![]() What she did is not allowed under the BBC’s own laws, known internally as “Ed Pol”. If I said that hers was a fierce condemnation of Messrs Cummings and Johnson on moral grounds, giving no chink of light to different opinions, and presenting Ms Maitlis’s own opinion as objective truth and the opinion of the entire nation, I would be indulging in good old British understatement. In her third – because of what she said in her first – she implies that Boris Johnson and his ministers lied. ![]() In her second sentence, she purports to tell us what the country thinks and feels. Her first full sentence – “ Dominic Cummings broke the rules” – pre-empts what the entire argument has been about. It is not a statement of unquestionable facts, or a balanced introduction to any ensuing report. ![]() But I suspect that those reading it here will agree that a view is what it is. Some will agree with the Maitlis view, some won’t. We do not expect to be joined by a Government minister, but that won’t stop us asking the questions.” Tonight we consider what this blind loyalty tells us about the inner workings of Number 10. ![]() The Prime Minister knows all this, but despite the resignation of one minister, growing unease from his backbenchers, a dramatic early warning from the polls, and a deep national disquiet, Boris Johnson has chosen to ignore it. And has allowed many more to assume they can now flout them. He made those who struggled to keep to the rules feel like fools. He should understand that public mood now. He was the man, remember, who always ‘got’ the public mood, who tagged the lazy label of ‘elite’ on those who disagreed. The longer ministers, and the Prime Minister, tell us he worked within them, the more angry the response to this scandal is likely to be. The country can see that, and it is shocked that the Government cannot. So it seems worth repeating in full the introduction to Tuesday night’s programme, delivered by the presenter, Emily Maitlis:
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |