I don't care if he was recovering from an operation, his missus had got covid-19 and his son is autistic - No sympathy, I want him sacked.
Same as I would any normal member of the public in those circumstances
Listen, the Chief Constable had broken his leg in February and his aunt has diabetes so I think he should be let off the theft of a Mars Bar. Just like any normal member of the public.
How many normal members of the public have broken some aspect of the lockdown regulations and received no penalty whatsoever? Millions by now, surely? So actually quite a bit like a normal member of the public after all.
Surely it is the quarantine regulations he has broken ?
Most normal people would not have gone and put their aged parents at risk. Knowing they had the virus. However most normal people would think you are a complete bastard to drive 250 miles to do that.
My wife has just booked tickets in July,......
About the quarantine in the UK....she said.. "who cares? it's OK for Cummings to drive someone with symptoms across the country, it is certainly more than OK for me to see my elderly mother and return without abiding by these rules....."
That depends how much she is willing to put her mother at risk.
Just because someone else acts irresponsibly doesn't mean that you should do likewise even if you can.
My wife doesn't have to quarantine in Italy...it is coming back to the UK where the rules apply....and obviously those rules have become a free for all thanks to Dom's unapologetic recklessness.....
Quarantine or not your wife seeing her mother is a risk factor - now that may be a risk they are willing to take but that shouldn't be affected by what someone else did or didn't do over a month ago.
And the government has never intended to police any quarantine - that would have been left to employers to do.
I'd like to see how many employers will be policing their staff when they return from trips abroad...
I really don't want my wife to go (and my wife doesn't want to go)...and have used your argument...but her mum is desperate to see her...my father-in-law died a couple of years ago, and she is by herself....
But Cummings actions....have released my wife from the argument that she has to quarantine coming back- which is why she has booked this morning....
My employer will be.
Not out of concern about government guidelines but because we don't want to risk multiple infections among employees.
Albeit a theoretical stance at present as it hasn't yet applied to anyone.
No...if there was no quarantine rule on coming back, your employer would be fine if you stuck to the self isolating on symptoms rule....
Would your employer care if you went for a bike ride, or went shopping, or went for a run at the weekend?
The quarantine rule is a big ask for people without symptoms....
They wont know what an employee is doing at home and they wont care.
But the employee will not be at work at risk of infecting other employees.
If any member of the press asks a question longer than about 12 words they should be sacked or they are a Cummings plant.
I am not convinced Robert Preston could ask a question in fewer than 12 words if his life depended upon it.
Cummings is relying on the Lobby completely messing this one up, with 10m people watching it.
Remember that the vast majority of people don't know him and have never seen him speak, if he comes across as intelligent and articulate (which he likely will), it could swing public opinion towards him.
Do we have any footage of his appearances in front of select comittees. Doesn't he come across as a tetchy know it all blow hard?
Put it this way. If a witness of mine answered questions in that manner in an employment tribunal I would, at that point, know I had lost. That was all about making himself look clever - which is poison to any judge, panel or jury.
He wasn't there to persuade a panel though, was he? He was there to stonewall and not give an inch. The Committee were, he might rightly think, unpersuadable anyway.
Obviously, he needs to find a different gear today and make a case to the viewing public. But the fact he can stonewall doesn't necessarily mean he can't do other things. We shall see.
Is Stella so blinded by loyalty as not to see it is a moral social code that has been breached. It no longer matters if he broke one of his self drafted laws.
Let`s not change the argument. Posts here were violently accusing him of breaking lockdown rules.
Let`s see if he did or didn`t. It he didn`t let`s see some retractions from media outlets. If he did, he must go.
Obviously, as Cyclefree says, that can be determined only by the courts.
So good idea.
The next set of rules will need to be legally watertight - as belief me people will be driving a state carriage with 16 horses through them.
On topic, surely the copies of Wisden have been placed to cover up the actual books on the bookshelf. What's the bishop hiding? Satanism for Dummies? The Kama Sutra? Jeffrey Archer?
Snap. Damn it, I thought my comment was really clever, but it was really 90 seconds late.
What are the books the Reverent Bishop is hiding behind the copies of Wisden?
Who stacks books in front of books in that way?
I think this could be the real scandal.
I used some old law school textbooks to cover up my wife's extensive collection of true crime serial killer books that would have otherwise made me look like a psychopath. That backfired as I came accross as irredemably boring instead.
I don't care if he was recovering from an operation, his missus had got covid-19 and his son is autistic - No sympathy, I want him sacked.
