politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » The Cummings press conference – what’s your verdict?
Comments
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Tribal politics is alive and kicking I see, pathetic.
Johnson was abysmal last night but much better this evening, thanks in large to the inane questions from a desperate media. They want a scalp and they are not going to get it.
Johnson fended them off really easily and even managed to get in a dig at the Guardian and their false reporting.
To be honest I am not remotely interested in what the likes of CHB thinks, it puerile rubbish.
However I am interested in what Big G thinks as he was so critical last night
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Ok an unpaid troll.CorrectHorseBattery said:
Yes, I am in fact Keir Starmer.squareroot2 said:
There is nothing genuine you ever write about the Tories/Boris. Its a given its bile ridden. You are some sort of Labour party official are you not ?CorrectHorseBattery said:Genuinely one of the worst conferences he has done
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“Nobody died and the Guardian lied”4
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Boris should have said:
"Have you called for the editor of The Guardian to resign?"
That would have really wound everyone up.1 -
But yet still managing to provide more substance than you.squareroot2 said:
Ok an unpaid troll.CorrectHorseBattery said:
Yes, I am in fact Keir Starmer.squareroot2 said:
There is nothing genuine you ever write about the Tories/Boris. Its a given its bile ridden. You are some sort of Labour party official are you not ?CorrectHorseBattery said:Genuinely one of the worst conferences he has done
What is the point in your account?0 -
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I genuinely can't understand from both boris or big dom perspective. Just do a Mandy & still advise unofficially.Benpointer said:
Agreed. Why on earth then has he not done that?FrancisUrquhart said:If Dom had gone Saturday, Boris could have been standing there say see leadership, got to stick to the rules, all in this together and btw we are winning, deaths down, some shops to open...
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Stop splitting hairs BigG - take the f*cking blinkers off!Big_G_NorthWales said:
NoCorrectHorseBattery said:Genuinely one of the worst conferences he has done
Yesterday was by far the worst he has done.
You use car crash quite liberally but yesteday was a real car crash
It was a shocking performance - the man is simply not well or not competent or both.
This whole sorry saga has been embarrassing and to be honest it is a massive distraction. A distraction to how this Tory Government has handled this pandemic - it's been an utter shambles and the title "worst in Europe" is richly deserved!1 -
Thank you for the compliment.backinthedhss said:Tribal politics is alive and kicking I see, pathetic.
Johnson was abysmal last night but much better this evening, thanks in large to the inane questions from a desperate media. They want a scalp and they are not going to get it.
Johnson fended them off really easily and even managed to get in a dig at the Guardian and their false reporting.
To be honest I am not remotely interested in what the likes of CHB thinks, it puerile rubbish.
However I am interested in what Big G thinks as he was so critical last night0 -
What was that ?
Absolutely pathetic from Johnson .0 -
He is lying about driving because he thought he couldn't see. Can we at least agree on that? He didn't get in a car because he thought he could not see.Philip_Thompson said:
Because Cummings is a valued member of his team who acted reasonably as the Police confirmed and has been unreasonably attacked by the Guardian who've printed lies about him in a politically motivated witch-hunt?Benpointer said:
Agreed. Why on earth then has he not done that?FrancisUrquhart said:If Dom had gone Saturday, Boris could have been standing there say see leadership, got to stick to the rules, all in this together and btw we are winning, deaths down, some shops to open...
If you show no backbone to every witch-hunt then where does it end?0 -
Can't we at least have your hair? It's such lovely hair. Or at least the name of your gel supplier, for goodness' sake?CorrectHorseBattery said:
You cannot have a place in my cabinet.kle4 said:
I think you have better uses of your time, Sir Keir, but congratulations on showing up your predecessor in record time.CorrectHorseBattery said:
Yes, I am in fact Keir Starmer.squareroot2 said:
There is nothing genuine you ever write about the Tories/Boris. Its a given its bile ridden. You are some sort of Labour party official are you not ?CorrectHorseBattery said:Genuinely one of the worst conferences he has done
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Any news on the autism of Dom's kid, Harold? You seemed very keen on that 'fact' yesterday.TGOHF666 said:“Nobody died and the Guardian lied”
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No.BluestBlue said:
Can't we at least have your hair? It's such lovely hair. Or at least the name of your gel supplier, for goodness' sake?CorrectHorseBattery said:
You cannot have a place in my cabinet.kle4 said:
I think you have better uses of your time, Sir Keir, but congratulations on showing up your predecessor in record time.CorrectHorseBattery said:
Yes, I am in fact Keir Starmer.squareroot2 said:
There is nothing genuine you ever write about the Tories/Boris. Its a given its bile ridden. You are some sort of Labour party official are you not ?CorrectHorseBattery said:Genuinely one of the worst conferences he has done
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I genuinely missed the part where the police confirmed Cummings acted reasonably - do you have a link?.Philip_Thompson said:
Because Cummings is a valued member of his team who acted reasonably as the Police confirmed and has been unreasonably attacked by the Guardian who've printed lies about him in a politically motivated witch-hunt?Benpointer said:
Agreed. Why on earth then has he not done that?FrancisUrquhart said:If Dom had gone Saturday, Boris could have been standing there say see leadership, got to stick to the rules, all in this together and btw we are winning, deaths down, some shops to open...
If you show no backbone to every witch-hunt then where does it end?0 -
Clearly the government and experts believe Gupta at Oxford is right because they can't undo the lockdown fast enough now that Cummings is in shit.0
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What next? Gove: I went driving after a line to see if I could take another line?0
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Going for a drive is NOT a valid test of your eyesight, even if you're fortunate enough to be okay after all. When I'm flying, if I think something's wrong with my aircraft, I don't use the test "I'll go for a flight and see if the wing falls off," because if there IS anything wrong, you're in trouble.Philip_Thompson said:
Not if his eyesight wasn't defective.CorrectHorseBattery said:https://twitter.com/LiberalSimon/status/1264956500637880320
Broke. The. Law.
