Dominic Cummings: A revolution coming to Whitehall?

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  • "Damian Collins, who found Mr Cummings in contempt of parliament for refusing to appear before the select committee he used to chair, said: "Dominic Cummings has a track record of believing that the rules don't apply to him and treating the scrutiny that should come to anyone in a position of authority with contempt.

    "The government would be better without him."

    Mr Collins confirmed on Tuesday he still holds those views".

    https://news.sky.com/story/coronavi…nd-why-11994291

    Collins is a rabid remainer is lucky to still be an active MP and openly hates Cummings. His opinion is bias and worthless.

    Celebrate it, Anticipate it, Yesterday's faded, Nothing can change it, Life's what you make it

  • Collins is a rabid remainer is lucky to still be an active MP and openly hates Cummings. His opinion is bias and worthless.

    So what

    Do you deny that Cummings refused to appear before his select committee?

  • I read the news, Bryan, which is always a help when contributing to the current affairs forums.

    And I don't mean social media and the sensationalist tabloids either! ;)

    Still no proof or link I see

    To spin a situation you need facts or reference to prove your point

  • I'd hardly call Coronavirus a hate campaign. But you see it through rheumy old eyes. No matter.

    Who said it was? It's the campaign against Cummings I was talking about, as I'm sure you well know.

    As for Boris's popularity ratings, I wouldn't hold your breath, Jenny. It is worth saying that new governments quickly become unpopular after they come to power, largely because they try to deal with the less popular measures early in the parliament. In this case, the virus has put everything out, and considering everything, the Conservatives are doing pretty well, actually.

    Boris will regain his popularity as he starts to deliver on manifesto pledges, despite the economic crisis.

  • It is worth saying that new governments quickly become unpopular after they come to power,

    Nonsense, they always have a honeymoon period

    The problem with this shower is that they are like the "emperors clothes" non existence policies

  • The Times leader comment today was impressive in its call for demonstrable impartiality, calling time on Emily Matlis for her conspicuous failure to uphold it during Newsnight. It is more reprehensible when a journalists’ bias cannot be explained away by their ignorance or stupidity. With her though it's a shame because she is quite bright and tries to think deeply about issues (and those who don’t want that depth can always just stare lustily at her legs). I think she showed the same unprofessionalism as the quizmaster during last year’s debate contest between prospective PM’s. I thought she had turned over a new leaf. Maybe such old habits die hard.

    I assumed the sensational headlines in newspapers that preceded the Dominic Cummings Downing Street garden interview with the media was just the customary low-life journalism that magnifies or sensationalises an already-detected pe-existing public prejudice. It seems part and parcel of the predictably wearisome street pack of journalists all competing to hurl ill-mannered inane questions at politicians entering or leaving a building or car. I accept there is nothing wrong with the media imposing their opinions, nor relaying public opinion obtained from those yawn-making polls and nor is there nothing wrong in the public disagreeing or even despising the opinions of the media or other members of the public.

    Yet there is something very wrong when the media provides deliberate or careless misinformation, in effect fabricating the evidence or facts they have put into their "story" or making seemingly factual accusations which are entirely unfounded. It’s alright to find that kind of prejudice or misrepresentation or dim-witted reporting in a cheap tabloid; it just becomes an amusing bad joke and one makes the necessary allowances, just as one does when reading a forum posting from people like, say, Bryanluc.

    That said, I felt what I witnessed in the Downing street garden media questioning of Dominic Cummings went way beyond the pale. The media’s obnoxious, ill-mannered and prejudiced questioning sank to a new all-time low and became that of a lynch mob. I think it’s a boon for social media. Trump already knew this.

    In the face of that unpleasant garden farce I was surprised and disappointed that Dominic Cummings was so polite. It made him appear defensive which in itself reinforced an impression that he was guilty, although guilty of what I remain unsure. Guilty of not apologising for whatever it was that remains undefined or irrelevant? Guilty of self-elitism? (That’s a real problem when one is elite, knows what it means and knows it is not pejorative except among ignorant and resentful have-nots or under-achievers ….. which I guess represents the vast majority in this hopeless country). Guilty of reading and (reasonably?) interpreting the small print that expands on the short easy-to-remember but ambiguous rules which don’t overtax simple-minded people? Guilty for finding a fair and safe way of reconciling the lockdown rules with the safeguarding of his family? Guilty of being more intelligent than the average member of public in assessing the rules in more depth? Guilty in testing his driving eyesight over 50 miles rather than 20? Guilty in testing his driving eyesight on a pleasant rather than ugly route? Guilty in not wanting to be “all in this together” when such togetherness necessitates rubbing shoulders with a baying lynch mob who are too lazy, illiterate or literal-minded to read the lockdown rules in detail and have no idea what Dominic Cummings is like but don’t like him anyway?

