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Dominic Cummings: "I deeply regret not having thrown the emergency switch earlier"
Photo: Jonathan Brady / AP
Dominic Cummings didn't disappoint when he testified before a parliamentary committee on the UK government's pandemic management.
There was previously talk of a "Domageddon" approaching, a "nuclear cathedral" - that is, complete destruction and an atomic bomb, literally mixed up with the first name of Boris Johnson's formerly most important advisor.
In fact, the former confidante of the British Prime Minister dealt violently. "The government failed," Cummings told the board at the start, when "the people needed it most." Many key figures were initially "actually skiing," and those responsible in no way behaved appropriately during the looming crisis. During the hearing, he described the government apparatus as a group of "lions led by donkeys": inefficient, incompetent and irresponsible.
And even worse: the planning bodies had to be partially protected from Prime Minister Johnson.
The "various officials' view" on Downing Street was not to let Johnson conduct important conferences.
A head of government who "just goes around" that the virus is "like swine flu" and suggests "getting infected with the corona virus live on television" was "not helpful in serious planning."
Johnson's press office has not denied that the prime minister actually wanted to be infected in front of the cameras, reported the British Guardian.
Lied about about herd immunity plan?
The fiercest point of controversy in the ex-advisor's hearing was whether the government had actually counted on achieving herd immunity through the rapid spread of the virus - and left the population in the dark about it.
Downing Street rejects this, but is quibbling about words, said Cummings.
It was not the actively pursued "goal" of the government to let the virus run free - but since there was a lack of alternatives, this was initially accepted as the only option and thus became their plan.
According to Cummings, the calculation of those responsible was to achieve extensive immunity by September 2020 with a violent wave. With more countermeasures, two successive waves of infections would have emerged - which should have been avoided because of the already high burden on the health system in winter. However, the British government turned around in March of that year and, like almost all other European countries, initiated lockdown measures.
The UK death rate from Covid-19 still skyrocketed. According to Cummings, considerations about a Champions League game in Liverpool in mid-March were indicative of the complete lack of basic preparations. Closing the stadium to spectators was classified as harmful, as it would then have "pushed fans into the pubs". The "obvious conclusion that the pubs should also have been closed" was not part of the deliberations in the Ministry of Health. The game in front of 52,000 fans is considered to be the driver of the pandemic in the Liverpool area. At the hearing, Cummings called for Health Secretary Matt Hancock's resignation.
His appearance, however, also raises the question of his own role in government.
After all, as chief advisor to the Prime Minister, he was heavily involved.
Surprisingly little was heard from him about this during the hearing.
Faced with his leading role at the time, Cummings pointed out that by title he was only "Assistant to the Prime Minister" - which is formally true.
Cummings flirted several times with "not being smart".
That is why he did not take part in some technical meetings, but sent employees.
He himself could not have understood the mathematical modeling discussed there.
With great urgency, Cummings drew the picture of a dysfunctional apparatus in which he too had hardly any room for maneuver for the right thing - and stylized himself as an intimidated, now remorseful confidante who was by no means an accomplice.
He was too afraid of the consequences that his rebellion against the government's course would have had: "In retrospect, there is no doubt that it was a major failure on my part, and I deeply regret that I did not flip the emergency switch earlier." said the ex-advisor.
"I was terrified of the consequences of pulling the rip cord and saying the official plan is to kill thousands of people."
Cummings is only partially convincing in his new role as a contrite fellow traveler.
Because the same Cummings is considered to be the strategic head behind the Brexit campaign and until recently propagated the idea of employing highly gifted nerds and creative individualists in government in order to put an end to the sluggish civil servants and thus to blow up the political bubble in Westminster .
He was a doer without any noteworthy scruples and not one who let things drift.
What do the allegations mean for Johnson?
So Johnson has to watch out for Cummings, no matter what role play the ex-consultant stages.
The accusation of lying against the prime minister is not new - and Johnson has survived previous scandals of inaccuracies and falsehoods well.
However, he knows about the shrewdness and intelligence of his former employee - for years he valued him for that.
The prime minister seemed visibly nervous before the hearing: the announcement last weekend that Johnson would marry his partner - but "not before 2022" - seemed like a hastily constructed diversionary maneuver.
Rumors in Westminster even rumored a planned reshuffle of the Cabinet just to keep Cummings' revelations away from attention.
When asked about his allegations, Johnson avoided clear answers.
He wants to leave the clarification of the events at that time to a study, which is scheduled for spring 2022.
In addition, Johnson can count on Cummings' character to be controversial among voters.
Last year, he caused great displeasure with trips during the pandemic.
And at least parts of the British media portray Cummings as a disappointed ex-insider who is now out for revenge on Johnson and the institutions.
The government itself recently accused Cummings of disclosing unauthorized official information - which Cummings denies.
Just as Johnson and Cummings once coincided in their respective transgressions, so are they now working against each other.
Regardless of the outcome of their dispute, their common era shows a gloomy record: the temporarily highest corona death rate worldwide in relation to the number of inhabitants.
The accusations of the ex-consultant pour new oil into a fire that has almost been extinguished by the vaccination successes.
The "sword of domocles" - as the British media continued to joke with Dominic Cummings' first name - will hover over the prime minister for a while.