You don't use a test like that where failing means someone's in danger. And especially you don't put your small child in the back if you're foolish enough to do it in the first place.
I'm sorry, but when I learned to drive it was drummed into me that a car is a lethal weapon if you're not driving sensibly and with all your faculties. You do not, to test your faculties, go driving.
Why couldn't he simply wait a couple more days until he was definitely better? It's not as if Boris desperately needed his advice, and he could keep up with things over his encrypted laptop if he needed to.
You may think it's a reasonable thing to do. Many others do not.2 -
Ego, I suspect. Dom wants to be a big man, the known man, it's not enough to be the smartest and best (in his opinion), everyone must know he is and hate him for it to boot. It explains his 'cooler than thou' persona.FrancisUrquhart said:
I genuinely can't understand from both boris or big dom perspective. Just do a Mandy & still advise unofficially.Benpointer said:
Agreed. Why on earth then has he not done that?FrancisUrquhart said:If Dom had gone Saturday, Boris could have been standing there say see leadership, got to stick to the rules, all in this together and btw we are winning, deaths down, some shops to open...
Why else not take the easy way as you suggest?0 -
"Puerile rubbish"
"Unpaid troll"
"Brainwashed cultist"
"Massive annoyance"
"Barely tolerable"
All these and more in: CorrectHorseBattery The Movie4 -
Two optionsCyclefree said:I wonder exactly where on the outskirts of Barnard Castle near a river he stopped. At what time? And how long for?
Why would he give such a silly explanation when there is a more obvious one available?
A) it’s true - people often do things that are silly in the cold light of day
it’s a lie to cover up a transgression. I find this difficult to believe - he had plenty of time to come up with a better story 0 -
Exactly!FrancisUrquhart said:
I genuinely can't understand from both boris or big dom perspective. Just do a Mandy & still advise unofficially.Benpointer said:
Agreed. Why on earth then has he not done that?FrancisUrquhart said:If Dom had gone Saturday, Boris could have been standing there say see leadership, got to stick to the rules, all in this together and btw we are winning, deaths down, some shops to open...
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Departure pre Press Conference of Whitty and Valance looks potentially very serious.
However maybe not - Doyle was there and there wouldn't have been time for her to come in after they went.
So maybe plan was to use Doyle all along.0 -
If so, you may not have Parkinson’s but you’re definitely barking.anotherex_tory said:So following classic Dom's sage advice today I'm going to confirm whether or not I have Parkinson's disease by attempting to use an angle grinder to cut-up a paving slab supported between two dogs. If all three of us survive I guess its a no!
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Not exactly defending him to the hilt.CarlottaVance said:Interesting choice of words:
https://twitter.com/RishiSunak/status/1264986421791784960?s=200 -
Returning to work if able was an instruction. He checked to see if he was safe to drive so he could return to workGallowgate said:
What are you on about @Charles ? Come on, you’re better than this. He left his “home” to go for a drive which was not necessary. He should have simply stayed at “home” if he wasn’t sure.Charles said:
Except that he didn’t. It might have been so he checked. If he’d decided it wasn’t safe to drive then he would have been in breach. But he was safe so he didn’t commit an offenceydoethur said:
FPT:rpjs said:
Dangerous driving.Brom said:
Which ones?TheScreamingEagles said:But he's likely admitted to a criminal offence or two, so it's not all bad.
ydoethur said:
It’s actually a separate, specific offence under Section 96 of the RTA (1988) to drive with impaired vision.CorrectHorseBattery said:
That was what I thought. Driving without care and attention.ydoethur said:
That’s what I cannot believe. Even if you accept his version of lockdown/quarantine, which the Attorney General does but a judge may not, he’s just freely admitted to a crime live on air.rpjs said:
It doesn’t matter where he drove. If he drive just one foot on the public highway with reason to think his vision was insufficient to safely drive then he committed an offence.Sandpit said:
Did no-one listen to what Cummings actually said?CorrectHorseBattery said:
He drove to the outskirts of the castle town, stopped briefly by a river and returned to his lodgings. Didn't go near the castle.
What a numpty.
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/52/section/96
96 Driving with uncorrected defective eyesight.
(1)If a person drives a motor vehicle on a road while his eyesight is such (whether through a defect which cannot be or one which is not for the time being sufficiently corrected) that he cannot comply with any requirement as to eyesight prescribed under this Part of this Act for the purposes of tests of competence to drive, he is guilty of an offence.
Staying at home wasn’t a request, it was an instruction remember!0 -
TBH, i think the public have decided this already...but they will be using Cumming excuse like they previously used "but im confused" one.rottenborough said:Clearly the government and experts believe Gupta at Oxford is right because they can't undo the lockdown fast enough now that Cummings is in shit.
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Except if he spread it to someone who died.TGOHF666 said:“Nobody died and the Guardian lied”
And all the people who died, and their families weren't allowed to see them, when he was swanning around a big house because of a patently concocted story about driving while maybe incapacitated / maybe blind.
And it was the cops who changed their story after telling the newspapers.0 -
I don't think he said he couldn't see. I think he said he thought he had gotten better but wanted to test his driving before going on a long drive.EPG said:
He is lying about driving because he thought he couldn't see. Can we at least agree on that? He didn't get in a car because he thought he could not see.Philip_Thompson said:
Because Cummings is a valued member of his team who acted reasonably as the Police confirmed and has been unreasonably attacked by the Guardian who've printed lies about him in a politically motivated witch-hunt?Benpointer said:
Agreed. Why on earth then has he not done that?FrancisUrquhart said:If Dom had gone Saturday, Boris could have been standing there say see leadership, got to stick to the rules, all in this together and btw we are winning, deaths down, some shops to open...
If you show no backbone to every witch-hunt then where does it end?
