advertisement


Covid-19 Response Committee : Cummings Tells All?

As I understand it, part of the deal Cummings struck for joining BoJo in Downing Street was reform of the way Whitehall was organised, managed and ran. It seems to me that Cummings wasn't going to get that as he wanted, especially when Lee Cairns went as Carrie took control of the plonker. Cummings has just claimed the PM embraced chaos of No 10 after he suggested he was more frightened of DC "having the power to stop the chaos than the chaos itself." PM laughed: "Chaos means that everybody has to look to me to see who is in charge."
 
This is like Hitler turning informant at the Nuremberg trials (if he hadn't have put his out of office on). I'm amazed that his words are being lapped up considering his previous form
 
myles said:
This is like Hitler turning informant at the Nuremberg trials (if he hadn't have put his out of office on). I'm amazed that his words are being lapped up considering his previous form
Click to expand...
That's just the way it is when scumbags rat on each other. Obviously you have to use your judgement but a lot of this is ringing very true. I mean it's not exactly stretching credulity to claim that Hancock, who lied to the public transparently on a daily basis and often for no apparent reason, would also lie to his colleagues. Ditto his snitching on Johnson. In any case a lot of this is already public knowledge, it's just not well-publicised.
 
I'm afraid that I believe that this will all blow over, that Johnson will bluff his way out and that Starmer will be able to take no advantage whatsoever. He's achieved nothing so far.
 
Johnson's stock defence line will be something like: "Look, there main thing is that we focus on protecting the NHS. isn't that what we should be doing? Are you not for that?".
I'm just as disappointed by Starmer (no wonder he's no longer a barrister), as I am in the people that voted for Johnson.
 
Last edited:
k90tour said:
I'm afraid that I believe that this will all blow over, that Johnson will bluff his way out and that Starmer will be able to take no advantage whatsoever. He's achieved nothing so far.
Click to expand...

Sadly very possibly I think. Johnson has made a career out of saying and doing very stupid things without consequence.

I wonder though whether it will speed the party's moves to oust him. How long before we see Rishi and Gove in No.10/11?
 
Seanm said:
That's just the way it is when scumbags rat on each other. Obviously you have to use your judgement but a lot of this is ringing very true. I mean it's not exactly stretching credulity to claim that Hancock, who lied to the public transparently on a daily basis and often for no apparent reason, would also lie to his colleagues. Ditto his snitching on Johnson. In any case a lot of this is already public knowledge, it's just not well-publicised.
Click to expand...
Yeah, agreed. A lot of it is either common knowledge or isn't beyond the realms of imagination. I'm just disappointed that this prick is getting any credibility even though a lot of the info is credible.
 
It is interesting testimony in many ways. Not least in that it reinforces my view that Johnson is a privileged lazy vacuous Trump clone bouncing around on popularism and in this case overly influenced by Carrie Antionette and the anti-science libertarian fringe-nuttery of the Telegraph opinion pages (his Fox News).
 
myles said:
I'm just disappointed that this prick is getting any credibility even though a lot of the info is credible.
Click to expand...

The only way Cummings is gaining any credibility here is that unlike any MP or minister he is actually prepared to apologise and speak candidly of his obvious failings and errors of judgement. It is very interesting testimony and he is not in any way denying he is up to his neck in it.

I have to admit I’m quite fascinated watching it as I’m so used to endless slippery evasion and deflection from the shit we elect to the HoC be they Tory or Labour. He is actually answering the questions that are being put to him, which really is a remarkably rare thing to see in UK politics. It appears he can back much of it up with evidence too.
 
Stuart Frazer said:
What were you expecting or hoping DC would reveal?
Click to expand...
I was hoping for minutes. What he has said has been discussed and suspected before, but not by a man in his position. I want something irrefutable, something with Johnson's signature.
I have no expectations. Just hope that the government will be seen for what it is.
 
Tony L said:
The only way Cummings is gaining any credibility here is that unlike any MP or minister he is actually prepared to apologise and speak candidly of his obvious failings and errors of judgement. It is very interesting testimony and he is not in any way denying he is up to his neck in it.

