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Well Oliver, generally I would agree with you that people in our "echo chamber" can often be very out of touch with political realities, however on this one, I think Johnson has massively misjudged.
I agree, but what will cause him to lose power?
Tbh, I thought that now that the next ballot box challenge is almost 5 years away, Cummings would be expendable. However it shows that either Johnson thinks he can't cope without the guy, or DC knows where some serious skeletons are buried.
Johnson doesn't need Cummings primarily for elections. What Cummings (and Gove) appear(s) to be engaged in is to harness data for unsavoury (and probably illegal) purposes. Although I obviously don't know quite what's going on, I think that what I've heard about it sounds very dangerous.
That the next election is so far away means Johnson will try the least popular things he wants to do now. Standard modus operandi for unjust incoming governments.
I'd like to see Cummings go, although there are probably already plenty waiting in the wings to replace him who are cut from the same cloth.
Oliver Schick-
I'm hearing this as well, but never underestimate the ability of the Tory party to take swift and decisive action, and at this moment in time Johnson is suddenly very weak in his own party, where he was unassailable a week ago.
As an example, take Sunak who only a few months ago was promoted exponentially, on the proviso thet he submit himself to Cummings rule in a way that Javed was unprepared to. Tomorrow, if Sunak were to say either Cummings goes, and I get my own staff, or I resign, then Johnson has a choice to make.
The same goes for Raab, and Hancock. There are people in the cabinet who hate Cummings guts, and are weighing up the pros/cons of a principled resignation right now.
It would be drastic, but the 1922 committee really don't like a wounded leader.
Sifta
Well Oliver, generally I would agree with you that people in our "echo chamber" can often be very out of touch with political realities, however on this one, I think Johnson has massively misjudged.
Tbh, I thought that now that the next ballot box challenge is almost 5 years away, Cummings would be expendable. However it shows that either Johnson thinks he can't cope without the guy, or DC knows where some serious skeletons are buried.