Did Boris Johnson just call us all bad parents?!

[Hermagsjesty]

Having watched that briefing I am incandescent with rage, less at what Cummings did - I understand people might have needed to make difficult choices and compromises during lockdown - but at the excusing of it. Why not admit it was an error of judgement and apologise?

I have three children. When my husband and I both became ill with what we believed to be Coronavirus in mid-March, we took turns to watch the children whilst the other slept. I lay on the sofa, feeling the illest I have ever felt, while CBeebies played on loop. We relied on neighbours we barely knew to drop off essentials. We would have loved to lean on family but we didn’t because we believed to do so would endanger them and the wider community.

A succession of ministers - and now the Primeminister himself - have suggested that Mr. Cummings behaved as any loving parent would. But many loving parents did not behave as he did. We struggled and made sacrifices in what we believed was the National interest. Are they now suggesting we just don’t love our kids as much as Mr. Cummings loves his?

[Underhisi]

If dh and I both became too ill to look after and manage ds, he may have to go into care as we wouldn't be able to keep him safe. However he is 15 and severely disabled with challenging behaviour. When he was 4 we would have managed.

[Devlesko]

One rule for them and one for you.
When will people finally get it, you don't matter.
They don't care, you can just die, they'll even let your kids be the ones to pass it on.
But keep working for capitalism you little proles.

[SleepingStandingUp]

A 4 year old child with a very poorly mother is extremely vulnerable but she wasnt very poorly. If she was, I doubt they'd have driven that very long journey. She got ill, 24 hours later he was really poorly and droggo for 10 days. Within that 24 hours they seemingly drove to Durham where g grew last in bed being fed ribena by the 4 yo and she sat beside his bed counting his shadow breaths. His family merely left food parcels outside the front door so she was well enough to care for her husband and child

[DioneTheDiabolist]

I worried DS1 terribly when I went through: what to do if mum gets sick, with him. It would have been so much easier if I could have said "we'll all go to granny's", but I obviously got the rules wrong.

[teach1066]

I am furious with this whole sorry episode. We all have been juggling our work and home schooling and funnily enough quite a few of us have been seriously ill too. But we stayed at home to save lives. Not only did he drive to see his parents - twice - but he took the virus from the south to the north. The arrogance of Cummings knows no bounds. He must go. Our campaign must start here - I could just about cope with the sheer incompetence of the government but this arrogance and contempt for the ordinary people has gone too far. What do we do? I’ve written to my MP but what next??

[Lynda07]

No, BoJo did not call anyone a bad parent. I watched it twice and he said nothing like that. I have no respect for the man but there's no point in making him out to be worse than he is.

[Inoneminute]

He becomes far more vulnerable if you shut him in a tin box with her and drive for 5 hours.

How many times has the time line of who got ill and how ill when changed in the last 2 days?

[Figgygal]

Yes he did basically
All those people who caught Cv and struggled through with their kids at home (Potentially infecting then) because we were told to isolate at home together Were wrong apparently and could have just sent them off to family

[NaturalBornWoman]

Is there any possibility that this child has additional needs? There seemed to be a couple of things said that inferred it, something like specific care needed and ‘medical reasons I’m not going to go into’.

[ShinyFootball]

I agree op the implication is that all those in much more difficult circs than him, who followed the very clear very strict rules in place at the time, to protect society and the NHS, don't love their kids as much.

It's just getting worse and worse the shit they're talking.

He is chief advisor to the pm, extremely wealthy, very well connected. No way was there no one who could help in London. Simply no way. Seems plenty of Tory MPs agree as well.

[bestlifetime]

Who cares what someone else did. I don't even know what Cummings did but it doesn't affect me at all. Just do the best for your family.

[Fedupwiththemedia]

So many are flouting the rules already, millions even. They obviously aren't in the public eye.
Even on this site since lockdown so many threads where people haven't abided by the rules.
It all seems so hypocritical.

[muckandnettles]

I am furious as well. I was so sure Johnson would have to sack Cummings for his mistakes and arrogance but this is the Tories showing who they are finally for everyone to see. They think they are above the law and they don't give a shit. The rest of the country struggles and sacrifices with the 'all in it together' idea and the Tories won't do that for anyone.

