No.151 - One Rule for Them, Another for us?

Dear James,

Words fail me and, yet they are all I have and so here goes! Yesterday I witnessed one of the most craven acts of political desperation and cowardice in my life time. Boris Johnson, that self-promoting, ‘paragon of strength and leadership’, was revealed in all his weakness. Commanded by his ‘chief adviser’ to shape up and back him, he fronted yesterday’s daily coronavirus press conference, looking seriously discomfited, huffing and puffing, avoiding questions and telling us that he is convinced that Dominic Cummings acted ‘responsibly, legally and with integrity’ in his 250 mile dash to safety in Durham on March 30th. It was an instinctive act and one that 'any parent could understand’. But most of the British public, often with great sacrifice to themselves and their loved ones, obeyed those rules to the letter. If anyone has the symptoms of coronavirus they should, ‘Stay at Home, Self isolate and Save Lives.’ Cummings however, bolted and even seems to have visited his parents home at least twice more since then. The reaction yesterday was instant. As a journalist from Channel 4 said, it seems that everyone from now on should follow their instincts rather than the rules. As he returned to his property last night Mr Cummings was greeted by a roar of indignation from his neighbours. ‘Shame!’, ‘Resign! ’they hooted. You have no doubt received the equivalent in your postbag James. But so what? Rules never apply to a political genius like Dominic do they? Even less to his grovelling servant, Boris Johnson. 

But should we be surprised? Yesterday Boris staked his political life on Mr Cummings by slavishly following the populist rule book to the letter. Never apologize, never admit weakness, never show humility or contrition and always ‘boost’ the positives no matter how small they are. Boris is nothing without Cummings. To sack him would be to strip the emperor of his clothes leaving him intellectually and politically naked before the world. On the other hand, if Cummings stays, Boris will be fundamentally and strategically weakened. Poor old Boris. What a choice!

Dominic Cummings flouted the rules that he himself had helped to set. In previous weeks, senior figures had fallen on their swords for lesser crimes. Catherine Calderwood, Scotland’s former chief medical officer, resigned after visiting her second home. Government scientific adviser Prof Neil Ferguson allowed his mistress into his home and he too resigned. But not Dominic. One rule for them, another for me. 

Cummings is a loner who cares not a jot what others think. When he bolted to Durham, he did so because he has no friends in London. He probably has few friends anywhere. Who needs friends when you are worshipped as a one-off political genius?

But much more seriously, this affair puts the spotlight on a major problem for our nation. Boris and Cummings are a single, self-contained power cell within government, virtually immune from outside influence or criticism. One of your fellow Tory MPs said last night that, ‘Cummings has authority to do whatever he wants’. Cummings is unelected, shows contempt for parliamentary scrutiny and is treated with awe by the one person who has power. This is not democracy. It is the Tory version of the dictatorship of the proletariat. And it is based firmly in the personality defects and political weakness of the leader himself. 

Earller in the week, Boris, in full faux-Churchilian mode, pen flying back and forth from his right hand to the inside pocket of his suit, (from which of his gallery of past heroes does Boris get this peculiar affectation?) he announced that for reasons of cost (£900m.), he could not support the withdrawal of the migrant workers surcharge on NHS staff working in Covid wards. He was immediately attacked for lack of generosity of spirit and when a Syrian NHS porter in a Covid ward went viral with a plea to right this blatant injustice, Boris was in trouble. By the next day he had U-turned. 

There is a famous dictum, James. When the messenger becomes the message, you are in trouble. Cummings will probably blame his current ‘trouble’ on ‘the deep state’ but it is more our ‘deep culture’ that he is up against. Most British people love fairness, honesty and openness.  Cummings is our very own Rasputin – that mysterious priest who exerted such unchallenged power over a gullible monarch.

Too  much to hope James to ask you to make a stand for democracy? Or for any principle other than self preservation? 

Such a disappointment!

Kind regards, 

BH – Your Concerned Constituent