I have to admit I’m quite fascinated watching it as I’m so used to endless slippery evasion and deflection from the shit we elect to the HoC be they Tory or Labour. He is actually answering the questions that are being put to him, which really is a remarkably rare thing to see in UK politics. It appears he can back much of it up with evidence too.
Click to expand...
He's just positioning himself for something else - I'm so surprised that you can find any sincerity in anything he is saying, or consider this as 'UK politics'; it's straight up neck saving whether or not the information is credible (which it is).
 
Nothing new yet, who didn't know that DC was a vindictive, hypocritical PoS?

It does add to Boris's failings a total inability to choose friends wisely.

Always thought Hitchcock was rather wet and useless, prime fodder for an aspiring bully.
 
Cummings said in his evidence that the Cabinet Secretary expressed the same view that Hancock could not be trusted because of his lying to colleagues. Hancock was caught red handed over his fictitious testing numbers.
 
myles said:
He's just positioning himself for something else - I'm so surprised that you can find any sincerity in anything he is saying, or consider this as 'UK politics'; it's straight up neck saving whether or not the information is credible (which it is).
Click to expand...

I don’t really care if he is sincere or not. If what he is saying is true, and he appears to have evidence for much of it, it all helps highlight the self serving, corrupt and incompetent mess that is UK politics. If he damages the Conservative Party and the failing institutions of government at all today then it has been a good day. I will take small wins as without any credible political opposition that is all we have. I am also hopeful the Good Law Project will be successful in their ongoing court proceedings. Every little helps.
 
k90tour said:
I was hoping for minutes. What he has said has been discussed and suspected before, but not by a man in his position. I want something irrefutable, something with Johnson's signature.
I have no expectations. Just hope that the government will be seen for what it is.
Click to expand...

Minutes in these situations will be a summary of final agreements, not the discussions within the actual meeting. Much of what Cummings has said today has not been stated formally and we are learning the thinking and processes that the Government went through. Mistakes can be clearly seen now. Johnson will ride this out as much of the public don't even watch the daily news nevermind understand it or have an opinion. Overall, there is worryingly little mainstream public interest and the public vote with that mindset too. Johnson will hope to kick this can of worms down the road along with the Covid Public Enquiry past the next General Election and then he won't care when the sh1t hits the fan after that.
 
Tony L said:
The only way Cummings is gaining any credibility here is that unlike any MP or minister he is actually prepared to apologise and speak candidly of his obvious failings and errors of judgement. It is very interesting testimony and he is not in any way denying he is up to his neck in it.

I have to admit I’m quite fascinated watching it as I’m so used to endless slippery evasion and deflection from the shit we elect to the HoC be they Tory or Labour. He is actually answering the questions that are being put to him, which really is a remarkably rare thing to see in UK politics. It appears he can back much of it up with evidence too.
Click to expand...

This ^ And this is also the way Parliament should work too along with Prime Ministers Questions which is usually a waste of time.
 
I think most likely political effects will be determined by existing media/establishment preoccupations:

- border policy
- personnel - who's competent who isn't etc.
- that little titbit thrown to centrist hacks: the choice was between Johnson and Corbyn so what really were people expected to do?

It's not a good platform to start looking at real institutional failings - and ways of redressing *ongoing* issues - because he's completely obsessed with personalities - "smart people" - and managerial failings. Ongoing issues like failure to support people isolating came up and were passed over without comment. That's probably a bigger problem than such-and-such being an idiot and it's still not being addressed.

Labour won't be able to make anything of this because they never offered an alternative strategy and went along with all the "This is hard! No one could do any better!" BS.

Strong disincentive for the media to treat this as anything other than court gossip because it doesn't reflect well on them: uncritical support for government, credulous passing on of obvious lies - none of it makes them look good. Can see a couple of days of "Wow! What a mess! Who knew?!" headlines and then into the memory hole.
 
Tony L said:
I don’t really care if he is sincere or not. If what he is saying is true, and he appears to have evidence for much of it, it all helps highlight the self serving, corrupt and incompetent mess that is UK politics. If he damages the Conservative Party and the failing institutions of government at all today then it has been a good day. I will take small wins as without any credible political opposition that is all we have. I am also hopeful the Good Law Project will be successful in their ongoing court proceedings. Every little helps.
Click to expand...
Just remember you are pinning your flag to Dominic Cummings' flag.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top