Cameron, Miller and God

What has Millers resignation cost Cameron? Votes? Credibility? Sanity?

By time the next General Election comes around the current to over Maria Miller will be just another half forgotten scandal all too familiar in politics. Particularly when the ruling party has a weakness for protecting their own over serving the public interest.

Of course, Michael White(of the Guardian) hit the nail on the head, in this article, when he said that Miller's resignation had really been a victory for media oligarchs. Cameron may have suffered politically but has any justice been served? No. Has even all the money stolen, yes stolen, been given back? No.

Rather than spend any time lamenting the moral fibre of the UK political class, it is worthwhile instead to examine what this incident has cost Cameron.

Miller has been unfavourably compared to such fictional characters as Dolores Umbridge. (Harry Potter)

Loss of votes?

It won't be clear until sometime next week how the Miller fiasco has affected support for the Conservatives. In terms of voting intentions for the next General Election yesterdays YouGov poll had Labour at 36 and the Conservatives at 33, only a 3 point lead, 1 point below their average of 4. (Find more info here at UKPolling Report.)  So for the moment the impact on electorate support isn't clear but it seems very likely that Conservative support will drop, though terrifyingly it may go to UKIP rather than Labour.

Who is making strategy for the Tory government?

It's suggestive of an incredible lack of foresight that in the post-expenses scandal era that a sitting Prime Minister would allow any member of his Cabinet to remain without first ensuring they had paid back any fraudulently gained money.  Forget integrity, it's just good politics.

Where are all the women?

With Miller's resignation Cameron's cabinet has taken on a distinctly 1950's feel, with a Cabinet containing only 3 women making almost 90% male. This is strange considering Cameron promised to make a third of his ministerial cabinet female before the next election. (A promise still shy of the obvious 50% it should be.)

The Cookie Crumbles?

The worst it seems, has been saved till last. Today I read that at last night's Easter reception Cameron claimed that: “Jesus invented the Big Society 2,000 years ago, I just want to see more of it.” Further, he claimed that he was simply doing God's work when he proposed the Big Society. It seems the stress of recent events is getting to the Prime Minister, he as gone further than any recent PM in talking about his faith.

Personally, I find Cameron's comment's both a cynical attempt to gain support from the Christian community and an inappropriate declaration of piety, or rather belief in his own divinity, in a 21st century Britain. It makes Cameron seem out of touch and a little out of his mind.

The Cost

What would have been a minor incident handled properly has now turned into a gigantic media frenzy and public outrage. The Conservatives will likely lose votes, the role of women in government has suffered once again and Cameron has been forced into messianic delusions in search of support he no longer has.