NEW BLOG: Can Dominic Cummings defy the political laws of gravity?
Unit Director Meg Russell argues that the Cummings saga may not be over yet.
Parliament returns today & many Tory MPs are furious. And fundamentally, they're the ones in charge.
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constitution-unit.com/2020/06/02/can…
Unit Director Meg Russell argues that the Cummings saga may not be over yet.
Parliament returns today & many Tory MPs are furious. And fundamentally, they're the ones in charge.
1/7
constitution-unit.com/2020/06/02/can…
Cummings has built his reputation as a maverick genius by flouting the rules and conventional wisdom.
At present he's trying to ride out the well-known political maxim that 'when the adviser becomes the story it's time for the adviser to go'.
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At present he's trying to ride out the well-known political maxim that 'when the adviser becomes the story it's time for the adviser to go'.
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He wants radical reform of the civil service, has been found formally in contempt of parliament, & is rumoured to have been behind Boris Johnson's unlawful parliamentary prorogation.
Traditional institutions, and the old, accepted way of doing things, just aren't his thing.
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Traditional institutions, and the old, accepted way of doing things, just aren't his thing.
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But some political rules can't necessarily be broken. They're more like the laws of gravity - just the essential way the system works.
In the UK the foundational rule is that the government depends on its own MPs - for policy, and ultimately for its survival.
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In the UK the foundational rule is that the government depends on its own MPs - for policy, and ultimately for its survival.
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But numerous Conservative MPs are enraged, with over a quarter having spoken out against Cummings.
This is unprecedented, and does not look politically sustainable.
When it comes to hierarchy, MPs are in charge, not the Prime Minister. His job depends on them.
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This is unprecedented, and does not look politically sustainable.
When it comes to hierarchy, MPs are in charge, not the Prime Minister. His job depends on them.
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If he continues to defy their wishes, they don't necessarily need to accept that.
For example simply choosing to abstain in Commons votes (whenever those restart... but that's a different story) would seriously disrupt Johnson's ability to proceed with policy.
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For example simply choosing to abstain in Commons votes (whenever those restart... but that's a different story) would seriously disrupt Johnson's ability to proceed with policy.
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So a budding genius can only defy the laws of political gravity with MPs' own acquiescence
In deciding what to do, MPs will surely consider their postbags, plus the plummeting polls.
And that, while the PM's job depends on them, theirs depend on maintaining public support.
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In deciding what to do, MPs will surely consider their postbags, plus the plummeting polls.
And that, while the PM's job depends on them, theirs depend on maintaining public support.
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