to think Dominic Cummings has to go?

[RoosterPie]

Dominic Cummings apparently travelled to his parents house while meant to be self isolating due to covid symptoms.

Given what happened with Neil Ferguson and Catherine Calderwood, AIBU to think his position ought to be untenable?

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/politics/2020/may/22/dominic-cummings-durham-trip-coronavirus-lockdown

Listening I've done it. Asked directly if I should be following the rules or not? And if constituents lives are worth less than reputation when defending him.

I wonder where the quote from Johnson came from as I didn't think he'd commented personally yet? Yes it's desperation, really not going to wash.

The Twitterati now saying this is all a cunning (Cummings?) plan to drag us all out of lockdown faster, since Lockdown is killing the economy & Britons have turned into fearful tortoises... so it's a shakeup of the adherence to strict lockdown & reset our norms to be a little more 'Fuck it' about covid.

It's too conspiracy theory for me (especially from a mob of obvious incompetents who never stop leaking to media)... and yet I've been wrong before.

DH and I were discussed this exact situation. We have no help other than Parents so if we were both Ill we have very few options. It never even crossed my mind to drive two hours to my mum’s. We thought some combination of cebeebies, jam sandwiches and our ten year old as babysitter would have to do if we were incapacitated.

And this is the point - this is what we would do, and many I'm sure have done. We followed the rules. But the person who was instrumental in making the rules, and telling us to stick to them, broke them. Because he thought he was above them.

At the end of the day, a lot of people have broken lock down rules, I bet you most of the people on this thread have but won't admit it

I have, yesterday my parents and dog left their house and walked in one direction and me, dc and new pup left ours and walked in their direction. We 'bumped in to each other' stayed at least 4m apart but the puppy got an important opportunity to play and socialise with another dog. This is the first time I've seen them and they've seen their dgc who they have seen around 3 times a week every week since they were born, since lockdown. What I didn't do was put dc and pup in the car and drive 300 miles to a friends who had a dog and call it animal welfare - which was a legitimate reason to be out against lockdown rules. Even that isn't equivalent as we are all well and symptom free but it sounds ridiculous enough. Yes I'm sure people have bent the rules but nowhere near to that extent, plus we didn't make them!

@lljkk It's entirely possible, Cummings is a pro at playing the media and getting everyone in a spin. There is very little he does by accident and even if he does it will be spin spin spin until he turns it around. Silver lining is we are not talking about highest deaths in Europe, care home deaths, the failure of the tracking app just Doms trip to Durham.

A reminder

metro.co.uk/2020/04/10/police-officer-tells-man-cannot-sit-front-garden-12537093/

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/may/23/the-observer-view-this-breach-of-the-lockdown-guidelines-is-a-disgrace?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

The next couple of days will be interesting

My MP is one of those disgraceful MPs who supported Cummings, so doubt he'd reply to an email on the topic.

Pleased to note that in a poll today, Keir Starmer had gone significantly ahead of Boris in the popularity stakes.

Right I’ve emailed my MP. He’s a Tory 😒 but I’ve done my bit.

@helenadove my lot?? No idea who they might be!

Mine also defended him.

So I've asked if her defence of him was about her reputation at Westminster or was actually because she thinks we, as her constituents, shouldn't have to follow the rules either?

What do people think about this? Tweets about DC being involved in privatizing and doing deals with NHs data and AI business?

And why the government changed its mind on March 12th from contain to delay but did nothing? When DC was having all kinds of meetings?

twitter.com/carolecadwalla/status/1264161983139590150?s=21

What does DC get out of this pandemic and why is having such a hand in privatizing and changing things around?

"It's too conspiracy theory for me (especially from a mob of obvious incompetents who never stop leaking to media)... and yet I've been wrong before."

Yeah, I'm not sure how that conspiracy theory is supposed to work either. It's a pretty safe bet that the Guardian and the Mirror aren't working for Cummings, so did he intentionally breach the lockdown several weeks ago, knowing that the story would come out at exactly the point he was ready to start lifting the lockdown? Or did he not breach the lockdown but paid some people to claim they'd seen him? (I'm not being snarky - I'm genuinely curious to know what people are suggesting).

I have emailed my MP.

The Government's desperation over this smacks of cock-up rather than conspiracy. They have also pissed off the police which is never a good idea in an emergency situation.

I'm not too familiar with twitter so I would appreciate if someone could explain what could be the reason for DC tending in Belarus and Puerto Rico, as of now, 00.11 on Sunday that is. Quite random countries.

getdaytrends.com/united-kingdom/trend/%23DominicCummngs/

Also Twitter:

CitizenM @MiaSertima If only there was a Track and Trace App that could have warned the people of Durham

It could have told us where he stopped and who he came in to contact with.

Is anyone happy to share a sample letter for sending to MPs? I will email mine but likely to be up all night with DC who has an ear infection and right now I can barely string a post together let alone an email.

I know my MP will probably reply in defence, if he replies at all as he hasn't replied to two previous issues I emailed him about. He's new to the job and I'm fairly certain his official residence is up Boris Johnson's backside, second shelf on the right.

kkslider, I’ve emailed mine. I won’t share my email because it was personal but all you need to do is make them aware you know, and make them aware you’re unhappy about it. Extra points if you can be arsed explaining its about hypocrisy, rather than rule breaking.

It doesn’t need to be a formal letter, or well argued, or like you’re in the high school debate team, just a straightforward ‘this is not okay’ email does the job.

Hope DC better quickly!

Have just emailed mine, though is a Tory loyalist so I am not expecting much.

I am furious as I just know it wont make a jot of difference and he wont be sacked or resign.

f only there was a Track and Trace App that could have warned the people of Durham
It could have told us where he stopped and who he came in to contact with.

Now that is an exceptionally interesting thought.

If the tracing app were up and running, and if there were a reasonable suspicion that Cummings had broken the law, would the police ask for data from the UK's (controversially centralised) tracing database?

Cummings likes being in the forefront of novel uses of big data: surely he would be delighted to be one of the first to be convicted on basis of new tech? Crippen

And after all, if he's nothing to hide, he's nothing to fear, right?

(Sadly I doubt the tracing app is something he'd ever sign up to – as shown, he's not daft enough to inconvenience himself with the system he's set up for the rest of us.)

KK I asked if I could be advised as a constituent if I should be following or the rules or not. Or if I should should be interpreting them to my own situation? I also asked if the lives of constituents actually was important or her image at Westminster due to her decision to defend DC?

I am actually they have gone all Trump and fake news.

He didn't follow the guidance. The guidance was clear. His family could travel to them to provide care.

Nowhere in the guidance did it say when faced with CV or the guidance actually just think "what should I do?"

The closing ranks without even any expression of doubt is revealing.

These aren't Conservatives. It is possible to be on the right of the median and be better than this. It's a form of entryism where the freaks, careerists and chancers have risen to the top.