Same as I would any normal member of the public in those circumstances
Listen, the Chief Constable had broken his leg in February and his aunt has diabetes so I think he should be let off the theft of a Mars Bar. Just like any normal member of the public.
How many normal members of the public have broken some aspect of the lockdown regulations and received no penalty whatsoever? Millions by now, surely? So actually quite a bit like a normal member of the public after all.
Surely it is the quarantine regulations he has broken ?
Most normal people would not have gone and put their aged parents at risk. Knowing they had the virus. However most normal people would think you are a complete bastard to drive 250 miles to do that.
My wife has just booked tickets in July,......
About the quarantine in the UK....she said.. "who cares? it's OK for Cummings to drive someone with symptoms across the country, it is certainly more than OK for me to see my elderly mother and return without abiding by these rules....."
So she is doing that just 'cos of DC? That would be very twerpish.
My wife is not sick...does not have symptoms....she is making an assumption that if she returns from Italy without symptoms she'll not bother with the quarantine because what Dom has done makes that OK....
Exactly why you cannot have one rule for some and one for others....
You got the £1000 ready in case she's fined?
She will be very unlucky to get caught.
Once Cummings floodgates open the police will neither have the resources or inclination to stop everybody.
Boris is responsible for giving the green light to follow your intuition.
Considering Boris had already told people they should use their own common sense ...
... I find it hilarious now to see critics suggesting the green light has been given to use your common sense.
Why wasn't Boris literally saying to use your common sense not green light enough? Why did it need this to green light it?
I wonder how many of the people complaining that they wanted specific guidelines and didn't want to think for themselves are now saying people should do what they want because of something someone else did over a month ago.
There seems to be people who don't want to think for themselves and don't want to take any responsibility for their actions but instead want someone to blame if doing what they want to do goes wrong.
Very well said.
I think the left right divide can sometimes (certainly not always) be summed up as simply how willing you are to accept personal responsibility for your decision making.
One reason I struggle to get exercised by this whole saga if it was for legitimate childcare reasons is literally anyone could make decisions for themselves if they had special childcare requirements.
The day we live in a world where it's set rules for everyone with no thinking for yourself is a very bad one.
The question is does responsibility for actions end with you and your children - or are their wider responsibilities you have to others - that would preclude driving a corona hotbox cross country.
We don`t know the circumstances. People were so quick to judge yesterday. A three/four hour drive, no stops, no need to refuel, is easily feasible.
Sure. But we know that they drove to Durham with Covid symptoms. He knew the rules were to not leave your premises for a week - and other members of the household for two weeks (unless developing symptoms). He knew that the rules were for public health - because he helped devise them.
The question is ultimately what benefit does his presence offer to public health against what cost?
I really want to understand what that benefit is - beyond sticking it to certain factions in a culture war most of us have little interest in.
On topic, surely the copies of Wisden have been placed to cover up the actual books on the bookshelf. What's the bishop hiding? Satanism for Dummies? The Kama Sutra? Jeffrey Archer?
probably best to burn them all anyway, just on the off chance.
On topic, surely the copies of Wisden have been placed to cover up the actual books on the bookshelf. What's the bishop hiding? Satanism for Dummies? The Kama Sutra? Jeffrey Archer?
Snap. Damn it, I thought my comment was really clever, but it was really 90 seconds late.
I don't care if he was recovering from an operation, his missus had got covid-19 and his son is autistic - No sympathy, I want him sacked.
Same as I would any normal member of the public in those circumstances
Listen, the Chief Constable had broken his leg in February and his aunt has diabetes so I think he should be let off the theft of a Mars Bar. Just like any normal member of the public.
How many normal members of the public have broken some aspect of the lockdown regulations and received no penalty whatsoever? Millions by now, surely? So actually quite a bit like a normal member of the public after all.
Surely it is the quarantine regulations he has broken ?
Most normal people would not have gone and put their aged parents at risk. Knowing they had the virus. However most normal people would think you are a complete bastard to drive 250 miles to do that.
My wife has just booked tickets in July,......
About the quarantine in the UK....she said.. "who cares? it's OK for Cummings to drive someone with symptoms across the country, it is certainly more than OK for me to see my elderly mother and return without abiding by these rules....."
Absolutely, no chance of quarantine working now, might as well be a free for all.
At £1,000 a pop that's one way to fill the deficit.....
Its not going to happen. The governments plan is in shreds.
You think they'll drop the quarantine?
