David Cameron valued his summer holiday over welfare of the nation

THE criminal complacency of Dave “Crisis? What Crisis” Cameron can be measured in lost homes and looted livelihoods.

Nero fiddled while Rome burned and this smug, part-time Premier opted to sip cappuccino in Tuscany while London went up in flames.

The storm engulfing a Dithering Dave – who flirted with a waitress instead of fulfilling a constitutional duty to lead Britain – is the Prime Minister’s very own personal ­Hurricane Katrina.


American cowboy George Bush never recovered from ignoring the plight of devastated New Orleans.

Cameron will never erase the stain of valuing his summer holiday over the welfare and safety of the nation.

That he was forced to scuttle back under cover of darkness, tail between his legs, three days too late, emphasised the gravity of his error.Because the political class failed Britain catastrophically, ­surrendering the streets to thousands of rioters without a cause – except the theft of a flatscreen telly.

It remains inexplicable that the PM and his Deputy Nick Clegg, the ­Chancellor George Osborne and his Deputy Danny Alexander, Home Secretary Theresa May and London Mayor Boris Johnson all abandoned these shores at the same time.

And unforgivable that they dilly-dallied for so long over whether to come back.

Whitehall and Westminster were rudderless, the Tory mantra “we’re all in this together” was just a label on the suitcases of holidaying Cabinet Ministers. No greater sacrifice could a Home Secretary make than to lay down her holiday for the sake of the PM.

Yet it was self-evident to everyone except the man himself and No 10 cronies that he’d be forced to put down the waitress and return.

FAILURE

The PM’s failure to grasp the obvious is the most damning of a list of errors as long as the arm of a serial looter.

Mishandling the economy, botching health reforms, missing the wood for the trees in forests, ­surrendering a once proud military to Treasury bean-counters and, now, abrogation of leadership reveal the real David Cameron.

The Buller Boy born to rule is a bad ruler. Cameron’s proving a second-rate Premier – a politician once hailed as a thoroughbred exposed as a hobbling show pony.

I readily concede I thought Cameron got his initial response and tone spot on when he finally remembered where Downing Street is, ignoring ill-­considered shouts for curfews and ­squaddies. The performance, however, emphasised his ­tawdriness in favouring an extended summer coffee over doing his job.

Not that Labour’s leadership covered itself in glory.

On the front line in London the likes of David Lammy, Diane Abbott and Ken Livingstone responded admirably. The same cannot be said of Labour leader Ed Miliband and his deputy Harriet Harman – who both went Awol.

Recalling Parliament tomorrow’s a real opportunity to ­reassure ­frightened people and isolate mindless rioters by MPs uniting to condemn.

But the searching inquest in the weeks and months ahead must explore why a Resident Evil-style riot virus spread so rapidly among the young.

Denouncing the ­indefensible is the easy bit. ­Understanding why it happened, and how to avoid a second round, is the harder.

Widespread disaffection and a lack of respect for others is obvious. The shocking events since ­Saturday’s Tottenham flashpoint are the ­bankruptcy of Cameronism. To pursue plans to sack police officers would be monumental stupidity.

To shut clubs and axe youth ­services would be a false economy.

ANARCHY

And high unemployment among the under-24s is a breeding ground for anarchy.

History teaches us the devil makes work for idle hands.

Nothing justifies the orgy of violence – though background issues demand redress.

Cameron’s a tainted Premier, scarred by lawlessness and disorder. Boos and heckles dogging Ministers visiting wrecked shopping streets are the sound of lost confidence.

Cameron’s extra cup of coffee leaves a bitter taste.

 

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