IS there an argument that Piers Morgan right now has the most important single voice in Britain? I know what you’re thinking: the TV journalist’s central character traits are oafishness and arrogance. Writer AA Gill once wondered of Morgan had “learnt human as a second language.” And it’s not hard to work out why. Indeed, it’s hard to find a societal grouping that Piers Stefan Pughe-Morgan hasn’t managed to upset.

And there’s the controversy: publishing fake pictures at the Mirror of British troops abusing Iraqi captives, the allegations of insider trading, his “sychophantic" – said 88 per cent of Radio Times viewers – interview with Donald Trump in 2018.

It’s not to hard to see why Jeremy Clarkson, at the 2004 Press Awards, delivered three rapid blows in the direction of Morgan’s ba’ face.

Yet, we need this self-confessed “rampant egomaniac” because Morgan has become a Covid-19 champion for the truth and transparency that Westminster and Holyrood have failed to deliver.

Just look at his backstory in recent months. The Good Morning Britain host was trashed for his criticism of Professor Jason Leitch, when the National Clinical Director (whose Twitter handle was briefly @isJasonLeitchonthetelly? which suggests he craves Morgan-esque fame) refused to accept mass quarantining was the answer. “Listen to the expert!” yelled Professor Leitch.

Well, we did, and then we heard him say: “We have absolutely adequate levels of testing in Scotland.” We heard his arguments for not testing: “We’re having to delay the spread of the virus.” And, unbelievably, we heard him argue against social distancing: “You can’t keep 60m people six feet apart.”

We needed Morgan’s questions at the time and we needed him again to kick hard at the shins of his Good Morning Britain colleague Dr Hilary after the telly doc backed the UK Government’s case for not yet closing the schools. (Wait for the virus hotspots to identify themselves, Dr H maintained.)

Morgan raged again at the Government line, attacking Cabinet Minister Simon Clarke over "shameful" handling of PPE and him “not having a clue” how many health care staff had died. (Clarke guessed at 49. Morgan hit the mark at 100.)

And during an interview with English culture secretary Oliver Dowden, Morgan’s blood boiled at the insanity of allowing the Cheltenham Festival and the Liverpool v Atletico Madrid match to go ahead.

But Morgan has shown added value this week on CNN, lambasting the morally bankrupt flibbertigibbet that is Boris Johnson and the asinine Donald Trump. (Both past friends). “I’ve been watching these daily briefings with mounting horror and, at almost every level, Donald Trump is failing the American people, with his self-aggrandising, self-justifying rants.”

Morgan added: “To him, it’s more important he win the election in November. But it should be about focusing on saving human life.” Trump’s following, thankfully, has dropped six points).

Now, Morgan isn’t clairvoyant and he certainly doesn’t always get the argument right.

This week he attacked Dr Andrew Lilico, after the economist had criticised the NHS, leaping onto easy argument like John Wayne on a small horse, off to kill some Injuns. But Dr Lilico’s argument about "NHS worship" was certainly not a criticism of those brave enough to work for this underfunded service.

But what Piers Morgan at least managed was to open the debate. And almost daily he reminds us debate has been largely shut down. Our own First Minster’s daily briefing, for example, doesn’t allow for a second question, allowing the opportunity to obfuscate, take a thick black bingo marker to the unanswered question.

This weekend, English Education Secretary Gavin Williamson told us is was our “civic duty” to persist with the lockdown. And he’s absolutely on the money. But isn’t it also our civic duty to ask questions of our leaders, to question our command and control style of government?

That’s why we need journalists with a very loud voice, to ask why we’re allowing 15,000 people a day to fly into the UK? Or to demand to know why we didn’t learn from the Italian tragedy and not lock down earlier.

Don’t we all want to know why Scotland initially chose a different Covid-19 strategy to Westminster, only for our FM and the PM to tie their ankles together in a bizarre three-legged race – and run in the wrong direction – while Angela Merkel was heading for the finishing line?

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