    Or does it all boil down to being guilty of popping in and out of Downing Street wearing gear more suited to a rock concert in Glastonbury? How did Steve Hilton, a Cameron advisor, get away with a similar kids-on-the-block attire? I guess Dominic Cummings looks more eery and has been revealed as more influential in advising on radical much needed reform. In other words, it’s okay to look like a jerk as long as you’re not all that important and influential.

    I don't see the point of Dominic Cummings fashioning himself as an independent creative ingenious reforming figure and then, when the eyes and ears of the world are upon him, behaving like just another dull deflecting politician. It makes me wonder if his progress has been based on a suspension of disbelief. If so, I think it deflated in the garden of Downing street and I’m not sure it can re-inflate. There was a much better mea-culpa-ish speech or replies he could have given, more candid, sincere and likeable, less pedantic or robotic. I think he missed his chance to be a mensch and maybe that is why he is now more a government liability than an asset.

  • If he was legally compelled to attend he would’ve been there.

    I thought if you are summoned by a parliamentary committee and fail to attend you are in contempt

    Perhaps his pals, the Johnsons, intervened or he had a vulnerable child

  • Collins is a rabid remainer is lucky to still be an active MP and openly hates Cummings. His opinion is bias and worthless.

    His opinion is as valid as anybody else's. It just doesn't agree with yours and so according to you it's worthless.

    But I bet you expect everybody else to respect your opinion.

    Dominic Cummings has clearly made a lot of enemies but doesn't seem to care. Rather, he seems to enjoy it.

    But you can only ride your luck for so long. He's got away with this one, and the price of that will fall heavily on Boris Johnson's shoulders in the long term.

    If you think the public will forget all about it in a couple of weeks time, remember.... John Major carried the albatross of Black Wednesday around his shoulders for three years before his time came.

    I wouldn't be at all surprised if the knives have been sheathed...... he's ridden this storm out. But they haven't been locked away. And being the man he is, it won't be long before he'll want to push his luck again. He enjoys the buzz. Sooner or later, he'll get his come uppance. And the knives will be rammed in deep.

    Et tu, Collins.

  • I thought if you are summoned by a parliamentary committee and fail to attend you are in contempt

    Perhaps his pals, the Johnsons, intervened or he had a vulnerable child

    Cummings is indeed in contempt of the Parliamentary committee. So am I. So is any thinking person who watches the way it conducts itself. I'm sure Cummings told Boris he has had enough crap from the media without indulging political non-entities. Or maybe Boris realised that if Cummings attended he would tell them to screw themselves and Boris though declining to attend was the least worse option. Of course Boris as PM obviously had to attend. Facebook's Mark Zuckenberg rightly decided Britain was just a small nuisance and it was better to go to Brussels and humour the EU. Aron Banks and his business associates attended because he was in contempt of the Parliamentary commitee and enjoyed jerking them around. Philip Green had to attend as part of doing a deal with the Government's pension regulkators and also because he wasn't quite ready to throw in the towel, close down his empire and take a 1-way trip to Monaco and live happily ever after. I don't Phillip Green cared a rat's arse about his Knighthood and in any case that era in his life was well over.

  • If you can’t be objective your opinion is worthless, you are just exposing your personal prejudices. As you have just done.

    Celebrate it, Anticipate it, Yesterday's faded, Nothing can change it, Life's what you make it

  • Apparently the Mail is today reporting that Cummings will step down in six months

    Remember Gove's wife Sarah Vine is part of the Mail heirarchy

  • If you can’t be objective your opinion is worthless, you are just exposing your personal prejudices. As you have just done.

    Ahhh, so I'm worthless too. That's because I don't agree with you either. There's a pattern developing there.

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