David Cameron is rejecting the advice of top security officials by insisting on walking around Whitehall, refusing police motorcycle escorts and demanding to be allowed to keep his BlackBerry smartphone.
There is increasing nervousness about the protection of the Prime Minister, who officials believe is making himself vulnerable to terrorists, lone obsessives and cyber-criminals.
Having done this for a week or two he\’ll stop. For security reasons, don\’tcha know.
After all, there\’s no shame in showing you\’re a man of the people, that you really can walk 500 yards across London, but, well, you know, police won\’t let me do it any more.
Point made and back to the back of the limo.
I will, of course, eat my hat if he\’s still doing this on a rainy evening in November. Most unconvinced that I\’ll have to be seasoning the chapeau though.
He is making a very good PR point and should keep on with it. Why should we let the nutters (from which ever part of the fanatic spectrum they hail) stop CallMeDave walking to the House of Conmen on a sunny summer’s day? Smiling at the public, shaking hands, saying hello as he passes, staying a litle bit connected is not a bad idea. McNutter should have done more of this.
But he can improve his security by not keeping on doing the same thing repeatedly. By all means walk – but not everytime you go somewhere. Vary the route and mode of transport; foot, bike, car etc.
Agreed – variation would be wise.
This only started with das Blair, fond of his motorcades and outriders.
Major used to stroll around IIRC.
Let’s imagine that a lone nutcase does get through to the boy Dave ™ and chops him into small pieces. Net result: MASSIVE sympathy vote for the brave conservatives taking a stand for our freedoms etc etc.
It would also break the duck that the only Wykehamist ever to serve as PM is also the only PM ever to have been assassinated…
It might be a PR stunt. It might not. But there really are Islamist nutters out there who’d like to kill him. If they did it would be an astounding PR coup (there’d be ululation, sadly unanswered with a dose of napalm, in many of the less salubrious parts of the Mohammedan world.) And it would leave a pregnant widow, which is an awful thing. Two fingers to the Jihadists, sure, but he has greater responsibilities.
Apart from anything, if the Islamonazis kill him, Nick Clegg is his deputy. That’s like having Joe Biden as an anti-assassination policy for Obama.
These people are just low-level clerks really. They don’t run the country and play a symbolic role. A bit more normalisation would benefit everybody.
Most unconvinced that I’ll have to be seasoning the chapeau though.
Sautee’d in butter with a little garlic is the best, I am told. Not that I think you’ll need this advice.