In the immortal words of Spock: It's only logical.0 -
Cyclefree said:
30 miles is not a short drive. A test drive if you think you might not be safe is not one where you bring your wife and child. You risk putting them - as well as others - at serious risk.Philip_Thompson said:
I have addressed it repeatedly. Safety comes first. Before going on a long cross country drive after illness going on a short drive first makes sense.Gallowgate said:@Philip_Thompson has yet to address this, obviously.
https://twitter.com/davidallengreen/status/1264963267136544769?s=21
Honestly sometimes you do give the impression you will swallow any old rubbish.
I doubt PT actually believes it himself, he's not stupid, he's simply trying to spin it as best he can in the hope that the rest of us are stupid. .3 -
Personally, if there was any doubt and I'd been that ill recently, and I had the facilities to work from home and my boss who I advise was not at work and recuperating for the next two weeks anyway, I think I'd have waited a few more days first.Charles said:
His wife needed to be in the car - it was her who was worried about him being safe to drive. So the son had to come because he was too young to stay home alone and it would have been a breach of the rules to intermingle two householdsAndy_Cooke said:
With your kid in the car?Philip_Thompson said:
If I felt my vision currently impaired I wouldn't get behind the wheel.Andy_Cooke said:Just as a question: @Philip_Thompson - as the father of a young lad yourself, would you, if there was reason to suspect your eyesight might be impaired, test it by going for a 30-mile drive with your son in the car? Rather than, say, wait a few more days and check in over Zoom.
I really wouldn’t, myself, but I’m wondering if I’m overcautious
If I felt safe to drive but was concerned after a serious illness I'd certainly consider a short drive first before setting off on a cross country drive.
I wouldn’t, not if there was any reasonable chance I might be incapable. Such as when he was too sick to continue for a while at Barnard’s Castle.
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Irish premier Leo Varadkar was pictured meeting friends in Dublin's Phoenix Park yesterday - despite official warnings against having picnics.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8355021/Topless-Irish-Taoiseach-Leo-Varadkar-caught-having-picnic.html1 -
Perhaps, but people often have plenty of time to come up with things and come up with something crap. It's like those Novichok conspiracies abotu how the Russians couldn't be involved because they wouldn't have cocked things up.Charles said:find this difficult to believe - he had plenty of time to come up with a better story
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He is the second most important man in the govt. He can get a govt driver there within the hour (maybe police to take them within 15 mins if needed) let alone one for a drive the next day.Andy_Cooke said:
Going for a drive is NOT a valid test of your eyesight, even if you're fortunate enough to be okay after all. When I'm flying, if I think something's wrong with my aircraft, I don't use the test "I'll go for a flight and see if the wing falls off," because if there IS anything wrong, you're in trouble.Philip_Thompson said:
Not if his eyesight wasn't defective.CorrectHorseBattery said:https://twitter.com/LiberalSimon/status/1264956500637880320
Broke. The. Law.
You don't use a test like that where failing means someone's in danger. And especially you don't put your small child in the back if you're foolish enough to do it in the first place.
I'm sorry, but when I learned to drive it was drummed into me that a car is a lethal weapon if you're not driving sensibly and with all your faculties. You do not, to test your faculties, go driving.
Why couldn't he simply wait a couple more days until he was definitely better? It's not as if Boris desperately needed his advice, and he could keep up with things over his encrypted laptop if he needed to.
You may think it's a reasonable thing to do. Many others do not.
It is no more reasonable than Prince Phillip driving when he cant see. But it almost certainly didnt happen as said so its a moot point.0 -
Assume you don't want be played by Cumberbatch, might cause confusion in the minds of the gentle viewers.CorrectHorseBattery said:"Puerile rubbish"
"Unpaid troll"
"Brainwashed cultist"
"Massive annoyance"
"Barely tolerable"
All these and more in: CorrectHorseBattery The Movie0 -
Could you at least make Corbyn Shadow Ambassador to Venezuela, just for a laugh? I know there's no such position, but he won't...CorrectHorseBattery said:
No.BluestBlue said:
Can't we at least have your hair? It's such lovely hair. Or at least the name of your gel supplier, for goodness' sake?CorrectHorseBattery said:
You cannot have a place in my cabinet.kle4 said:
I think you have better uses of your time, Sir Keir, but congratulations on showing up your predecessor in record time.CorrectHorseBattery said:
Yes, I am in fact Keir Starmer.squareroot2 said:
There is nothing genuine you ever write about the Tories/Boris. Its a given its bile ridden. You are some sort of Labour party official are you not ?CorrectHorseBattery said:Genuinely one of the worst conferences he has done
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Dom's going to make sure his rifle is empty by firing it at a dog.1
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Thought Dom might play meTheuniondivvie said:
Assume you don't want be played by Cumberbatch, might cause confusion in the minds of the gentle viewers.CorrectHorseBattery said:"Puerile rubbish"
"Unpaid troll"
"Brainwashed cultist"
"Massive annoyance"
"Barely tolerable"
All these and more in: CorrectHorseBattery The Movie0 -
Pure coincidence it was on his wife's birthday?Philip_Thompson said:
I don't think he said he couldn't see. I think he said he thought he had gotten better but wanted to test his driving before going on a live drive.EPG said:
He is lying about driving because he thought he couldn't see. Can we at least agree on that? He didn't get in a car because he thought he could not see.Philip_Thompson said:
Because Cummings is a valued member of his team who acted reasonably as the Police confirmed and has been unreasonably attacked by the Guardian who've printed lies about him in a politically motivated witch-hunt?Benpointer said:
Agreed. Why on earth then has he not done that?FrancisUrquhart said:If Dom had gone Saturday, Boris could have been standing there say see leadership, got to stick to the rules, all in this together and btw we are winning, deaths down, some shops to open...
If you show no backbone to every witch-hunt then where does it end?
In the immortal words of Spock: It's only logical.4 -
This is right.kle4 said:
Ego, I suspect. Dom wants to be a big man, the known man, it's not enough to be the smartest and best (in his opinion), everyone must know he is and hate him for it to boot. It explains his 'cooler than thou' persona.FrancisUrquhart said:
I genuinely can't understand from both boris or big dom perspective. Just do a Mandy & still advise unofficially.Benpointer said:
Agreed. Why on earth then has he not done that?FrancisUrquhart said:If Dom had gone Saturday, Boris could have been standing there say see leadership, got to stick to the rules, all in this together and btw we are winning, deaths down, some shops to open...
