Alistair Campbell was exactly the same - a tyrant who took no prisoners - it is what is needed at the top of these organisations. Campbell rode on the back of engineering election victories until Iraq came along and he could no longer defend the indefensible. Him and Cummings are no different - Blair was a front as is Boris.

If you get into harder times you need agile thinkers who are prepared to react to conditions not stuck on method such as Hammond. Cummings is a bright guy he has shown his versatility and his ability to read situations - certainly out thought Milne - not that difficult really. That's what happens when you have had everything given to you on a plate e.g. Milne and you have never been in the trenches. Cummings has openly discussed the Tories shortcomings so I doubt it will be issue going forward.

Timothy turned a 30 point lead into a 1% lead he deserved to get the sack - the same cannot be said of Cummings. If we have a recession but the government is spending in areas that people like e.g. NHS/Education/Police etc they will be protected to a point - Cummings is correct you can't say end of austerity and continue with it for another 5 years that would suicide.

Brighter things on the horizon Ms Long-Bailey is catching Starmer - so being Trans will be compulsory for us all!! I ask one question if a man is convicted of crime at the trial self-determines as a women does he/she go to a woman's prison?

Absolutely let's not treat our sick or educate our kids all we need to do is plant billions of trees and everything will be great - we can have Starbucks in tree houses - what about that?

There are similarities and differences between Campbell and Cummings. Campbell was a press officer charged with selling policies and keeping the right-wing press at bay. Cummings has moved from campaign lead to policy lead.

For all that he was a pragmatist sometimes given to constructive ambiguity, Blair was the front for policies he believed in. Blairism is a term that is widely understood. Johnson doesn’t really have political convictions and is more of a pure opportunist.

There are no solutions, only choices. Cummings has chosen to empower himself by weakening the cabinet and focusing his recruitment on young, pliable staffers who serve at his pleasure. The upside is that he should be able to get poop done. The downside is that, in the absence of criticism and challenge a lot of it might be poop. He’s been accused today of being bewitched by science without understanding it, off the back of views expressed by one of his aides. Science done well (which it isn’t always), is all about questions and rigorously challenging ideas.

All the Cummings is doing it trying to get stuff that the Tories promised done. He will have viewed what went wrong with May and Labour and has decided that it wont happen on his watch. When you have the likes of Gaulke, Letwin, Grieve senior Tories deliberately trying to undermine the leader something needed to be done. Javid was doing much the same - it simply doesn't add up - in fighting divides parties as we have seen.

There you go again with the false dilemma fallacy; when you know full well that it is entirely possible to do more than one good thing at once.

I'm sure it is pity you seem unable to see the sarcasm in my post - how come you myopia seems focused on me?

I don’t disagree, and I don’t necessarily think it is the wrong choice.

Every approach has downsides. This approach is focused but narrow.

Johnson likes the PM tag, he doesn’t like the scrutiny, so relying on Cummings to run the government hence he is nowhere to be seen with regards the recent floods, stayed on his freebee holiday and has left those on the cruise ship stranded.
I am afraid we are going to have to get use to this because I doubt he will change because he thinks why answer awkward questions when you can dodge and still get elected.

When was the last time you heard a politician give a straight answer to a simple question?

Kind of reinforces the line 'the people get the government they deserve'.

If lying is the default, and the people aren't too bothered, we'll be forever governed by liars.

I've heard Boris give plenty of straight answers...……………………………...only to change his mind when the time and place suits

Actually, I think they are all far from "the same".
People like Trump and Boris just wouldn't have been elected years ago.

They only have one principle, which is to put themselves first and sod the rest.
There are plenty of politicians that I dont like or didn't like but, some at least had a set of principles, sadly, not these two clowns.