No...people will just not stick to it....
And when we need to self distance in the months ahead...people will struggle with that one....and the second wave hits.....
On topic, surely the copies of Wisden have been placed to cover up the actual books on the bookshelf. What's the bishop hiding? Satanism for Dummies? The Kama Sutra? Jeffrey Archer?
I don't care if he was recovering from an operation, his missus had got covid-19 and his son is autistic - No sympathy, I want him sacked.
Same as I would any normal member of the public in those circumstances
Listen, the Chief Constable had broken his leg in February and his aunt has diabetes so I think he should be let off the theft of a Mars Bar. Just like any normal member of the public.
How many normal members of the public have broken some aspect of the lockdown regulations and received no penalty whatsoever? Millions by now, surely? So actually quite a bit like a normal member of the public after all.
Surely it is the quarantine regulations he has broken ?
Most normal people would not have gone and put their aged parents at risk. Knowing they had the virus. However most normal people would think you are a complete bastard to drive 250 miles to do that.
My wife has just booked tickets in July,......
About the quarantine in the UK....she said.. "who cares? it's OK for Cummings to drive someone with symptoms across the country, it is certainly more than OK for me to see my elderly mother and return without abiding by these rules....."
So she is doing that just 'cos of DC? That would be very twerpish.
My wife is not sick...does not have symptoms....she is making an assumption that if she returns from Italy without symptoms she'll not bother with the quarantine because what Dom has done makes that OK....
Exactly why you cannot have one rule for some and one for others....
You got the £1000 ready in case she's fined?
She will be very unlucky to get caught.
Once Cummings floodgates open the police will neither have the resources or inclination to stop everybody.
Boris is responsible for giving the green light to follow your intuition.
Considering Boris had already told people they should use their own common sense ...
... I find it hilarious now to see critics suggesting the green light has been given to use your common sense.
Why wasn't Boris literally saying to use your common sense not green light enough? Why did it need this to green light it?
I wonder how many of the people complaining that they wanted specific guidelines and didn't want to think for themselves are now saying people should do what they want because of something someone else did over a month ago.
There seems to be people who don't want to think for themselves and don't want to take any responsibility for their actions but instead want someone to blame if doing what they want to do goes wrong.
Very well said.
I think the left right divide can sometimes (certainly not always) be summed up as simply how willing you are to accept personal responsibility for your decision making.
One reason I struggle to get exercised by this whole saga if it was for legitimate childcare reasons is literally anyone could make decisions for themselves if they had special childcare requirements.
The day we live in a world where it's set rules for everyone with no thinking for yourself is a very bad one.
The question is does responsibility for actions end with you and your children - or are their wider responsibilities you have to others - that would preclude driving a corona hotbox cross country.
We don`t know the circumstances. People were so quick to judge yesterday. A three/four hour drive, no stops, no need to refuel, is easily feasible.
260 miles including a 4 year old child and not one of them needed a piss ? Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.
On topic, surely the copies of Wisden have been placed to cover up the actual books on the bookshelf. What's the bishop hiding? Satanism for Dummies? The Kama Sutra? Jeffrey Archer?
Snap. Damn it, I thought my comment was really clever, but it was really 90 seconds late.
Good afternoon everyone; just had a nice 5km walk in the local countryside. Quite a lot of people about on the paths; must have seen 20, inc. children, and there was quite a lot of noise from the local A road, which is a popular route to the NE Essex coast. Much more noise than during the past few weeks.
I'm expecting anything from the Rose Garden from 'F' off the lot of you. What I do is right' to 'I'm dreadful;y sorry to have embarrassed my dear friend Boris, for whom I have the highest admiration.'
Dom "harming" lockdown? Sorry, what lockdown? I live in a seaside town and lockdown has been over for a fortnight already. The suggestion that something Cummings did a month ago changes public behaviour now is laughable, life's already getting back to normal at a rapid rate.
Beautiful, sunny Bank Holiday by the beach here. No one social distancing, no one wearing masks, gangs of youths drinking on the sea wall etc.
I, meanwhilE, remain hunkered indoors working, looking forward to the increased taxes I will have to pay in perpetuity to fund people being on furlough - and enjoying their ice creams - until OCTOBER.
Whitstable has been dead for several weeks. My parents live in Blean and have a beach hut on Tankerton Slopes. They've been twice, once when it was reported it had been vandalised (it hadn't) and once when the restrictions were relaxed to actually use it (CCC confirmed that was okay). I'm off there later.