[gettingusedtothelimelight]

What the hell does doggo mean?

I kept reading it as dogging 😂😂

[MaxNormal]

NaturalBornWoman the child's home is in London, which has the best medical facilities in the country. If that is the case, dragging him five hours away from specialist care is terrible parenting.

[Eskarina1]

I would think it's a reflection on their parenting skills. We were told only travel for exceptional reasons. Parenting your own child when you are really ill just feels like what you'd have to do. I think most of us were expecting to do like op and make copious use of CBeebies. Unless you were hospitalised, in which case I'm sure someone in the Cummings family could have driven down.

Since he was well enough to drive 260 miles (and she was well enough to be in the car) they had no reasonable grounds to believe it would get that bad.

[slartibarti]

If I saw Cummings and wife in a bluebell wood, visiting a castle etc I'd make sure to take a photo to sell to the tabloids.

[Eskarina1]

Fedupwiththemedia, I haven't, to the detriment of my family, but I'm more likely to now.

Nicola Sturgeon when she sacked her chief medical officer said something about needing to be seen to follow advice to keep public confidence. She was 100% right.

[cyclingmad]

Oh god more competitive I'm good as gold shite.

Just because you decided to do that doesnt mean everyone else will make the same choice.

The media of course been spinning whole bunch of lies so now it all looks shady but how much do I care? I dont care one but, I'm not to judge someone else for what they decided to do. I really dont care if I followed the rules to the letter and if others didn't.

I only care that I do what I need to do to keep safe and that's all that matters.

[catnidge]

Boris is looking like such a tit, Cummings appears to be the puppet master and BoJo can't mange without him!

So, the single parents in here who struggled with corona symptoms should have just hopped in their cars and driven to their parents.

Boris, grow a pair and ditch Cummings. How dare you tell us he was following government advice. Yet again, Boris shows how spineless he is, what a surprise.

[Hermagsjesty]

@bestlifetime if this was just another parent on an Internet forum, I’d be inclined to agree with your live and let live attitude. But he is a senior advisor to the government. He helped write the rules. If he himself cannot follow them, that has serious consequences. How many people will now think it’s okay to drive across the country while infected to make life more convenient?

[KKSlider]

They were either both too ill to take care of their child properly, in which case neither of them had any business getting behind the wheel of car and driving 200+ miles.

Or at least one of them was well enough to look after the child, or juggle the child between them, in which case they had no need to drive 200+ miles for childcare.

[Lynda07]

slartibarti Sun 24-May-20 19:04:22
If I saw Cummings and wife in a bluebell wood, visiting a castle etc I'd make sure to take a photo to sell to the tabloids.
........
For a decent price I hope! You'd have to recognise them first, though. Neither look a lot different to many other people but, anyway, people are allowed to walk in bluebell woods as far as I know. It's getting too 'up close and personal' with others that isn't allowed (& peeing in bushes).

[cuparfull]

Shameful....Kinneddar ,OP is not overacting

'Having watched that briefing I am incandescent with rage'

. ..... Not if you've been really poorly, struggled and kept to the rules like many have. Taking it in turns to drag yourself out of bed to look after the kids.

He should NOT have travelled away from his home base END OF!

[cornish009]

Having watched that briefing I am incandescent with rage, less at what Cummings did - I understand people might have needed to make difficult choices and compromises during lockdown - but at the excusing of it. Why not admit it was an error of judgement and apologise?

I could not agree with you more.

A succession of ministers - and now the Primeminister himself - have suggested that Mr. Cummings behaved as any loving parent would. But many loving parents did not behave as he did. We struggled and made sacrifices in what we believed was the National interest. Are they now suggesting we just don’t love our kids as much as Mr. Cummings loves his?

I feel heartbroken to hear and read this implication. A month or so ago I ignored every single exstinct within me not to go and hug my daughter after she miscarried. I followed the rules, the law, what we were being told to do, rules that Commings had helped to create. I stayed home and tried to comfort her with mere words on the phone. And now I realise that, unlike the sainted Dominic Cummings, I am a bad parent and will never be able to put that right. THIS is what I took from Boris this afternoon and it is a hard pill to swallow.