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?

[BlackberryCane]

I didn't listen to it. Did Guido by any chance mention whether the MPs he accused had been at the SAGE meetings?

[Mistigri]

Cummings either had symptoms at the time, or had at minimum been in close contact with at least one and probably several confirmed cases.

This wasn't a breach of the lockdown rules but a much more serious breach of the QUARANTINE rules which require people who are symptomatic and their close contacts to self-isolate for 7-14 days.

It is not confirmed that he broke the law, though it's likely. However it is absolutely certain that this was a serious breach of public health guidelines and that he put members of his family and the public at risk.

[Sertchgi123]

It's ok, it was labour MPs, so that's fine.

[BlackberryCane]

Does that mean he didn't mention whether any of them had been at the SAGE meetings?

[Inoneminute]

It's not at all the same story as some unknown Labour MPs breaching guidelines though, they weren't the ones telling everyone else how important they were.

[Inoneminute]

Plus I don't think anyone has every suggested they or their families had the blooody virus at the time.

[Eskarina1]

Well if any Labour mps have behaved in this way, they should apologise and ideally resign from any positions where they directly influence government policy (in the unlikely event they hold them). I also would be angry if Boris Johnson retrospectively clarified the rules to support them.

[Sertchgi123]

t's not at all the same story as some unknown Labour MPs breaching guidelines though, they weren't the ones telling everyone else how important they were

Your logic is absolutely flawed. The country is being utterly played by the media in what we should be focusing on and what's most important.

I feel sorry that Mumsnetters aren't capable of thinking for themselves.

[BlackberryCane]

Does identifying a distinction between someone involved in setting a policy and someone not involved amount to not thinking for oneself now then? Fascinating.

[Inoneminute]

The fact that then man who wrote the rules and designed the communication strategy for them broke them is not a bigger story than the fact that some other people broke them?

[Walkaround]

If only Boris Johnson could think for himself, he might not be so desperate to hold on to Dominic Cummings.

[DioneTheDiabolist]

We have a family joke that our aunt Sarah would put her knickers on her head and dance the Macarena next to the closest lamppost if the political party she supports asked her to.😂

Looks like there are plenty more Aunt Sarahs out there.

[BlackberryCane]

Lmao walkaround.

[ScarletFever]

@cyclingmad
If I saw someone breaking the rules last thing I'd do is collect details households on the side of my house been breaking them all the way throughout but I really dont care enough to grass them up.

But would you care if someone in power was telling you, that you cannot go and visit your mum with your partner and child and one of you had corona and then was seen doing exactly that, and travelling a distance or of 260 miles each way?

[jasjas1973]

I feel sorry that Mumsnetters aren't capable of thinking for themselves

Oh but they can! they can see Whataboutery when its designed to divert from the real issues.

Two scientific govt advisors have both said Johnson has in a few minutes completely trashed the public health message built up so carefully over the last few weeks.

[JudyCoolibar]

It was interesting that the BBC had Guido on the news this morning, I don’t think they will do that again. He highlighted the discrepancy between the way the media are treating the DC story and the way they treated the four labour MPs who were pulled up by the police for breaching the isolation regulations.

I suspect it's Guido who won't want to go on the news again, having shown himself up so badly. He should have realised that there are two glaring crucial differences between Cummings and the Labour MPs,: (1) that they weren't actively infectious at the relevant time and supposed to be self isolating; and (b) that they have acknowledged that they were wrong and apologised. So citing those people only makes Cummings look even worse.

[JudyCoolibar]

I feel sorry that Mumsnetters aren't capable of thinking for themselves.

Oh, the irony, coming from one of the Torybots that have suddenly popped up around here in the last couple of days.

[Cameron2012]

Cummings is issuing a statement and taking questions at four.
I’m going to wear my blood pressure monitor

[Sertchgi123]

@JudyCoolibar

I see a new career ahead for you, spin doctor!

[Sertchgi123]

Oh and take note @JudyCoolibar, you think you know it all but you don't. I'm a confirmed floating voter.

[BlackberryCane]

Confirmed by who? I'm not accusing anyone of anything, for the record, just interested. Personally I think if the people attempting to defend Johnson and Cummings here are paid by anyone, it's Labour. You've all just made such a massive arse of it.

[alreadytaken]

well we've had some "facts" from the horses mouth, and they've made him look more arrogant and an even worse father. Now I dont care about him, although sorry for his child - but Boris has kept him on when he clearly broke the rules and is not even apologetic about it. He has clearly undermined the governments authority and the public health messages they put out.

Can only assume this is deliberate so everyone abandons any pretence at social distancing and we get a large second wave.

[BlackberryCane]

I don't know whether it's genuinely deliberate or not, but if a hypothetical government the general public to start taking lockdown much less seriously, this would be an excellent tactic to achieve it.

[JudyCoolibar]

Sorry, I couldn't have a career as a spin doctor, @Sertchgi123. I have this strange addiction to the truth.