Why else not take the easy way as you suggest?
Cummings wants personally to win and be the cleverest in the room.
Mandy, ultimately, was a Party man. Yes, he enjoyed the "ooh, aren't I naughty?" stuff, the gossip and the intrigue. But, if push came to shove, he knew he was part of a common endeavour and would live with not personally winning everything for the sake of the bigger game.1 -
No.BluestBlue said:
Could you at least make Corbyn Shadow Ambassador to Venezuela, just for a laugh? I know there's no such position, but he won't...CorrectHorseBattery said:
No.BluestBlue said:
Can't we at least have your hair? It's such lovely hair. Or at least the name of your gel supplier, for goodness' sake?CorrectHorseBattery said:
You cannot have a place in my cabinet.kle4 said:
I think you have better uses of your time, Sir Keir, but congratulations on showing up your predecessor in record time.CorrectHorseBattery said:
Yes, I am in fact Keir Starmer.squareroot2 said:
There is nothing genuine you ever write about the Tories/Boris. Its a given its bile ridden. You are some sort of Labour party official are you not ?CorrectHorseBattery said:Genuinely one of the worst conferences he has done
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Surprised nobody has posted:
Ian Watson (BBC political reporter) on BBC1: Pressure on Cummings has diminished.0 -
In any case, seeing as the damage has been done public health wise, and Boris, to provide a dead cat, has effectively signalled it's all over anyway, please keep him on.
Bed is made. Let Boris and the Tories bloody well lie in it.0 -
The logical thing to do is get someone else to drive!Philip_Thompson said:
I don't think he said he couldn't see. I think he said he thought he had gotten better but wanted to test his driving before going on a long drive.EPG said:
He is lying about driving because he thought he couldn't see. Can we at least agree on that? He didn't get in a car because he thought he could not see.Philip_Thompson said:
Because Cummings is a valued member of his team who acted reasonably as the Police confirmed and has been unreasonably attacked by the Guardian who've printed lies about him in a politically motivated witch-hunt?Benpointer said:
Agreed. Why on earth then has he not done that?FrancisUrquhart said:If Dom had gone Saturday, Boris could have been standing there say see leadership, got to stick to the rules, all in this together and btw we are winning, deaths down, some shops to open...
If you show no backbone to every witch-hunt then where does it end?
In the immortal words of Spock: It's only logical.
What if he could only drive for 90 mins but then the eye problems made him tired, halfway thru the journey?
Why not just call for a driver?1 -
I hope Cummings survives. [EDIT: Even though I lose a bet]
This is operating at several levels.
There is the basic emotional level across all political opinions that this stinks. One law for us, another for them. I agree with that. Tory MPs are getting this in their in-trays in spades. That's the political raw material.
The Left wing and maybe some Remainers see this as a way at undermining Johnson's credibility and possibly getting a change of Tory leader and softening of policy on the EU (Hunt?).
But the worrying movement is by the hard Brexiteeers who have always hated Cummings who is a soft Brexiteer (Farage, Baker etc hate him). Baker led the charge by Tory MPs. If they can get rid of Cummings, they stand a better change of getting a No Deal Brexit. Cummings is a steadying force in this Cabinet of half-wits. I hope he survives.0 -
So you would have chosen to break the law/guidelines?TheScreamingEagles said:
I'm sorry this is utter bollocks, if I wasn't sure about my ability to drive, I wouldn't take my kids along to make sure, I'd have left them with the nieces.Sandpit said:
Because he never actually met his nieces during his trip, as he said today.TheScreamingEagles said:
So why take his son? He had nieces who could look after the child if he wasn't sure about his ability to drive?Philip_Thompson said:
I have addressed it repeatedly. Safety comes first. Before going on a long cross country drive after illness going on a short drive first makes sense.Gallowgate said:@Philip_Thompson has yet to address this, obviously.
https://twitter.com/davidallengreen/status/1264963267136544769?s=21
They were on standby in case both parents fell sick at the same time and were unable to look after him, but as it happens weren't required.0 -
It's reasonable. Before going on a cross country drive I'd go on a half hour drive in those circumstances. It's what I was taught to do. I don't know local are not 30 miles is half an hour if it's national speed limit.OllyT said:Cyclefree said:
30 miles is not a short drive. A test drive if you think you might not be safe is not one where you bring your wife and child. You risk putting them - as well as others - at serious risk.Philip_Thompson said:
I have addressed it repeatedly. Safety comes first. Before going on a long cross country drive after illness going on a short drive first makes sense.Gallowgate said:@Philip_Thompson has yet to address this, obviously.
https://twitter.com/davidallengreen/status/1264963267136544769?s=21
Honestly sometimes you do give the impression you will swallow any old rubbish.
I doubt PT actually believes it himself, he's not stupid, he's simply trying to spin it as best he can in the hope that the rest of us are stupid. .0 -
Meanwhile.....
https://twitter.com/paulhutcheon/status/1264898348529655809?s=20
What was on their mind in the early part of the year?
https://twitter.com/scottishbigstu/status/1264899677146710016?s=200 -
The point is it is vague enough to cover multiple sightings in the area over a long time period unless the witnesses were writing down the times of the sightings.Charles said:
Two optionsCyclefree said:I wonder exactly where on the outskirts of Barnard Castle near a river he stopped. At what time? And how long for?
Why would he give such a silly explanation when there is a more obvious one available?
A) it’s true - people often do things that are silly in the cold light of day it’s a lie to cover up a transgression. I find this difficult to believe - he had plenty of time to come up with a better story 0 -
“Nobody died and the Guardian lied”
that really should be the epitaph of this whole affair.3 -
New poll just in:
I am puerile rubbish!2 -
More than that, Rishi just comments on the agreed and obvious thought - that DC is trying to protect his child - and says that he, Rishi, 'believes that he has explained himself'.AlastairMeeks said:
Not exactly defending him to the hilt.CarlottaVance said:Interesting choice of words:
https://twitter.com/RishiSunak/status/1264986421791784960?s=20
I too believe DC has explained himself. (Though I think the explanation is thin).