Someone phoning a radio show from Bournemouth said the beach car park was full at 9am this morning.
260 miles including a 4 year old child and not one of them needed a piss ? Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.
Doable at night, to be honest. You put the kid in pyjamas before setting off and play their favourite soothing CD. Usually takes about 20 minutes for ours to drop off to sleep in such circumstances. (Whereas it takes the little darling twice as long as that in his own bed...)
I don't care if he was recovering from an operation, his missus had got covid-19 and his son is autistic - No sympathy, I want him sacked.
Same as I would any normal member of the public in those circumstances
Listen, the Chief Constable had broken his leg in February and his aunt has diabetes so I think he should be let off the theft of a Mars Bar. Just like any normal member of the public.
How many normal members of the public have broken some aspect of the lockdown regulations and received no penalty whatsoever? Millions by now, surely? So actually quite a bit like a normal member of the public after all.
Surely it is the quarantine regulations he has broken ?
Most normal people would not have gone and put their aged parents at risk. Knowing they had the virus. However most normal people would think you are a complete bastard to drive 250 miles to do that.
My wife has just booked tickets in July,......
About the quarantine in the UK....she said.. "who cares? it's OK for Cummings to drive someone with symptoms across the country, it is certainly more than OK for me to see my elderly mother and return without abiding by these rules....."
So she is doing that just 'cos of DC? That would be very twerpish.
My wife is not sick...does not have symptoms....she is making an assumption that if she returns from Italy without symptoms she'll not bother with the quarantine because what Dom has done makes that OK....
Exactly why you cannot have one rule for some and one for others....
You got the £1000 ready in case she's fined?
She will be very unlucky to get caught.
Once Cummings floodgates open the police will neither have the resources or inclination to stop everybody.
Boris is responsible for giving the green light to follow your intuition.
Considering Boris had already told people they should use their own common sense ...
... I find it hilarious now to see critics suggesting the green light has been given to use your common sense.
Why wasn't Boris literally saying to use your common sense not green light enough? Why did it need this to green light it?
I wonder how many of the people complaining that they wanted specific guidelines and didn't want to think for themselves are now saying people should do what they want because of something someone else did over a month ago.
There seems to be people who don't want to think for themselves and don't want to take any responsibility for their actions but instead want someone to blame if doing what they want to do goes wrong.
Very well said.
I think the left right divide can sometimes (certainly not always) be summed up as simply how willing you are to accept personal responsibility for your decision making.
One reason I struggle to get exercised by this whole saga if it was for legitimate childcare reasons is literally anyone could make decisions for themselves if they had special childcare requirements.
The day we live in a world where it's set rules for everyone with no thinking for yourself is a very bad one.
The question is does responsibility for actions end with you and your children - or are their wider responsibilities you have to others - that would preclude driving a corona hotbox cross country.
We don`t know the circumstances. People were so quick to judge yesterday. A three/four hour drive, no stops, no need to refuel, is easily feasible.
I don't care if he was recovering from an operation, his missus had got covid-19 and his son is autistic - No sympathy, I want him sacked.
Same as I would any normal member of the public in those circumstances
Listen, the Chief Constable had broken his leg in February and his aunt has diabetes so I think he should be let off the theft of a Mars Bar. Just like any normal member of the public.
How many normal members of the public have broken some aspect of the lockdown regulations and received no penalty whatsoever? Millions by now, surely? So actually quite a bit like a normal member of the public after all.
Surely it is the quarantine regulations he has broken ?
Most normal people would not have gone and put their aged parents at risk. Knowing they had the virus. However most normal people would think you are a complete bastard to drive 250 miles to do that.
My wife has just booked tickets in July,......
About the quarantine in the UK....she said.. "who cares? it's OK for Cummings to drive someone with symptoms across the country, it is certainly more than OK for me to see my elderly mother and return without abiding by these rules....."
So she is doing that just 'cos of DC? That would be very twerpish.
My wife is not sick...does not have symptoms....she is making an assumption that if she returns from Italy without symptoms she'll not bother with the quarantine because what Dom has done makes that OK....
Exactly why you cannot have one rule for some and one for others....
You got the £1000 ready in case she's fined?
She will be very unlucky to get caught.
Once Cummings floodgates open the police will neither have the resources or inclination to stop everybody.
Boris is responsible for giving the green light to follow your intuition.
Considering Boris had already told people they should use their own common sense ...
... I find it hilarious now to see critics suggesting the green light has been given to use your common sense.
