ELVIS PRESLEY SPOTTED IN TUNBRIDGE WELLS HIGH STREET

There are two areas of total  irresponsibility in connection with the  Dominic Cummings affair and neither area is occupied by Cummings himself.

The first and foremost inexcusable fault lies at the door of the Prime Minister. That is his title. The very word “prime” means that he is the leader, the man in charge.  Dominic Cummings is simply an employee

As soon as his activities began to interest the media creating the potential for them to do what they do best and that is sensationalise a story, the PM – as his employer – should have taken control. There should never have been any question of Cummings dealing with the reporters  himself

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should Cummings have  been allowed to talk to the media and as for being allowed to flaunt himself on the lawn of No 10 it gave him a status which he craves, but to which he is not entitled

In every sense of the word he is an employee.  A hired hand.  There to do his job of advising his master and not usurping his master’s status and promoting his own

The PM  should have called Cummings in, demanded full details with nothing but the truth and nothing held  back and then HE should have issued a statement disclosing the facts to the British public. Not as a press release but direct to the British public, affording no opportunity for the media to twist the facts.

He should have either  expressed his confidence in Cummings or sacked him, according to what Cummings told him.  And he should have declared that an end of the matter. No more comment from either himself or Cummings NO MATTER WHAT ADDITIONAL ACCUSATIONS WERE MADE

The media are dab hands at publishing reckless, unsubstantiated  or downright fake news and they have followed this policy to the letter in this instance . They share full responsibility with the Prime Minister for this disgraceful episode.

If Cummings was telling the truth when he was allowed to grandstand on the No 10 lawn, then he has not done anything wrong. Indeed, he has been wronged. Wronged by the Prime Minster in allowing him to give a press conference and by the media for distorting and embellishing the facts