To defend him Rishi would have to say 'that I believe him'. It is noticeable that no-one is saying this - including Boris.
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I don't agree with this at all, as we all have to lie in their foetid bed.Andy_Cooke said:In any case, seeing as the damage has been done public health wise, and Boris, to provide a dead cat, has effectively signalled it's all over anyway, please keep him on.
Bed is made. Let Boris and the Tories bloody well lie in it.
There will be a second wave, and the measures needed to restrict it will be significantly more difficult to take.0 -
I would have hired a driver for the trip and my means are a tiny fraction of his families. And he could have had a driver for free.Charles said:
So you would have chosen to break the law/guidelines?TheScreamingEagles said:
I'm sorry this is utter bollocks, if I wasn't sure about my ability to drive, I wouldn't take my kids along to make sure, I'd have left them with the nieces.Sandpit said:
Because he never actually met his nieces during his trip, as he said today.TheScreamingEagles said:
So why take his son? He had nieces who could look after the child if he wasn't sure about his ability to drive?Philip_Thompson said:
I have addressed it repeatedly. Safety comes first. Before going on a long cross country drive after illness going on a short drive first makes sense.Gallowgate said:@Philip_Thompson has yet to address this, obviously.
https://twitter.com/davidallengreen/status/1264963267136544769?s=21
They were on standby in case both parents fell sick at the same time and were unable to look after him, but as it happens weren't required.0 -
Deleted0
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Dom brought a symptomatic person on a long drive to a second home in the NorthBannedinnParis said:“Nobody died and the Guardian lied”
that really should be the epitaph of this whole affair.
Dom lied about going for a bloody eye test - unless you are wilfully credulous0 -
So what was the bloody point of him going up to Durham if he wasn't going to use the support network he needed ?Charles said:
So you would have chosen to break the law/guidelines?TheScreamingEagles said:
I'm sorry this is utter bollocks, if I wasn't sure about my ability to drive, I wouldn't take my kids along to make sure, I'd have left them with the nieces.Sandpit said:
Because he never actually met his nieces during his trip, as he said today.TheScreamingEagles said:
So why take his son? He had nieces who could look after the child if he wasn't sure about his ability to drive?Philip_Thompson said:
I have addressed it repeatedly. Safety comes first. Before going on a long cross country drive after illness going on a short drive first makes sense.Gallowgate said:@Philip_Thompson has yet to address this, obviously.
https://twitter.com/davidallengreen/status/1264963267136544769?s=21
They were on standby in case both parents fell sick at the same time and were unable to look after him, but as it happens weren't required.0 -
Maybe. The timeline matches what he said.Benpointer said:
Pure coincidence it was on his wife's birthday?Philip_Thompson said:
I don't think he said he couldn't see. I think he said he thought he had gotten better but wanted to test his driving before going on a live drive.EPG said:
He is lying about driving because he thought he couldn't see. Can we at least agree on that? He didn't get in a car because he thought he could not see.Philip_Thompson said:
Because Cummings is a valued member of his team who acted reasonably as the Police confirmed and has been unreasonably attacked by the Guardian who've printed lies about him in a politically motivated witch-hunt?Benpointer said:
Agreed. Why on earth then has he not done that?FrancisUrquhart said:If Dom had gone Saturday, Boris could have been standing there say see leadership, got to stick to the rules, all in this together and btw we are winning, deaths down, some shops to open...
If you show no backbone to every witch-hunt then where does it end?
In the immortal words of Spock: It's only logical.0 -
Today is the first time I have really seen or heard from Cummings and outside of the bubble he did not look like the monster he is portrayed as and he did prove the Guardian were wrong when they said he had gone back and the Guardian lied about the police speaking to Cummings himself. It will be interesting to see if the Guardian retract and apologisebackinthedhss said:Tribal politics is alive and kicking I see, pathetic.
Johnson was abysmal last night but much better this evening, thanks in large to the inane questions from a desperate media. They want a scalp and they are not going to get it.
Johnson fended them off really easily and even managed to get in a dig at the Guardian and their false reporting.
To be honest I am not remotely interested in what the likes of CHB thinks, it puerile rubbish.
However I am interested in what Big G thinks as he was so critical last night
My wife listened with me and felt he had given an honest and frank statement and indeed the vox pop from Barnard Castle seemed to bear that out, with some support for Cummings, especially from women
The divides on here are self evident but I expect he will retain his job, the polls will be bad for Boris, and the gap to labour will close
In a 4 year parliament it is not the event that decides GE 24, it is the way HMG deals with the economic armageddon that will.
As for Boris he lost me last night and I believe he needs to go on paternity leave, he has not recovered by some distance from covid2 -
Top rated comments on MailOnline:
"Thanks for the explanation but it still seems like double standards."
"One rule for us another for them. And him."
"Looks like Cummings is in charge and Boris is just doing what he's told. It's a farce"
"The arrogance of these people, 30 minutes when the whole country is waiting, still wrong, so wrong Lawbreaker and should not be setting rules for us."
"This is BS. Damage limitation exercise"
"What a story!! He's so lucky he kept a diary of all his feelings and movements during this time!!!! Complete joke I'm embarrassed for him."
"This sounds like a script, composed afterwards, to fit the known facts."
"The longest excuse in the history of excuses!"
""I drove half an hour to Barnard Castle to make sure I could drive"... RESIGN!"
"So his wife had symptoms but didnt self isolate, and he was in barnard castle, we are being taken for mugs here"1 -
This is not the end of the story.
There will come more evidence soon to show that he is lying, and this story will rumble on.
He's just too arrogant to realise this.0 -
The BBC, ITV and Sky need some clean skins - reporters untainted by Brexit - to come in and provide news not views.