Why wasn't Boris literally saying to use your common sense not green light enough? Why did it need this to green light it?
I wonder how many of the people complaining that they wanted specific guidelines and didn't want to think for themselves are now saying people should do what they want because of something someone else did over a month ago.
There seems to be people who don't want to think for themselves and don't want to take any responsibility for their actions but instead want someone to blame if doing what they want to do goes wrong.
Very well said.
I think the left right divide can sometimes (certainly not always) be summed up as simply how willing you are to accept personal responsibility for your decision making.
One reason I struggle to get exercised by this whole saga if it was for legitimate childcare reasons is literally anyone could make decisions for themselves if they had special childcare requirements.
The day we live in a world where it's set rules for everyone with no thinking for yourself is a very bad one.
The question is does responsibility for actions end with you and your children - or are their wider responsibilities you have to others - that would preclude driving a corona hotbox cross country.
We don`t know the circumstances. People were so quick to judge yesterday. A three/four hour drive, no stops, no need to refuel, is easily feasible.
260 miles including a 4 year old child and not one of them needed a piss ? Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.
Cut the top off a plastic milk bottle and use it to pee in, is the answer, so I'm afraid that line doesn't work.
Is Dominic seriously going to find a way to weasel out of this
You can sense the disappointment of people that they might not get their political opponent.
There's a word for that and it's witch-hunt.
If Cummings had a reasonable excuse for what he did he acted lawfully as would anyone, literally anyone, who did the same thing with a reasonable excuse. That's not weasel behaviour.
You are, with the greatest of respect, completely missing the point.
First - timing. Odd that he should be explaining himself after the PM absolved him yesterday. Whatever else it does it shows that the PM failed in his job yesterday. It undermines the PM, whatever the outcome.
Second - the tests under the law are whether the excuse was “reasonable” and the journey “necessary”. These are objective tests determined by a court, if it comes to that, not matters which you decide for yourself. You can explain why you did what you did but you are not the person who determines whether you acted within the law. Nor the PM.
Third - the guidelines. He may have acted lawfully but completely contrary to the guidelines. That is not good enough when the government’s whole message has been about complying with the guidelines.
Fourth - sob stories. Everyone has sob stories. If he tries to garner sympathy now it will look manipulative rather than genuine. The time to do that was when the story broke coupled with an apology. Not now as part of some sort of Top Trumps Sob Story competition.
Fifth - the optics. Fair play, not taking the piss, not acting as if the rules don’t apply to you - that is what people expect and why his behaviour and the reaction to being questioned on it have undermined and annoyed people. People feel as if they have been taken for fools. That is what needs to be addressed now not legal technicalities.
Does Cummings have the emotional intelligence to understand that and deal with it properly?
First is a political point. I said that Boris screwed up the optics of this. That goes for point five too.
Second is wrong. The courts are the final arbiter of what is wrong or reasonable. They are not the first arbiter. The first is people need to determine for themselves what is reasonable, that applies for all of us. Then the Police can get involved in which case if they agree it's reasonable that's the end of the matter too - they don't send all cases to the courts. Then the CPS can get involved if need be. Only then can the courts get involved to settle disputes. The idea nobody outside of courts can make a decision is preposterous.
Third - If the guidelines didn't fit his emergency situation (if he genuinely had one) so be it. As the DCMO said six weeks ago. Exceptional circumstances can arise.
Fourth is media nonsense and raw politics. If he was genuine he should act in the genuine interests of his family within the law. Other people's sob stories don't change that so long as he acted reasonably and within the law.
I don't care if he was recovering from an operation, his missus had got covid-19 and his son is autistic - No sympathy, I want him sacked.
Same as I would any normal member of the public in those circumstances
Listen, the Chief Constable had broken his leg in February and his aunt has diabetes so I think he should be let off the theft of a Mars Bar. Just like any normal member of the public.
How many normal members of the public have broken some aspect of the lockdown regulations and received no penalty whatsoever? Millions by now, surely? So actually quite a bit like a normal member of the public after all.
Whatever Dom is I really don't think you can say he is like a normal member of the public.
Your implicit complaint was that he is being treated better than a normal member of the public. I was just pointing out that a substantial chunk of the public has received no censure whatsoever for their own individual violations of lockdown, let alone become the subject of a nationwide witch hunt...
Wilfully or otherwise you refuse to see the distinction between lockdown and quarantine/self isolation when you and/or your family have the virus
Something does not add up about this story. About why Boris has expended so much capital on him and, notably, about why there was no response on whether he had been in Barnard Castle.
