In defence of Dominic Cummings
‘It is saddening to see the British public largely swallow the rage of the media, while failing to consider the agendas these journalists hold themselves.’
And so it was that the national unity of tackling the coronavirus pandemic shattered. I’m surprised it lasted this long, but here we are back to the usual partisan mudslinging and any talk of pulling together is now little more than a distant memory. How did we get to this point exactly? I’m sure anyone reading this will be aware of the public and media backlash after the Prime Minister’s chief advisor Dominic Cummings supposedly broke lockdown rules by driving to Durham (a ‘minor breach’, according to Durham police) so close family members could care for his child after his wife became ill.
His statement, delivered in the rose garden at Downing Street, made clear they had not broken any social distancing rules and that they did not mingle with family thanks to the rural and isolated location they had driven to. Cummings went on to debunk media claims that he left Durham a second time, and explained that the most controversial (and admittedly questionable) part of his account – the ‘test drive’ to Barnard Castle town – was after a period of isolation and on the back of medical advice that he was fit enough to work. Despite that, those that decried the lockdown rules for being ambiguous suddenly became experts and swore Mr. Cummings clearly broke them with no regard.
It was made clear from the beginning that there was always going to be a degree of common sense involved in following the lockdown rules and that not everybody’s situation can be covered by them. Indeed, seeking urgent childcare was already an established exceptional circumstance for leaving one’s home. His story is not perfect and there is a reasonable case to claim that Mr. Cummings could have acted in a different manner, but the media hysteria hardly seems worth it.
The public, as shown by poll after poll, seem to want the chief advisor to the Prime Minister to resign. However, I would argue this is not due to the facts of the case but merely because the narrative of a government advisor believing that he is above the public is an appealing one, one that plays upon the anger people enjoy feeling towards the government. This is certainly understandable. However, this advisor, who is not meant to be in the public eye, coming out and taking questions from a despising media is admirable, and shows clearly that he was willing to answer the public’s concerns as opposed to dismissing them.
Indeed, if you are someone who wants a shakeup of British politics then to call for the resignation of Mr. Cummings is, in my view, counterproductive. This is, after all, the man who wants to shakeup the Civil Service, and strip back the Tony Blair-era modifications to our Parliamentary democracy that have caused so many outcries during the Brexit façade. It is saddening to see the British public largely swallow the rage of the media, while failing to consider the agendas these journalists hold themselves. For them, this was the perfect opportunity to finally be rid of Dominic Cummings, and it almost worked.
I hope now that, as we emerge from this economically crippling lockdown, the nation can move on and begin to unite once again. This has been a terrible situation for everybody, and there is always going to be an impetus to pin the blame on someone, but we must also recognise how unprecedented this pandemic has been for everyone. Judge not lest ye be judged.
