The greatest evil is not done in those sordid dens of evil that Dickens loved to paint ... but is conceived and ordered (moved, seconded, carried, and minuted) in clear, carpeted, warmed, well-lighted offices, by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voices.--C. S. Lewis (Screwtape Letters). And we should remember that...Evil flourishes where good men do nothing.

A group of MPs has demanded Downing Street clarify Dominic Cummings’ role in the defence and foreign policy review, saying it is unclear who is in charge of the exercise. The defence select committee complained of a lack of “clarity and transparency” and called on No 10 to set out what role special advisers led by Cummings, the prime minister’s chief aide, will play in the review, which is designed to set national security priorities for the next five years.

Tobias Ellwood, the chair of the committee, said the review “should not take place behind closed doors” and complained that there was little evidence that external stakeholders had been consulted so far. Although he did not name Cummings directly, Ellwood, a Conservative MP, said it was unclear who was directing the review’s conclusions. “A number of unknowns remain, including the key players at the heart of the review,” he said.

The review has been beset by accusations that it is being driven by Cummings, who is being given a personal tour of the military’s most sensitive sites, including the SAS headquarters and Porton Down research labs, organised for him by Ben Wallace, the defence secretary.

MPs ask No 10 to clarify Dominic Cummings role in defence review


Ah, the bwave Cummings, who deserted his post to escape COVID-19 .....

For my money, a report from something called "Common Purpose" is nothing to do with us ordinary voters.

It's really about various groups aiming to inflame the public.