So maybe something else was going on.
Was thinking the same yesterday. Seemed odd to take so much flak when it's easy to leave and return, Mandelson-style.
The "on secret govt business" line seems to be one of few ways he can survive this. Maybe add on mobile phone tracking data to concrete his movements a bit better - was noticeable yesterday the govt were specifically calling some of his sightings as fake.
Begs the question of what was secret and why. Also why that was not said at the beginning.
Is Stella so blinded by loyalty as not to see it is a moral social code that has been breached. It no longer matters if he broke one of his self drafted laws.
Let`s not change the argument. Posts here were violently accusing him of breaking lockdown rules.
Let`s see if he did or didn`t. It he didn`t let`s see some retractions from media outlets. If he did, he must go.
Obviously, as Cyclefree says, that can be determined only by the courts.
So good idea.
The next set of rules will need to be legally watertight - as belief me people will be driving a state carriage with 16 horses through them.
In principle, it wasn't wrong to allow "reasonable excuse" without giving an exhaustive list of what is reasonable, and nor does it mean it was poorly drafted.
If the new regulations don't allow for the possibility that a circumstances may arise outside the strict, specific exceptions provided for in the regulations, that can easily lead to unfairness.
I think it's unfair to accuse the regulations of not being watertight simply because there is room to argue the justice of a case on individual circumstances.
By the way, I personally think the idea he was within "reasonable excuse" is absolutely for the birds. Going to Durham was convenient for him, but it was nowhere near the level of necessity implied by the list of examples of "reasonable excuse" as there were lots of other options available to him. If you reduce it to "convenient excuse" the provision loses all meaning and you may as well not bother at all.
Watching the BBC programme, the BBC are circling the wagons.The whole thing is a circus, it is total bollocks!
Never watch the build up, remember the Cup Final. Only switch on when everyone is singing 'Abide With Me'.
Tom Harwood has explained Cummings has done nothing, the guilty parties are Tahir Ali who went to a funeral, Stephen Kinnock who partied with his parents and Vaughan Gething, who went to the park.
The public is already at Stage 3, judging by the photographs today. The government is trying to catch up.
There are no stages now. The exit strategy was blown to pieces over this weekend by the actions of the two most important people involved in the strategy.
I don't care if he was recovering from an operation, his missus had got covid-19 and his son is autistic - No sympathy, I want him sacked.
Same as I would any normal member of the public in those circumstances
Listen, the Chief Constable had broken his leg in February and his aunt has diabetes so I think he should be let off the theft of a Mars Bar. Just like any normal member of the public.
How many normal members of the public have broken some aspect of the lockdown regulations and received no penalty whatsoever? Millions by now, surely? So actually quite a bit like a normal member of the public after all.
Surely it is the quarantine regulations he has broken ?
Most normal people would not have gone and put their aged parents at risk. Knowing they had the virus. However most normal people would think you are a complete bastard to drive 250 miles to do that.
My wife has just booked tickets in July,......
About the quarantine in the UK....she said.. "who cares? it's OK for Cummings to drive someone with symptoms across the country, it is certainly more than OK for me to see my elderly mother and return without abiding by these rules....."
So she is doing that just 'cos of DC? That would be very twerpish.
My wife is not sick...does not have symptoms....she is making an assumption that if she returns from Italy without symptoms she'll not bother with the quarantine because what Dom has done makes that OK....
Exactly why you cannot have one rule for some and one for others....
You got the £1000 ready in case she's fined?
She will be very unlucky to get caught.
Once Cummings floodgates open the police will neither have the resources or inclination to stop everybody.
Boris is responsible for giving the green light to follow your intuition.
Considering Boris had already told people they should use their own common sense ...
... I find it hilarious now to see critics suggesting the green light has been given to use your common sense.
Why wasn't Boris literally saying to use your common sense not green light enough? Why did it need this to green light it?
I wonder how many of the people complaining that they wanted specific guidelines and didn't want to think for themselves are now saying people should do what they want because of something someone else did over a month ago.
There seems to be people who don't want to think for themselves and don't want to take any responsibility for their actions but instead want someone to blame if doing what they want to do goes wrong.
Very well said.
I think the left right divide can sometimes (certainly not always) be summed up as simply how willing you are to accept personal responsibility for your decision making.
One reason I struggle to get exercised by this whole saga if it was for legitimate childcare reasons is literally anyone could make decisions for themselves if they had special childcare requirements.
