Dave couldn’t have handled this worse if he had hacked the phones himself

By Emma Burnell / @scarletstand

“They Seek him here, They Seek him there.

In Fleet Street and Parliament Square.

That Dedicated follower…”*

And that is what David Cameron has proved to be this week. No leader he. His reactions have been slow and unwieldy. Ed Miliband has led him by the nose and his capitulations have been far too slow to respond to the endless stream of filth emanating from News International.

To appear yesterday to attempt another respray of the Big Society but not come to parliament to talk about the issue troubling the nation is extraordinary. To date, not getting his hands dirty has worked well for Dave. Andrew Lansley is the “greedy” “tosser” credited with the wholesale destruction of the NHS. The Lib Dems were the nasties over tuition fees. Caroline Spellman had to front the forestry u-turn.

But Dave has been massively mistaken in thinking he could sub-contract his leadership on this to Jeremy Hunt. He’s in it up to his neck, and it’s answers from him that the British Public want and deserve. Answers on his relationship with Rebekah Brooks, answers on the hiring of Andy Coulson, answers on why it has taken so long for the government to recognise that the people doing this might not be “fit and proper” people to own a branch of Comet, never mind BSkyB.

I’ve talked before about the fact that Cameron is just a bit Lazy and for all his modern sheen is a bit old fashioned when it comes to recognising the new relationship the public has with the press. This crisis has shown once again that Cameron struggles to cope with anything beyond the broad brush or the petty.

As the – until now amazingly compliant – media start to question his abilities, he will be increasingly found wanting.

This crisis has so far been a denunciation of Cameron’s judgement. It will also prove to be a damning judgement on his abilities too.

* With all due respect to The Kinks.