Jason Groves of the Daily Mail basically stood arms folded and cried at the podium whilst stamping his foot.
It’s not reporting the news for this mob anymore - it’s a personal slight. See also the harridan Rigby and the fanboy of the fox killer from C4.4 -
Even if you think the explanation would provide a reasonable excuse under sec 6, Do you actually believe him?Philip_Thompson said:
It's reasonable. Before going on a cross country drive I'd go on a half hour drive in those circumstances. It's what I was taught to do. I don't know local are not 30 miles is half an hour if it's national speed limit.OllyT said:Cyclefree said:
30 miles is not a short drive. A test drive if you think you might not be safe is not one where you bring your wife and child. You risk putting them - as well as others - at serious risk.Philip_Thompson said:
I have addressed it repeatedly. Safety comes first. Before going on a long cross country drive after illness going on a short drive first makes sense.Gallowgate said:@Philip_Thompson has yet to address this, obviously.
https://twitter.com/davidallengreen/status/1264963267136544769?s=21
Honestly sometimes you do give the impression you will swallow any old rubbish.
I doubt PT actually believes it himself, he's not stupid, he's simply trying to spin it as best he can in the hope that the rest of us are stupid. .
0 -
Big garden and well away from the plebs?TheScreamingEagles said:
So what was the bloody point of him going up to Durham if he wasn't going to use the support network he needed ?Charles said:
So you would have chosen to break the law/guidelines?TheScreamingEagles said:
I'm sorry this is utter bollocks, if I wasn't sure about my ability to drive, I wouldn't take my kids along to make sure, I'd have left them with the nieces.Sandpit said:
Because he never actually met his nieces during his trip, as he said today.TheScreamingEagles said:
So why take his son? He had nieces who could look after the child if he wasn't sure about his ability to drive?Philip_Thompson said:
I have addressed it repeatedly. Safety comes first. Before going on a long cross country drive after illness going on a short drive first makes sense.Gallowgate said:@Philip_Thompson has yet to address this, obviously.
https://twitter.com/davidallengreen/status/1264963267136544769?s=21
They were on standby in case both parents fell sick at the same time and were unable to look after him, but as it happens weren't required.1 -
Leaver extremists are so morally compromised, they back one rule for lying Dom and cokehead Gove, and another for the rest of usTGOHF666 said:The BBC, ITV and Sky need some clean skins - reporters untainted by Brexit - to come in and provide news not views.
Jason Groves of the Daily Mail basically stood arms folded and cried at the podium whilst stamping his foot.
It’s not reporting the news for this mob anymore - it’s a personal slight. See also the harridan Rigby and the fanboy of the fox killer from C4.2 -
I am pretty sure he is hoping tonight that no one saw him stop for a wee on the A1 on that desperate, mad dash North to save his family.EPG said:
Dom brought a symptomatic person on a long drive to a second home in the NorthBannedinnParis said:“Nobody died and the Guardian lied”
that really should be the epitaph of this whole affair.
Dom lied about going for a bloody eye test - unless you are wilfully credulous0 -
-
From what I can gather from various public comments and conversations those on the health side of things are ranging from incandescent to volcanic.MikeL said:Departure pre Press Conference of Whitty and Valance looks potentially very serious.
However maybe not - Doyle was there and there wouldn't have been time for her to come in after they went.
So maybe plan was to use Doyle all along.0 -
They were feeling rather better, so went on a day trip to a local beauty spot because it was her birthday.Philip_Thompson said:
Maybe. The timeline matches what he said.Benpointer said:
Pure coincidence it was on his wife's birthday?Philip_Thompson said:
I don't think he said he couldn't see. I think he said he thought he had gotten better but wanted to test his driving before going on a live drive.EPG said:
He is lying about driving because he thought he couldn't see. Can we at least agree on that? He didn't get in a car because he thought he could not see.Philip_Thompson said:
Because Cummings is a valued member of his team who acted reasonably as the Police confirmed and has been unreasonably attacked by the Guardian who've printed lies about him in a politically motivated witch-hunt?Benpointer said:
Agreed. Why on earth then has he not done that?FrancisUrquhart said:If Dom had gone Saturday, Boris could have been standing there say see leadership, got to stick to the rules, all in this together and btw we are winning, deaths down, some shops to open...
If you show no backbone to every witch-hunt then where does it end?
In the immortal words of Spock: It's only logical.
It all fits with the timelines. But it was a clear breach of the publicised rules.
The self eye-test thing reminds me of the Labour MP who claimed his expenses claims were all part of self-diagnosed OCD. It's a joke.1 -
My wife is a better driver than me but doesn’t like long drives so I do all motorway driving.TheScreamingEagles said:
Well he said the trip towards the Barnard Castle area to test it was safe to drive for him, but why didn't let his wife drive instead if he wasn't sure about driving.Charles said:
What unravelled? I didn’t get all the q&a but did he say Mary doesn’t drive?CorrectHorseBattery said:https://twitter.com/LeoHickman/status/1264964143985184768
Ah, that unravelled quickly.0 -
Bit of a mixed day.
We left home for the first time in months for a half hour's drive. No, we didn't go to Barnard Castle. I can confirm that the world beyond our gate looks much the same as it did in March. Didn't see anyone with a face covering.
Got home to find out that my mother-in-law had a heart attack this morning. She seems to be doing OK, but of course we can't go to visit her in hospital. At least Wor Lass is able to phone her.
2 -
Not least because they know they wouldn't be afforded the same protection.ukpaul said:
From what I can gather from various public comments and conversations those on the health side of things are ranging from incandescent to volcanic.MikeL said:Departure pre Press Conference of Whitty and Valance looks potentially very serious.
However maybe not - Doyle was there and there wouldn't have been time for her to come in after they went.
So maybe plan was to use Doyle all along.0 -
-
ICummings might yet sue .nunu2 said:This is not the end of the story.
There will come more evidence soon to show that he is lying, and this story will rumble on.