The day we live in a world where it's set rules for everyone with no thinking for yourself is a very bad one.
The question is does responsibility for actions end with you and your children - or are their wider responsibilities you have to others - that would preclude driving a corona hotbox cross country.
We don`t know the circumstances. People were so quick to judge yesterday. A three/four hour drive, no stops, no need to refuel, is easily feasible.
260 miles including a 4 year old child and not one of them needed a piss ? Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.
Go at night when the child is asleep and that's perfectly doable.
There are many fine things to see in or near Barnard Castle: the castle itself, the Bowes Museum, Egglestone Abbey, Raby Castle etc. Unfortunately all closed.
So even in Mexico over 75% of Covid deaths are in over 50s, yet Mexico has a median age of just 28 compared to 40 in the UK
It has a high obesity rate.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe ... Japan has the world's highest lifespan, a low obesity rate, quite a healthy die, a low virus death rate and life's relatively back to normal.
The public is already at Stage 3, judging by the photographs today. The government is trying to catch up.
There are no stages now. The exit strategy was blown to pieces over this weekend by the actions of the two most important people involved in the strategy.
I am going into the office for the first time in 10 weeks tomorrow (as a one-off, still WFH) then I am off to see my son for the first time in nearly 12 weeks. I am going to Hug Him, and probably cry a little with joy.
There are many fine things to see in or near Barnard Castle: the castle itself, the Bowes Museum, Egglestone Abbey, Raby Castle etc. Unfortunately all closed.
So why was Cummings there?
Isn;'t there a school too? one with quite a Rugby tradition. I can recall some England internationals coming from there.
There are many fine things to see in or near Barnard Castle: the castle itself, the Bowes Museum, Egglestone Abbey, Raby Castle etc. Unfortunately all closed.
So why was Cummings there?
You dont know that. Afaik it us only an allegation.
BBC expert commentary from Harwood from Guido Fawkes. Utter nonsense.
Rob Burley running interference for his man. I think this means Kuenssberg will be in with the prepared question for her anonymous source, err mean Dom.
The journalists are going to be there in person. Does this spell the end of the Zoom disasters asking questions...your muted, Iain your muted, can we come back to Iain....what do I have to read this question?
The bigger story is why is the Govt allowing a SPAD make a public statement from rose garden....seriously what has gone wrong?
Adam Boulton is in a real state over this statement as are others
Cummings does get the media going
I nearly spat my coffee all over my computer, when they were saying that Big Dom only sees everything in terms of Brexit....this will be Sky News who report every bad news story that includes "because of Brexit".
There are many fine things to see in or near Barnard Castle: the castle itself, the Bowes Museum, Egglestone Abbey, Raby Castle etc. Unfortunately all closed.
So why was Cummings there?
You dont know that. Afaik it us only an allegation.
His car - or one he uses - was verified as having been there.
Don't you ever be sad Lean on me, when the rules are bad When the day comes and you're locked down With public opinion about to frown
Just hold on, I'm Cummings Hold on, Dom Cummings
I'm on my way, to Durham If you get the virus, I won't give a damn! Don't worry about the rules, 'cause I'm here No need for contrition, 'cause I'm here
Just hold on, I'm Cummings Hold on, Dom Cummings Hold on, I'm Cummings Hold on, Dom Cummings
Reach out to me for special advice, yeah Call my name, yeah, and pay the price Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!
There are many fine things to see in or near Barnard Castle: the castle itself, the Bowes Museum, Egglestone Abbey, Raby Castle etc. Unfortunately all closed.
So why was Cummings there?
You dont know that. Afaik it us only an allegation.
His car - or one he uses - was verified as having been there.
There are many fine things to see in or near Barnard Castle: the castle itself, the Bowes Museum, Egglestone Abbey, Raby Castle etc. Unfortunately all closed.
So why was Cummings there?
You dont know that. Afaik it us only an allegation.
His car - or one he uses - was verified as having been there.
There are many fine things to see in or near Barnard Castle: the castle itself, the Bowes Museum, Egglestone Abbey, Raby Castle etc. Unfortunately all closed.
So why was Cummings there?
You dont know that. Afaik it us only an allegation.
His car - or one he uses - was verified as having been there.
There are many fine things to see in or near Barnard Castle: the castle itself, the Bowes Museum, Egglestone Abbey, Raby Castle etc. Unfortunately all closed.
So why was Cummings there?
