as the story hit the press.
Stupid and potentially dangerous thing to do even if it was a momentary slip between car and door.
Why is it of any interest for somebody to take a photo of him anyway? Just to cause an uproar?
If you hound people enough with video cameras and paparazzi they'll slip up in the end.
I think it's disgusting.
OH BEHAVE - He was utterly utterly stupid doing what he did yeah an honest mistake but FFS he could have jeopardised a massive operation protecting our country against terrorists. Bit different than a porn film on expenses.
He deserved to go and rightly so did the honourable thing. He's had 30 years service as well so will walk out with full pension so not lost everything.
Conveniently got the Ian Tomlinson thing off most of the front pages as well.
Do we really want to live in a country where people are not allowed to make a mistake? 'Cos if you do then the result is that no one will ever do anything or make a decision in case it comes back to bite them on the backside and they lose their job. And then where would we be? France, that's where...
I've never made a bloody mistake that could, potentially, put hundreds of peoples lives at risk.
Fair point Ledge but it sits very uncomfortably with me that a bloke (maybe the best bloke for the job) has gone because some pap with a high powered lense has caught him in an unguarded moment when he was maybe thinking about a meeting which may have saved 100's lives if you want to follow your example.
What he did was negligent I agree and he should have been sanctioned for it but the 'punishment' seems excessive for what can only be an honest, simple, mistake that any of us could have made. It's too easy to say what we would do in hindsight.
Good to see ol' "i would never shake the hand of the Queen" (but he did) Friend of the IRA, Anti English Ken. Still hard at work.
..........
If the Daily Hate/Sub Standard are still maintaining the anti-KL thing then he must be something right.
Sorry, not made myself very clear. I was more worried that the honourable resign, whilst the dishonourable carry on. We end up with a sytem that becomes a survival of the most corrupt. Quick made a pretty big mistake, but it was still a mistake and he resigned. MP's deliberately flout the spirit of expenses, brazen it out and further weaken our political system. MP's conduct is meant to set an example, right honourable and all that. It just seemed to be more about settling old scores than any genuine concern for our safety.
Yes, we're going with 11 central mids today.
Can't see him resigning anytime soon.
Don't know anything about Bob Quick but I know more than I need to about France.
Don't know where you're coming from with this statement. If you have a CDI (full-time contract) then you can make loads of mistakes and still be virtually un-sackable.