The power and sway of Dominic Cummings

Dominic Cummings, Boris Johnson's guru, Svengali, Machievelli, consigliere, Boot Boy, right-hand worst-dressed man, powerhouse adviser, has got his way with removing the Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid. It's an extraordinary and dangerously worrying coup by an unelected "official". Cummings was played by Benedict Cumberbatch in the 2019 TV drama series, Brexit: The Uncivil War. But Cumberbatch, probably best known for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes is far too nice and cosy for the Cummings we all know and love/hate today. I don't know how Cummings functions inside Number 10 on a daily basis but it's quite clear he has access to the inner Boris sanctum whenever he sees fit, probaby strides around Downing Street in his boots like he owns the place and scares the living daylights out of everyone from Michael Gove to the head of MI6. Anyone visiting Number 10 to see the prime minister has to go through Cummings. He is the gatekeeper of all gatekeepers. And now he has the power to, effectively, sack the holder of one of the great offices of state. Javid was told by Boris he could only stay as Chancellor (treasury secretary or finance minister in any other country's language) if he got rid of his staff of special advisers. AND accept a new team of advisers all of whom had been selected and vetted by Number 10. That was pure Cummings. Javid had the balls to say no, no way. So off he goes into oblivion and presumably all his staff depart as well. They were not acceptable to Maestro Cummings, so they got their marching orders. Politics is a ruthless business, but to get rid of Javid just four weeks away from delivering his first budget to the House of Commons smacks of a new type of power brutality, especially after Boris had hinted very strongly some weeks ago that Javid would remain as chancellor. I feel sorry for Javid in the same way I feel sorry for poor Lieutenant-Colonel Alexander Vindman, now a very ex-member of the White House National Security Council. General John Kelly, former White House chief of staff, has come out to speak on his behalf, saying that Vindman was only doing what all military people do which is to do his duty the way he was taught at military academy: don't obey illegal orders from a superior officer. Vindman went to the White House legal counsel because of his concerns over the infamous phone call Trump made to the new Ukrainian president in July last year. Trump not only made sure Vindman was ousted from the White House but expects the Army to discipline him for being subordinate to the commander-in-chief. Can you imagne what would happen if someone working at Number 10 made a complaint about Boris that leaked out into the public domain. Commander Cummings would literally kick them out of Downing Sreet with his size ten boots.