You dont know that. Afaik it us only an allegation.
His car - or one he uses - was verified as having been there.
There are many fine things to see in or near Barnard Castle: the castle itself, the Bowes Museum, Egglestone Abbey, Raby Castle etc. Unfortunately all closed.
So why was Cummings there?
You dont know that. Afaik it us only an allegation.
His car - or one he uses - was verified as having been there.
There are many fine things to see in or near Barnard Castle: the castle itself, the Bowes Museum, Egglestone Abbey, Raby Castle etc. Unfortunately all closed.
So why was Cummings there?
You dont know that. Afaik it us only an allegation.
His car - or one he uses - was verified as having been there.
Comments
What are the books the Reverent Bishop is hiding behind the copies of Wisden?
Who stacks books in front of books in that way?
I think this could be the real scandal.
But the employee will not be at work at risk of infecting other employees.
Obviously, he needs to find a different gear today and make a case to the viewing public. But the fact he can stonewall doesn't necessarily mean he can't do other things. We shall see.
And let's accelerate Stage 3 to 22 June
The question is ultimately what benefit does his presence offer to public health against what cost?
I really want to understand what that benefit is - beyond sticking it to certain factions in a culture war most of us have little interest in.
And when we need to self distance in the months ahead...people will struggle with that one....and the second wave hits.....
Cummingsgate has undermined Govt messaging....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lj4adAAHa68
I'm expecting anything from the Rose Garden from 'F' off the lot of you. What I do is right' to 'I'm dreadful;y sorry to have embarrassed my dear friend Boris, for whom I have the highest admiration.'
Which will it be?
Can’t imagine anyone else would have done London to Durham in three hours...
I never once didn't stop on the way for a wee.
Second is wrong. The courts are the final arbiter of what is wrong or reasonable. They are not the first arbiter. The first is people need to determine for themselves what is reasonable, that applies for all of us. Then the Police can get involved in which case if they agree it's reasonable that's the end of the matter too - they don't send all cases to the courts. Then the CPS can get involved if need be. Only then can the courts get involved to settle disputes. The idea nobody outside of courts can make a decision is preposterous.
Third - If the guidelines didn't fit his emergency situation (if he genuinely had one) so be it. As the DCMO said six weeks ago. Exceptional circumstances can arise.
Fourth is media nonsense and raw politics. If he was genuine he should act in the genuine interests of his family within the law. Other people's sob stories don't change that so long as he acted reasonably and within the law.
If the new regulations don't allow for the possibility that a circumstances may arise outside the strict, specific exceptions provided for in the regulations, that can easily lead to unfairness.
I think it's unfair to accuse the regulations of not being watertight simply because there is room to argue the justice of a case on individual circumstances.
By the way, I personally think the idea he was within "reasonable excuse" is absolutely for the birds. Going to Durham was convenient for him, but it was nowhere near the level of necessity implied by the list of examples of "reasonable excuse" as there were lots of other options available to him. If you reduce it to "convenient excuse" the provision loses all meaning and you may as well not bother at all.
The bigger story is why is the Govt allowing a SPAD make a public statement from rose garden....seriously what has gone wrong?
Its a bold strategy Cotton, lets see if it pays off for 'em
So why was Cummings there?
Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe ... Japan has the world's highest lifespan, a low obesity rate, quite a healthy die, a low virus death rate and life's relatively back to normal.
Make your choice ...
(Don't really like the milk bottle idea....bit messy, risky. Wouldn't have worked with my four year olds.)
Questions being raised about why this is happening in the Rose garden.
Edit fcn not working.
Tom Harwood doesn't understand the rules.
Cummings does get the media going
Cummings stalling
Doesn't he just.
Half of me wants him to stay on just so FBPE twitter has an aneurism.
No word on what they are spaced out on or how this will impair their judgement.
Lean on me, when the rules are bad
When the day comes and you're locked down
With public opinion about to frown
Just hold on, I'm Cummings
Hold on, Dom Cummings
I'm on my way, to Durham
If you get the virus, I won't give a damn!
Don't worry about the rules, 'cause I'm here
No need for contrition, 'cause I'm here
Just hold on, I'm Cummings
Hold on, Dom Cummings
Hold on, I'm Cummings
Hold on, Dom Cummings
Reach out to me for special advice, yeah
Call my name, yeah, and pay the price
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!
(On a more serious note, I’m starting to get worried by the lack of rain. The Chase isn’t a heathland right now, it’s a sandpit with heather in it.)
No