Contempt is About Right

Dominic Cummings has been found in contempt of parliament. No, really, stop laughing. It is a thing.

Dominic Cummings, the former director of the official leave campaign, has been ruled to be in contempt of parliament after failing to appear before MPs investigating fake news.

To which, so what? After all, they are nothing more than a bunch or pompous, self-important nobodies. Why would anyone want to be grilled by a self-serving star chamber? Holding them in contempt is entirely the proper response. They are, after all, contemptible.

The House of Commons committee of privileges said Cummings’ refusal to give oral evidence to MPs constituted a significant interference in the work of the inquiry.

What work? Really? Seriously? Parliament produces nothing of worth and fake news is all over the MSM, which is why it is treated with as much derision as the parasites that inhabit the green benches.

In a statement, Cummings, who was portrayed last year in a Channel 4 Brexit drama by Benedict Cumberbatch, said he had offered to give evidence but was rebuffed.

If, so, then it’s nothing to see here.

The admonishment would require a resolution of the house, which, if passed, “should be communicated to Mr Cummings by the clerk of the house”, the committee said in its report.

And the best response would be to send it back with a terse reply about where they can insert their admonishment. Parliament is supposed to represent the people – something it signally fails to do. None of us as individuals are subject to it. It serves us, not the other way around. If it wants to carry out investigations of this nature, well, so be it. However, it quite rightly has no real powers to compel as it is not a court of law and nor should it be (yes, I understand historically they could but this has fallen into disuse from around 1880). Let’s put it this way, if I had found myself in a similar situation to Cummings, I would refuse to attend.

Damian Collins, the chair of the DCMS committee, said it was clear the powers of the house had been “found wanting”.

No they haven’t.

He said Cummings – the director of the campaign spearheaded by Boris Johnson – had shown a “total disregard” for the authority of parliament and called for statutory powers to “reassert the authority that is missing”.

Right, so they want the power to punish. The authority they have is quite enough. They should not have any more – they would only abuse it anyway.

“The Dominic Cummings case highlights the need for parliament to define in law what its powers should be to require witnesses to attend hearings, and what sanctions should apply if they do not,” Collins said.

Nope. What you have is plenty sufficient. If people do not want to cooperate, well get over yourselves and grow the fuck up you vile little authoritarian.

“The current powers have been tested to their limits and found wanting.”

Nope. They are just fine as they are. Cummings didn’t want to cooperate with your little star chamber. Too bad.

It also expressed regret for the tone adopted by Cummings in his dealings with the DCMS committee and in comments posted on his blog, which included accusations of “grandstanding” and “spreading errors and lies”.

Sounds about right to me.

“This attitude did not serve the interests of civilised public debate,” the report said.

Now we are descending into farce. Watching the denizens of Westminster during debates is about as civilised as a chimpanzees’ tea party and about as informative. These people have no moral authority to lecture anyone about civilised debate. They are a disgrace.

While Cummings’ reputation may be tarnished inside the Commons by Wednesday’s report, it could well be enhanced among his followers on the libertarian right who have celebrated his battles with the political establishment.

Well, quite.

Cummings, a former special adviser to Michael Gove, was once described as a “career psychopath” by the prime minister at the time, David Cameron.

Takes one to know one, I guess.