Boris Johnson’s Government has all the power but the Prime Minister is clearly not in charge.
In the background, shadowy aide Dominic Cummings works his dark arts. Sajid Javid left the Treasury in grubby circumstances last week.
Andrew Sabisky, who appears to have the ear of the former Vote Leave guru, was forced to quit last night over his history of putting forward extreme views, including – but not limited – to eugenics and racial intelligence comparisons.
And now the head of Johnson’s “union unit” has been shown the door.
Elliot Roy was supposed to be the point man for the future of the UK.
He was adviser to the Scotland Office and was specially selected for the job.
He’s gone, and insiders detect clear traces of Cummings.
Not a reassuring sign for any pro-union Scots watching the IndyRef2 opinion polls rise.
It’s all very familiar to anyone watching the Donald Trump horror show across the Atlantic.
The men running the show are just too busy massaging their own egos.
While they jostle for a deckchair on the Titanic, the whole thing gets knocked off course.
And a growing number of passengers are searching for a lifeboat.
Trust issues
The forthcoming “death in custody” review must earn the faith of those whose loved ones needlessly died in Scotland’s prison system.
It is understandable that Linda Allan, whose daughter Katie killed herself in Polmont, should question the
independence of those leading the review.
The inquiry is being led by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland Wendy Sinclair-Gieben, who referred to Polmont as “leading edge”.
Scotland should not, as Sinclair-Gieben suggested, be “proud” of an institution where Katie and 16-year-old William Lindsay felt such despair that they took their own lives.
It is reassuring the review will hear from families such as the Allans.
But to ensure this is more than a box-ticking exercise, more expertise must be pulled in from independent charities and academics.
It is not too late to make this review a fully-supported, game-changing look at how we treat prisoners.
It is crucial that the review retains the trust of the families of the victims.
