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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To not understand the outrage at Dominic Cummings?

999 replies

Wow123 · 25/05/2020 08:08

Please don’t flame me for this. I’m not posting this to be controversial. I am someone who always tries to see the good in people which has been to my detriment at time’s in the past so I’m very well aware that maybe I’m missing something here and being too kind when he possibly doesn’t deserve it.

My understanding is that Dominic Cummings is saying that he only returned to Durham on one occasion which was because he had fears about potentially being unable to look after his child if him and his wife both ended up too unwell with Covid. I can understand the logic in that.

I appreciate the government advice at that stage was to stay home but if he genuinely didn’t have anyone to help with his son, then I can understand his fears and that he was trying to put his child first as any parent would.

My understanding is that a matter of days after, the government did clarify that travelling in the event of needing support with children if you had caught covid was an exceptional circumstance and that travel in that instance was acceptable.

I personally live hundreds of miles from family and don’t have anyone I could ask for help in the local area was I to become unwell with Covid so this does resonate with me.

I understand that there were sightings of Dominic Cummings on other dates in Durham which indicate that he travelled back up there. If this is true, I definitely agree that he needs to be sacked, but at this stage, there is no proof of this.

Am I missing something here?

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Cactusflower1 · 25/05/2020 18:18

LumaLou I find it shocking that they accessed emergency services in Durham too.

Also - why did no journalist ask if his wife could drive? If he was so unsure about his skills that they had to stop at Barnard Castle.

And wish a journalist had brought up their london family who live very close by.

Peregrina · 25/05/2020 18:19

He's not a member of the Tory party, so he will neither know nor care about what happens to it. Tory MPs will care, if they get bulging postbags from their voters asking why they have personally had to make sacrifices while Cummings hasn't.

ShinyS1 · 25/05/2020 18:19

"yeah. because it's everyone else's problem"

It does look that way if you listen to his statement and responses to journo's, and then read social media.

We're either a nation of jobsworths, or bitter. Or both.

lilgreen · 25/05/2020 18:20

Just leaving this here.

To not understand the outrage at Dominic Cummings?
Mittens030869 · 25/05/2020 18:21

He should have apologised. I can accept that he acted the way he did because of the stress he was under, and I would have had empathy, as I have COVID-19 symptoms myself and I know how scary it can be. So why didn't he just accept that he was in the wrong and just say, 'I'm sorry for the offence I caused.'?

It might not have stopped the opposition totally, but there are a lot of us who might have had more sympathy.

He showed a lack of judgement, especially considering that it led to a trip to hospital with his DS, which potentially put other people at risk of catching COVID-19. His DS tested negative, true, but Cummings and his wife weren't tested.

Bathroom12345 · 25/05/2020 18:22

There are some lefties on the media eyes bulging. Thing is they were annilated last election and are looking for anything to hang their hats on.

This will blow over. He has nailed some of the inaccuracies. Some won’t believe anything the Conservatives say so so be it. You will get your chance to vote them out next time ( yet again...) in what nearly 5 years time after a Tory majority of 80.

Bathroom12345 · 25/05/2020 18:23

Someone thought the Rose Garden was his garden. Honestly, get a grip.

Peregrina · 25/05/2020 18:28

Bathroom - you might care to remember Mrs Thatcher and the Poll Tax. Major managed to win the next election, but then they were slaughtered.

How this plays out will depend on what people remember. People are not likely to forget not being allowed to see loved ones before they died of the disease - nor being told that they should have seen them anyway.

I am not sure how they will react when they find that the lockdown has destroyed their jobs - they might say 'whatever' or they might not.

Ulver · 25/05/2020 18:30

Emotional reasoning is a dangerous tactic to use when people have been enduring horrific deaths of relatives in care homes or on their own in hospital with no family allowed access forced to sign DNRs.

wrinklin · 25/05/2020 18:31

@The80sweregreat: There was wriggle room nobody else knew about only him!!

I knew about it. I read the guidance when it was released because I thought "shit ... what happens to small kids if both parents are sick", and looked to see what the guidance said about it.

My kids are teenagers so it wasn't a big issue for us, but I still thought on to check.

SharonasCorona · 25/05/2020 18:31

Funny how all the people going on about ‘lefties’ are giving a wide berth to Cummings’ comment about driving 30 miles to a beauty spot to test his eyesight 😂Grin

MarshaBradyo · 25/05/2020 18:31

I didn’t check but I will say that yes it’s there and I had no idea.

wrinklin · 25/05/2020 18:35

driving 30 miles to a beauty spot to test his eyesight

He didn't go to a beauty spot. He drove a half hour down the road from home, stopped briefly on the outskirts of a town, then drove back again. Barnard Castle is a town as well as a castle.

Peregrina · 25/05/2020 18:35

Weren't the Cummings apologists saying yesterday that it was an alleged sighting, implying that he hadn't been there? Now suddenly he admits, he has been there, but only to test his eyesight. I don't know the area, are there nice clear straight roads there, or are they twisty and turny?

SharonasCorona · 25/05/2020 18:37

I suspect the eye witness account given by Roger Lees to the police was too credible and thorough to deny any longer.

JamieLeeCurtains · 25/05/2020 18:38

If his parent's farm is so fucking massive, couldn't he drive around that for a bit?

chomalungma · 25/05/2020 18:39

AIBU to congratulate the OP on their single post on MN and to get a thread to nearly 900 posts

Fluffycloudland77 · 25/05/2020 18:39

Barnard castle is going to be so busy now with people saving money on sight tests.

It will be the Lourdes or eye care.

SharonasCorona · 25/05/2020 18:40

He didn't go to a beauty spot. He drove a half hour down the road from home, stopped briefly on the outskirts of a town, then drove back again. Barnard Castle is a town as well as a castle.

Bullshit, they stopped by a river and sat for 15 minutes and came across eye witness Roger Lees. The reporters said it was a beauty spot and he didn’t it.

chomalungma · 25/05/2020 18:40

e didn't go to a beauty spot. He drove a half hour down the road from home, stopped briefly on the outskirts of a town, then drove back again. Barnard Castle is a town as well as a castle

A 60 mile round trip is impressive to test the eyesight.

The80sweregreat · 25/05/2020 18:40

I agree that I didn't read any guidelines about children as mine are quite old now.,
I just read ' stay at home , protect the nhs save lives ' etc.
I just think he used the rules to suit himself but I admit anything about children I didn't read or think about really.
I still think he should have said sorry 😐
I agree we should move on now.

SharonasCorona · 25/05/2020 18:41

Barnard castle is going to be so busy now with people saving money on sight tests.

😂

lilgreen · 25/05/2020 18:43

But @wrinklin they weren’t both sick. His wife was better. He should have gone home and self isolated. If he was worried about security he should have contacted Downing St. End of story.

derxa · 25/05/2020 18:44

If his parent's farm is so fucking massive, couldn't he drive around that for a bit? Hmm

Wow123 · 25/05/2020 18:46

I am still here by the way. And I’m not a new poster but a frequent name changer.

I fell back asleep after posting and by the time I came back on, the thread had so many replies. I’ve been busy with the kids so haven’t had a chance to read the replies but will try to this evening ☺️

I’m also yet to watch DC’s statement so will catch up with that this evening too.

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