James Landale Deputy Political Editor, BBC News, with the PM in Africa
Quote:
When the allegations first emerged that murdered schoolgirl Millie Dowler's phone had been hacked, David Cameron was in Afghanistan and just about to begin the long flight home when the news came through.
The travelling team of officials and journalists were then trapped, effectively incommunicado for 12 hours, since the military are very nervous about the use of mobile phones and Blackberries on their aircraft; such devices tend to switch things on which should not be switched on at 20,000 feet.
It is little wonder that Downing Street was off the pace.
Twelve days on, as the phone hacking controversy continues to rage and destroy careers and reputations at quite astonishing speed, the prime minister is once again overseas, this time in South Africa, banging the drum for British business.
Instead of listening to the prime minister address local business leaders here, his officials can be seen huddling outside around an Ipad listening to BBC Radio 4's World at One or the News Channel.
Just as Assistant Commissioner Yates was issuing his statement, Mr Cameron was sipping tea with Desmond Tutu in a leafy suburb of Johannesburg that was once a meeting place of the armed wing of the ANC.
Some Tory MPs are nervous.
They think Mr Cameron's trips have left him slow to respond to fast-paced developments as the crisis has evolved - however good the communications, it is always difficult for a politician to judge the mood of a crisis back home.
So Mr Cameron has chosen to compromise. He has already scaled back this trip from four days to just two - and is now expected to cut it back further.
The balance he is trying to strike is to be in touch with the crisis but not distracted from other duties.
And not everyone thinks he getting the balance right. Once again, the reality of government is getting in the way of the duck and dive of politics.
|
C4 have, thoughtfully, provided
Phone-Hacking: Connections Of The Key Players for busy people, like Mr Cameron ....
