The most astonishing thing about all this

[Inoneminute]

Is that an apparently indispensable spin doctor has read the mood of the nation so badly.

They spent 6 hours yesterday putting the plan together and what they came up with (you'd have all done the same if you were good parents) has got people way madder than the original story.

[JamieLeeCurtains]

Yes, as a Malcolm Tucker he's a bit shit really. Tucker-lite. Tuck-fuck. Tucky-tucker-stupid-fucker.

[Somerville]

Aye. How have these people not learned that it’s the cover up that gets you, not the crime.
I really though we were going to get a lame explanation in tandem with a lame half-apology, and then they’d stick fingers in their ears trying to ride out the calls for him to leave. I guess their gleeful calls for Ferguson to be investigated by the police made that difficult.
But trashing an entire public health message to say he followed his instinct to do the best thing for his family which has all along been allowable within the rules - astounding!
In one fell swoop they showed what mugs they think the country is. They showed that they’re elitist and out of touch. And they stuck a finger up at all of us who made painful choices that were not the best thing for our families, in order not to pass on the infection and risk killing others.

[picklemewalnuts]

If he had said that he became anxious that they would both be ill and unable to care for DC and that in an ill advised moment of panic he went to get closer to his support network....I'd respect him more.

[SorrelBlackbeak]

They could easily have said 'Yes, he fucked up in a moment of panic, he's spoken to the police and paid the fine, very sorry' it would all have gone away. Instead, the gaslighting has become the story.

[Somerville]

“Ill-advised moment of panic” was his best chance, I agree.
But he’s too arrogant for that. So he insisted the government trash their own public health messaging. Unbelievable that Johnson is so weak he did it!

[Medievalist]

Agree some humility and contrition would have gone a long way to diffuse things. Though he would have still had to go as precedents have been set.

Am thinking "ill-advised moment of panic" could be the new Tory slogan!

Also can't wait to see how many law-breakers use "following my instincts" as a defence .....

[WhatAWonderfulDay]

Absolutely! I shall now use instinct to make my decisions as it's within the rules, as stated by the govt while defending the indefensible.

Luckily my instinct says to stay put.

[SorrelBlackbeak]

It's also astonishing how pathetic Johnson is willing to make himself look IYSWIM.

Even John Major looked more competent and in control.

[onesmalldog]

Just bear it in mind for the future.

'It's what a good parent/son/daughter/spouse would do.'

[Trevsadick]

I am more shocked at how badly its been managed, than what he did.

I dont know what they are thinking. Such poor decisions being made.

[onesmalldog]

Probably the same team who came with the 'Get 'em up there, girls' tampon ad.

[PeterPomegranate]

100% agree that “mistake made in a moment of panic” would have been much more understandable and forgiven than “just doing what any good parent would have done and if you suckers would have stayed home and struggled on without help then more fool you”.

It’s an odd choice of line for someone supposedly so good at this stuff.

[catzrulz]

@JamieLeeCurtains We were chatting about this last night, what would Malcolm say.
You win the Internet for today 🤣

[JudyCoolibar]

Oh, I would so love to hear Malcolm Tucker's take on this shitshow. The air would be quite extraordinarily blue.

[Inoneminute]

It makes me wonder just how bad the truth is when this is the best effort at a cover up

[skylarkdescending]

He must have some good dirt on them for them to be willing to lie so obviously for him!

[Miljea]

Cummings row raises fears over future of lockdown www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52793991

Even Laura's stepping away from this one!

[Miljea]

Medievalist "Ill-judged moment of panic" as the new Tory slogan.

I'd get behind that!

😂😂😂😂😂

[MarginalGain]

I agree, I can't believe they didn't see this coming.

I believed, pre-coronavirus, that Johnson was politically astute. Now I think he's in danger of a backbench coup (not only because of Cummings) - this will surely go down as the strangest time in modern history.

[Somerville]

The problem is it's been months of ill-judged panic. A moment here or there can be excused amidst a pandemic, but this lot are rolling from one panicked misjudgement to another. Case in point, 2 weeks after the messaging changed from stay home to stay alert, coinciding with VE weekend, a hospital has had to close to emergencies due to being overwhelmed by Covid-19 cases.
Two weeks after this "one rule for them, another for us mugs" weekend, how many more people having heart attacks will have to travel more than an hour due to closed local hospitals?

[User24689]

Totally agree OP

I think in their scramble to come up with the 'party line' they massively misjudged the fact that by appealing to 'parents' they are appealing to a demographic that are sacraficing a LOT for this lockdown. Parenting small children who could only be 'exercised' once a day, cut off from their friends, all the parks closed, trying to work from home around them as schools were shut and yes, homeschooling them as well! With no family support. Not to mention the fact that the age demographic that have children are the ones most likely to be financially affected by the lockdown and the ones least likely to have voted for the current government.

They would have been MUCH better off appealing to 'grandparents' - retired, less likely to be financially affected, more likely to be home owners enjoying some extra time watering their garden and going for quiet walks.

"Any grandparent would have persuaded their sick child to do the same and would have followed their grandparental instinct to look after their grandchild".

Missed a trick. Shows how out of touch they are with the mood of the country!

Definitely pissed me off more than the original crime.

[PJsEveryday]

I cant put my finger on it (too tired, too emotional) but cant shake the feeling that the public outrage is exactly what they wanted. They must have known how badly but would have gone down, so what is ther agenda in allowing BJ to come up with that shit response (even assuming DC wrote it).

The alternative is that they really are even more incompetent and out of touch than we thought, but I cant help but feel we've been played. For what purpose, I've not got the energy to think about.

[Inoneminute]

I wondered if it was part of a plot to get people to start coming out again, we've been starting to make plans to get back to normal at work and staff are very reluctant.

If it was, the original story may well have worked and blown over, especially if there was a half hearted apology but what they've done with the defense must surely be very risky? It will be that which brings them down, not the original trip IMO, especially if it was a one off.

[MinesaBottle]

Inoneminute I wondered this too, then they’d get their precious herd immunity and all the deaths would be the public’s fault.

As for Malcolm Tucker - I think he’d actually explode. I’d be able to hear the bang from here.

[Somerville]

If it was a dastardly plan to get people out of lockdown (which I don't actually believe, though it's possible) then they've totally misjudged. "You were only meant to blow the bloody doors off" springs to mind.