The danger of politically motivated appointments

There is an old Spanish proverb, “Revenge is a dish best served cold.” Has Theresa May served up her revenge a bit too hot with the selection of Tom Winsor to become the next Chief Inspector of Constabulary? It is too easy to see this as the Government’s revenge for the Police Federation’s rough treatment of Theresa May, the Home Secretary, back in May.

Reading between the lines of various newspapers’ coverage of the story I can also imagine the comments from the various police forces, some openly expressed:

“They appointed that idiot after he wrote those crap reports?”

And

“Oh great, another bloody poodle there to do the Government’s bidding.”

The argument that it is not a bad thing to sometimes appoint someone who is independent of both the police and government to provide a fresh pair of eyes is a good one. But when working with government departments or agencies there are two vital assets that a top mandarin must have: credibility and the ability to persuade those differing departments or agencies to work together. I fear that Tom Winsor has already lost his credibility with the police before he can even start (whether rightly or wrongly is irrelevant) and so I can only question whether no matter how brilliant he may be (or not I have no knowledge of his work) how he can possibly make this role a success? He has some serious bridge building to do and needs to communicate a vision if he is not to be blocked at every turn by various vested interests. Being confrontational does not work within government, the secret to success for any politician or senior civil servant is to be perceived as neutral and having something valuable on offer. Like reputations, this perception can be easily lost and very hard to get back.

By succumbing to an emotional desire for revenge, I fear the government has just stymied its ability to push forward reforms within the police. As Andrew Lansley, the Secretary of State for Health, is finding out if the rank and file and management do not believe in you or support your reforms then you will have the devil of a job trying to get anything done. Any bets on how long Tom Winsor will last?