Dominic Cummings Lawsuit ISN’T

After yet more revelations concerning the conduct of the Leave campaign during the EU referendum, and the story published by the Standard which asserts that in the opinion of three barristers, “on the evidence they have seen, there is a prima facie case that criminal offences were committed by Vote Leave during the Referendum Campaign”, someone has decided that now is the time to fight back, however shaky his ground.

Dominic Cummings: all wind and piss

That someone is Dominic Cummings, who has already made a number of highly creative claims concerning whistleblowers Chris Wylie and Shahmir Sanni. Cummings, as might be expected, talks the talk. But walking the walk is totally out of the question, as this preposterous windbag has fallen in a heap at the first hurdle.

Dom has decided that, because he claims Shahmir Sanni’s lawyers have cited the European Court of Human Rights as part of their actions on his behalf, the next big thing for him and his pals is to agitate for a referendum on the ECHR, because, well, “another project we need to get going is a referendum on that, much easier to win than the EU, we’ll win 65-35”. Someone has to talk up Cummings’ ability, and no-one bar him will do so.

But where Cummings comes badly unstuck is in his rantings at lawyers Bindmans. In pursuing this singularly pointless line of attack, he has been assisted by the perpetually thirsty Paul Staines and his rabble at the Guido Fawkes blog, which is likely to prove one clown car too many. And it’s going too well, is it, Dom?

Showing his faith in the Fawkes mob, he rants about Chris Wylie “Wylie literally has described himself as ‘a smear merchant’”. Not really. Wylie said of his “probable destiny” in his school’s yearbook “Politician. Well that, or just another dissociative smear merchant peddling backroom hackery in its purest Machiavellian form”. This was publicised three days ago by the Fawkes blog. And then, this morning, guess what?

The Great Guido has told “Guido also understands legal letters are going in to Bindmans, the ‘campaigning’ lawyers who held that parody press conference yesterday, and the three lawyers Clare Montgomery, Helen Mountfield and Ben Silverstone threatening them with action for defamation and libel. The understanding is that the press conference wasn’t legally privileged and they aren’t covered by the barristers’ mutual fund because it was outside of court”. Guido understands Sweet Jack Shit.

That last sentence is conjecture. And what Cummings has fed the Fawkes massive is nothing more than hot air. We know this as Zelo Street has the story: Dom has fired off threats to Bindmans, but has not even got himself a lawyer yet.

You read that right: Dominic Cummings, the mastermind of Vote Leave, he who is cleverer than everyone else on the planet put together, honestly, has started throwing his weight about without even bothering to get lawyered up. And as for his complaint to the Bar Standards Council over Jolyon Maugham, you can forget that one.

So when The Great Guido tells readers of “The day the lies caught up with the lawyers”, what they really mean is “the day the liars got caught by the lawyers”.

Run along and leave it to the grownups, children. Another fine mess, once again.