He's just too arrogant to realise this.1 -
Why didnt he ask for a govt driver? He is the second most important person in govt.Charles said:
My wife is a better driver than me but doesn’t like long drives so I do all motorway driving.TheScreamingEagles said:
Well he said the trip towards the Barnard Castle area to test it was safe to drive for him, but why didn't let his wife drive instead if he wasn't sure about driving.Charles said:
What unravelled? I didn’t get all the q&a but did he say Mary doesn’t drive?CorrectHorseBattery said:https://twitter.com/LeoHickman/status/1264964143985184768
Ah, that unravelled quickly.0 -
https://twitter.com/RishiSunak/status/1264986421791784960
Patel has gone right up in my estimation unless she has also gone travelling up the A1 looking at ruined castles.0 -
Wuthering Heights fits very exactly a carefully thought out time line. That doesn't mean it isn't fiction.Philip_Thompson said:
Maybe. The timeline matches what he said.Benpointer said:
Pure coincidence it was on his wife's birthday?Philip_Thompson said:
I don't think he said he couldn't see. I think he said he thought he had gotten better but wanted to test his driving before going on a live drive.EPG said:
He is lying about driving because he thought he couldn't see. Can we at least agree on that? He didn't get in a car because he thought he could not see.Philip_Thompson said:
Because Cummings is a valued member of his team who acted reasonably as the Police confirmed and has been unreasonably attacked by the Guardian who've printed lies about him in a politically motivated witch-hunt?Benpointer said:
Agreed. Why on earth then has he not done that?FrancisUrquhart said:If Dom had gone Saturday, Boris could have been standing there say see leadership, got to stick to the rules, all in this together and btw we are winning, deaths down, some shops to open...
If you show no backbone to every witch-hunt then where does it end?
In the immortal words of Spock: It's only logical.
1 -
Good questions:
https://twitter.com/p_surridge/status/1264993832040570881?s=21
Has public health been compromised to try to save Dominic Cummings’ neck?1 -
Interesting analysis.Barnesian said:I hope Cummings survives. [EDIT: Even though I lose a bet]
This is operating at several levels.
There is the basic emotional level across all political opinions that this stinks. One law for us, another for them. I agree with that. Tory MPs are getting this in their in-trays in spades. That's the political raw material.
The Left wing and maybe some Remainers see this as a way at undermining Johnson's credibility and possibly getting a change of Tory leader and softening of policy on the EU (Hunt?).
But the worrying movement is by the hard Brexiteeers who have always hated Cummings who is a soft Brexiteer (Farage, Baker etc hate him). Baker led the charge by Tory MPs. If they can get rid of Cummings, they stand a better change of getting a No Deal Brexit. Cummings is a steadying force in this Cabinet of half-wits. I hope he survives.
As I said the other day for me it is not a matter of hoping he goes, rather of believing that there is a fundamentally important reason why he must go - which is faith in and adherence to the guidance which, for all the other many things the Government have done wrong, I still believe is the best chance we have of bringing the virus under control with the minimum of further deaths. Cummings staying undermines that.
However as a Brexiteer I also agree with your analysis that Cummings is a pragmatic and a moderating force as far as the type of Brexit we achieve is concerned. So I do worry about who will gain further influence once he is gone.
Finally, whilst he is a moderating influence as far as Brexit is concerned, he is undoubtedly a radical if not a proto-revolutionary when it comes to remodelling the way our country is governed. Again I am a strong advocate of this and do think that when he falls, so will fall the once in a century chance to really reform the civil service and all aspects of Government in Britain. I regret that but still feel that people's lives are more important so he should go.1 -
I agree about last night but thought he was back and fighting this evening, though I do agree that this has taken a lot out of him.Big_G_NorthWales said:
Today is the first time I have really seen or heard from Cummings and outside of the bubble he did not look like the monster he is portrayed as and he did prove the Guardian were wrong when they said he had gone back and the Guardian lied about the police speaking to Cummings himself. It will be interesting to see if the Guardian retract and apologisebackinthedhss said:Tribal politics is alive and kicking I see, pathetic.
Johnson was abysmal last night but much better this evening, thanks in large to the inane questions from a desperate media. They want a scalp and they are not going to get it.
Johnson fended them off really easily and even managed to get in a dig at the Guardian and their false reporting.
To be honest I am not remotely interested in what the likes of CHB thinks, it puerile rubbish.
However I am interested in what Big G thinks as he was so critical last night
My wife listened with me and felt he had given an honest and frank statement and indeed the vox pop from Barnard Castle seemed to bear that out, with some support for Cummings, especially from women
The divides on here are self evident but I expect he will retain his job, the polls will be bad for Boris, and the gap to labour will close
In a 4 year parliament it is not the event that decides GE 24, it is the way HMG deals with the economic armageddon that will.
As for Boris he lost me last night and I believe he needs to go on paternity leave, he has not recovered by some distance from covid
I reckon if he gets to the end of the year and we have left the EU, regardless of whether there is a trade deal or not, he will retire on health grounds and he will be able to say he got Brexit done1 -
On the short drive before a cross country one after an illness. Yes, it's what I'd do in those circumstances.algarkirk said:
Even if you think the explanation would provide a reasonable excuse under sec 6, Do you actually believe him?Philip_Thompson said:
It's reasonable. Before going on a cross country drive I'd go on a half hour drive in those circumstances. It's what I was taught to do. I don't know local are not 30 miles is half an hour if it's national speed limit.OllyT said:Cyclefree said:
30 miles is not a short drive. A test drive if you think you might not be safe is not one where you bring your wife and child. You risk putting them - as well as others - at serious risk.Philip_Thompson said:
I have addressed it repeatedly. Safety comes first. Before going on a long cross country drive after illness going on a short drive first makes sense.Gallowgate said:@Philip_Thompson has yet to address this, obviously.
https://twitter.com/davidallengreen/status/1264963267136544769?s=21
Honestly sometimes you do give the impression you will swallow any old rubbish.
