[Bones McCoy]

I've caught the first 20 minutes or so of the examination.

Conclusion so far:
Cummings appears an over-(self)promoted paper tiger.
One whose voluminous internet output curates the dumb person's concept of a genius.
Whose main function in government was to prosecute the culture war by every available channel.

Observations:
Lots of self-justification, with several spoonfulls of Alan "I had the last laugh" Partridge.
Ready to fall back on the bullshitter's "I'm not a technical person" get out.
Things that went wrong were down to backbenchers, or members of his incel covern who misunderstood instructions.

We'll get nothing of significance from this enquiry.
Confirmation that Cummings isn't the mega-mind he roleplays.
A few minor names chucked under the bus.

Oh and ...
He didn't alter his blog, he rewrote it. (I'll have to remember that one).

[Bones McCoy]

Followed by an incredible line of Bullshit.

In which our hero Dom and his nerfs were the sole architects of lockdown and protective measures.
Civil servants and Ministers wanted to promote a "Chicken pox party" approach.

Dr McCoy was already involved at this point, so I know Dom is speaking from his scrawny arse.
Even without this inside knowledge, he sounds even less credible than he did back in the Rose garden.

The big question over Johnson shouldn't be "Did he do the right thing on day 17 of the outbreak".
Instead we should ask "Why did they put Dominc Cummings and his freakshow at the centre of policymaking, and grant his the highest security clearance available".
The lack of judgement involved in his appointment should be a serious black mark against Johnson.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I wouldn't be surprised if he's dangled carrots about Johnson, but going to spend more time attacking the Civil Service, who are to be replaced by Policy Exchange.

[Samanfur]

I've been watching since just after the start. The chairman seems to be calmly eviscerating his self-importance.

What caught my eye was the moment where Cummings said that he said that he wasn't going to COBRA meetings - and advised the PM not to go - because he reckoned that both of them would be incompetent enough to be detrimental.

Given Cummings' statements on the clueless of the COBRA response, it makes you wonder where the actual competent people were.

As much as I don't think that Cummings is anywhere near as smart as he's been promoted as, I found his assertions of his own stupidity ringing hollow.

He's such an unreliable narrator that this is probably giving a degree of plausible deniability to the people he's attacking.

[Andy McDandy]

Following the Twitter coverage.

Cummings says Hancock did 15-20 things that should have got him fired. BBC's Laura K reports this as 10-15.

Getting a very heavy Rashomon feeling about this. Who to believe?

[Boiler]

He's such an unreliable narrator that this is probably giving a degree of plausible deniability to the people he's attacking.

Which is probably the intention.

I am going to rely on commentary here for coverage of this tinpot little cunt's squealing. I'm not going to watch the telly because it won't do my anxiety levels any good: I've been particularly bad this last few days and I no longer have medication to sort it out.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I'm doing the same as you, Boiler.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

I don't believe what I've just seen - Rebecca Long-Bailey used a tik-tok style filter on her face whilst asking questions...

[Crabcakes]

I think there are 3 things of note so far:

1. While he's clearly unreliable and out to exonerate himself/take revenge on Johnson, the dates and times of a lot of things (such as the No. 10 dog story) match up. Or to put it another way I don't think his apology is genuine but I do think he's letting a a number of real cats out of bags.
2. He is notably defending Sunak up to the point of denying things said about him by multiple sources that have been largely accepted as fact. That's clearly deliberate (but why?).
3. While being fiercely critical, he hasn't produced any one killer bit of evidence. I suspect he has it, but might be saving it as an insurance policy.

I do think PMQs may be one to watch today though. Johnson will already be furious before he even sets foot in the chamber. If Starmer needles him enough he might get him to crack like he did a few weeks back - perhaps worse. And then, whatever he claims, it'll be perceived that Cummings was on the money.

[Youngian]

He's such an unreliable narrator that this is probably giving a degree of plausible deniability to the people he's attacking.

Which is probably the intention.

I am going to rely on commentary here for coverage of this tinpot little cunt's squealing. I'm not going to watch the telly because it won't do my anxiety levels any good: I've been particularly bad this last few days and I no longer have medication to sort it out.

I hear you but here’s a handy synopsis

[Youngian]

I think there are 3 things of note so far:

1. While he's clearly unreliable and out to exonerate himself/take revenge on Johnson, the dates and times of a lot of things (such as the No. 10 dog story) match up. Or to put it another way I don't think his apology is genuine but I do think he's letting a a number of real cats out of bags.
2. He is notably defending Sunak up to the point of denying things said about him by multiple sources that have been largely accepted as fact. That's clearly deliberate (but why?).
3. While being fiercely critical, he hasn't produced any one killer bit of evidence. I suspect he has it, but might be saving it as an insurance policy.

I do think PMQs may be one to watch today though. Johnson will already be furious before he even sets foot in the chamber. If Starmer needles him enough he might get him to crack like he did a few weeks back - perhaps worse. And then, whatever he claims, it'll be perceived that Cummings was on the money.

Wouldn’t be surprised if a copy of Cummings’s diatribe already found it way to Starmer’s office last Friday. And of course Cummings is a loathsome lying cockroach just like his former boss. But smarter and has a straighter aim.

[Samanfur]

He's such an unreliable narrator that this is probably giving a degree of plausible deniability to the people he's attacking.

Which is probably the intention.

Agreed. Hence I think he's playing dumb.

[Tubby Isaacs]

He is notably defending Sunak up to the point of denying things said about him by multiple sources that have been largely accepted as fact. That's clearly deliberate (but why?).

Well, indeed.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Zara Sultana better on here than she is on Twitter.

[Crabcakes]

I see he's chosen to try and beef up his Durham trip bullshit with some guff about security because of death threats that, if it were true, would have probably got him off the hook at the time. But the fact he's only come up with it now tends to very heavily suggest it isn't. Or at the very least it isn't anywhere near the issue it's now made out to be for the purposes of further exonerating him.

Apart from anything else, if security was a real concern why (a) take day trips out and (b) come back to London very soon afterwards?

[Boiler]

Does anyone here believe a single fucking word that comes out of his gob?

[Tubby Isaacs]

I see he's chosen to try and beef up his Durham trip bullshit with some guff about security because of death threats that, if it were true, would have probably got him off the hook at the time. But the fact he's only come up with it now tends to very heavily suggest it isn't. Or at the very least it isn't anywhere near the issue it's now made out to be for the purposes of further exonerating him.

Apart from anything else, if security was a real concern why (a) take day trips out and (b) come back to London very soon afterwards?

The Vote Leave Government didn't think "Remainer lefties threatening Mr Brexit" was worth revealing?

[Youngian]

Does anyone here believe a single fucking word that comes out of his gob?

Watching it now and no I don’t he’s a raving psychopath. But I don’t care if it damages Johnson. As this Tweet alludes to it won’t. The bonus prize is that Cummings no longer has any influence.

[Youngian]

Apologising and admitting his own failings in this debacle was a clever touch. No Tories do that but can now be pushed to follow honest Dom’s lead.

[Boiler]