Re-arranging the deckchairs of capitalist control: The departure of Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain.

By Sunday, 15 November 2020 it was clear, Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain, two of Prime Minister Johnson’s key advisers were to leave the government (The Guardian, 15 November 2020). Commentators were quick to paint the Prime Minister as someone who was asserting his authority and started speculating about potential policy changes. Looking at the charade from outside the Westminster bubble, however, it becomes clear that this has little to do with policy, and is more about trying to steady a ship, which has gone completely out of control.

For months now, the Conservative government has been completely at sea, being forced into one U-turn after another. The privatised test and trace system has not worked despite all the money thrown at it, the procurement of Personal Protective Equipment turned into a complete disaster with millions paid to a Spanish middleman, who did not deliver (The Guardian, 17 November 2020). Few believe that the government has any idea about how to confront the pandemic. Denying poor children dinner during School holidays was another public relations disaster. The Conservatives have lost ground in national opinion polls and are now neck and neck with Labour, with some polls having actually Labour ahead (Election Polling, 22 November 2020).

Dismissing Cummings and Cain needs to be seen against the background of this disastrous performance in government. Representing the more ‘thuggish’ elements of the Conservative government, they had fulfilled their tasks of securing election victory in December 2019 with the slogan of ‘Let’s get Brexit done’. Less than 12 months later, they have become a liability for government as well as the representatives of capital.

Boris Johnson has now got one final opportunity to steady the ship, otherwise it will be him, who has to leave next time. Rishi Sunak, currently the Chancellor, is already waiting in the wings (The Times, 22 October 2020). When Johnson appears to struggle with details, Sunak gives a competent impression of someone on top of his brief. Highly educated, a reliable ally of capital’s interests with a more statesman like appearance than the often boyish, fumbling Johnson, he is the clearly the preferred candidate.

By pushing the Conservative party to a decisive victory in December 2019, Johnson had removed the threat of potentially drastic losses of profitable investment opportunities for capital, posed by the possibility of a Corbyn government. Labour’s policies of nationalising utilities, for example, would have implied significant losses to capital. Corbyn is gone and his successor Starmer does his best to ensure that Labour returns to the fold of the political establishment, which has capital’s interests at its heart. With Corbyn out of the picture, Johnson has lost in importance to capital and a transition to Sunak may occur sooner rather than later. The sacrifice of Cummings and Cain may be enough for now, but next time round it will be Johnson himself who has to leave.

From a progressive, working people’s perspective, these manoeuvres are meaningless. They simply signal more of the same with wealth being distributed upwards. The Corbyn moment may have passed for now, but ultimately only a similar vision based on socialist policies can provide the starting –point for real transformation.  

Andreas Bieler

Professor of Political Economy

University of Nottingham/UK

Andreas.Bieler@nottingham.ac.uk

Personal website: http://andreasbieler.net

24 November 2020