I doubt PT actually believes it himself, he's not stupid, he's simply trying to spin it as best he can in the hope that the rest of us are stupid. .0 -
I take it from all the ballyhoo on here that Cummings is still running the UK?0
-
Well, opticians are closed I suppose, so what better way to test your eyesight than drive a large metal object several miles. We’ve all done it.0
-
They have dropped the slogan stay home the last 2 days. It was used in virtually every press conference for over 2 months, but they cant say the words anymore.AlastairMeeks said:Good questions:
https://twitter.com/p_surridge/status/1264993832040570881?s=21
Has public health been compromised to try to save Dominic Cummings’ neck?
Its now stay alert and self isolate.0 -
Interesting day. I am still angry with Cummings. We have all being staying at home and obeying the lockdown. He could have stayed at home too and arrange childcare for his son if they both fell really sick. But other rules apply to him. ThIs has damaged the governments message.
1 -
Who is first?noneoftheabove said:
Why didnt he ask for a govt driver? He is the second most important person in govt.Charles said:
My wife is a better driver than me but doesn’t like long drives so I do all motorway driving.TheScreamingEagles said:
Well he said the trip towards the Barnard Castle area to test it was safe to drive for him, but why didn't let his wife drive instead if he wasn't sure about driving.Charles said:
What unravelled? I didn’t get all the q&a but did he say Mary doesn’t drive?CorrectHorseBattery said:https://twitter.com/LeoHickman/status/1264964143985184768
Ah, that unravelled quickly.
1 -
Betfair "Year of Boris' Departure" market. Note that this is for Conservative leader, and the mess that happened with settlement dates when Mrs May departed.
Date - back - lay
2020 - 4.6 - 5.9
2021 - 6.0 - 8.0
2022 - 8.4 - 110
2023 - 8.4 - 12
2024+ 1.99 - 2.02
https://www.betfair.com/exchange/politics/event/28051208/multi-market?marketIds=1.1606839730 -
Cummings has survived.
But I am far from convinced this is the right outcome for the government. A narrative has been created that there is one rule for those in power, and one for the rest of us.
Labour is no longer run by a complete idiot, and I suspect this message will be repeated and repeated and repeated. Every scandal and misdemeanor will be seen through this lens.
11 -
I back the same law for everyone.EPG said:
Leaver extremists are so morally compromised, they back one rule for lying Dom and cokehead Gove, and another for the rest of usTGOHF666 said:The BBC, ITV and Sky need some clean skins - reporters untainted by Brexit - to come in and provide news not views.
Jason Groves of the Daily Mail basically stood arms folded and cried at the podium whilst stamping his foot.
It’s not reporting the news for this mob anymore - it’s a personal slight. See also the harridan Rigby and the fanboy of the fox killer from C4.
If Dom has broken the law that's inexcusable. If he's not this is a stupid distraction from real news.1 -
Shame that we don't have any journalists with the wit to ask themAlastairMeeks said:Good questions:
https://twitter.com/p_surridge/status/1264993832040570881?s=21
Has public health been compromised to try to save Dominic Cummings’ neck?1 -
Oh well, better leave it to the man who's was in bed for 10 days and you ate worried about his physical well being then.Charles said:
My wife is a better driver than me but doesn’t like long drives so I do all motorway driving.TheScreamingEagles said:
Well he said the trip towards the Barnard Castle area to test it was safe to drive for him, but why didn't let his wife drive instead if he wasn't sure about driving.Charles said:
What unravelled? I didn’t get all the q&a but did he say Mary doesn’t drive?CorrectHorseBattery said:https://twitter.com/LeoHickman/status/1264964143985184768
Ah, that unravelled quickly.0 -
"I drove for an hour every morning, slaloming past the road rage wrecks of battered trucks, up the 135 from Dallas to Denton".Charles said:
My wife is a better driver than me but doesn’t like long drives so I do all motorway driving.TheScreamingEagles said:
Well he said the trip towards the Barnard Castle area to test it was safe to drive for him, but why didn't let his wife drive instead if he wasn't sure about driving.Charles said:
What unravelled? I didn’t get all the q&a but did he say Mary doesn’t drive?CorrectHorseBattery said:https://twitter.com/LeoHickman/status/1264964143985184768
Ah, that unravelled quickly.
Also, that gets nowhere near the test of reasonable excuse. "The wife prefers not to drive - although she's fully qualified and certainly can - so I breached the rules".0 -
May be she doesn’t like long distance driving? May be her license has been suspended? May be she was looking after the kid? May be their “thing” is her giving him BJs while he drives.Saltire said:
No the idea is why couldn't Mary drive back and therefore why was the trip to Barnard Castle necessary to see if Dom could drive?Charles said:
What unravelled? I didn’t get all the q&a but did he say Mary doesn’t drive?CorrectHorseBattery said:https://twitter.com/LeoHickman/status/1264964143985184768
Ah, that unravelled quickly.
Who knows. But if he was safe to drive then it was probably their standard MO0 -
Hope the old MiL has a rapid and full recovery sirSandyRentool said:Bit of a mixed day.
We left home for the first time in months for a half hour's drive. No, we didn't go to Barnard Castle. I can confirm that the world beyond our gate looks much the same as it did in March. Didn't see anyone with a face covering.
Got home to find out that my mother-in-law had a heart attack this morning. She seems to be doing OK, but of course we can't go to visit her in hospital. At least Wor Lass is able to phone her.
2 -
Rishi?Richard_Tyndall said:
Who is first?noneoftheabove said:
Why didnt he ask for a govt driver? He is the second most important person in govt.Charles said:
My wife is a better driver than me but doesn’t like long drives so I do all motorway driving.TheScreamingEagles said:
Well he said the trip towards the Barnard Castle area to test it was safe to drive for him, but why didn't let his wife drive instead if he wasn't sure about driving.Charles said:
What unravelled? I didn’t get all the q&a but did he say Mary doesn’t drive?CorrectHorseBattery said:https://twitter.com/LeoHickman/status/1264964143985184768
Ah, that unravelled quickly.1
