To not understand the outrage at Dominic Cummings?

[Wow123]

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?

Let's face it most of the posters on here just hate him because he's a Tory and brexiteer, which is akin to being Satan in a lefties eyes! This is just a convenient excuse to publicly execute him, but let's not mention about Steven kinnock and others who have done similar eh!

It would help if he explained better.

It can’t be explained better because the whole travelling for childcare coverup/lie would fall apart.

It’s a joke, don’t get your knickers in a knot. And don’t bother trying to derail the thread.

The Tory bots Cummings defenders keep pushing the proven lie that he only travelled once and inventing hypothetical situations where he didn’t leave his car.

He clearly DID leave his car since he was witnessed in the bluebell wood, and (on a different day) having a family outing.

I remember watching a video on the BBC about what you should do if someone in your household has covid. You were even meant to isolate within the family, so sleep alone, stay in your room etc.

Oh and to all you perfect parents slating this couple for needing help whilst Ill " because me and my husband coped just fine". Well done you absolute hero's, would you like a blue peter badge?

It’s hard to argue what DC did wasn’t against prevailing instructions. But in the overall scheme of things it’s the arrogant and flagrant gaslighting of the government to dismiss those actions which is pretty shocking and trumps (word used advisedly) the initial misdemeanour. The press conference was beyond parody and it is impossible not to infer that the current government has scant regard for the electorate. The outrage is not reserved for Cummings OP and the scale of outrage is entirely commensurate with the bigger picture implications. In my opinion of course.

For those asking....no, of course I don't know facts, nobody does...but all the comments about getting a nanny or asking his nearby family to help.....do we think there is a queue of nannies wanting to work/ isolate in a house with known Covid19? Do we know if he asked nearby family to help? Do we know if any of them are vulnerable so he could not ask? It seems we know very little. FWIW, I have avoided the news for a while and what I have seen he does seem like an arrogant idiot, but I still cannot get worked up about it. Maybe working in the NHS I have developed good strategies to remain calm.

Are you assuming he made stops or do you know?

Have you ever tried making that length of journey with a 4 YO? Assuming his kid is perfectly behaved they'd need to stop for the toilet. You aren't even supposed to leave them in the car seat that long.

This is just a convenient excuse to publicly execute him, but let's not mention about Steven kinnock and others who have done similar eh!

I haven’t seen any suggestions of execution, just him being held to account. Stephen Kinnock is an opposition MP, he didn’t make the rules he broke nor did his wife have Covid19. He was wrong too but the situations aren’t comparable.

No Blue Peter badge necessary: the public are calling for Cummings resignation from the public payroll for his breach of guidelines. Nothing to do with his parenting, although it is indeed shit parenting to drive a child 250 miles in a car with people with viral symptoms.

in the overall scheme of things it’s the arrogant and flagrant gaslighting of the government to dismiss those actions which is pretty shocking and trumps (word used advisedly) the initial misdemeanour.

This. If the offence were admitted and a fine paid, I'd have a lot of sympathy for the parents of an autistic 4YO wanting to spend lockdown in the country.

Stephen Kinnock isn’t involved in Covid policy/comms or on the government payroll.

Has the OP gone 250 miles away to somewhere with no Wi-Fi?

"he didn’t make ONE journey, he made several completely separate journeys. He made at least two trips out of the house that were purely fun/sightseeing (visiting a local castle for his mum’s birthday, and frolicking among the bluebells in a wood)."

"Please stop pretending he only made one trip because he didn’t, and it’s totally irrelevant whether he stopped to use the loo or not considering the castle and bluebell outings."
You do not know he made further trips to Durham from London. This has been denied.

It isn't totally irrelevant whether he stopped to use the loo. We don't know whether they drove directly without stopping but I do feel it would be different (as in a danger to others) if he did stop. I would feel differently about it then but we do not know for a fact what happened.

I do think we need a more detailed response to questions regarding this matter.

but I still cannot get worked up about it. Maybe working in the NHS I have developed good strategies to remain calm

Yeah I feel the same.

They didn't access any childcare from his family in Durham, they just dropped shopping to the door of the annex. His wife wrote an article about their experience with covid and carefully mentioned London not Durham. The government said (at the time) Cummings was isolating at home in London. I have a child with diagnosed asd and autism and I get that situations can be tough but it was a pandemic and we listen to our government. It is the lack of transparency and effort placed into justifying one mans apparent struggle that is upsetting me. I would have accepted an apology much better than the way they have managed this. (Apologies for spelling etc).

It clearly wasn't for childcare. What kind of person chooses their parents - who are much more likely to suffer badly from the virus and who we were told to keep away from even before lockdown - to look after a potentially infected child?!
Nope, you have to be very naive to believe that was the reason. DC and his wife just felt entitled to isolate (not even it seems) in nicer surroundings. Which I'm sure many people with second homes have done but a) these two knew at least one of them was taking the virus with them and b) DC helped to make the rules that WE were all expected to follow.
I don't usually get worked up about politicians being nobs, but this guy and all the support for him from Boris and co is really winding me up.

Surely it’s gross misconduct at very least

We are paying his fkn wages !

Not personally feeling “worked up” about an issue: fair enough.

Suggesting that this is due to your superior “calmness”/self-management: patronising.

@wewillmeetagain here you go again with your ‘lefties’ diatribe. Get a new line please unless you are Rees Mog.
I am neither Tory or Labour but it doesn’t mean I can’t spot an entitled cunt a mile off.

He should resign - or Boris sack him.

But if he hadn't incarcerated himself in a car with symptomatic wife for four/five hours, he probably wouldn't have got coronavirus.

I sort of imagined them pulling into a deserted motorway services and pottying the child. And a man can always relieve himself discreetly by a hedge. Women, not so much - and she was ill, too. I somehow can't see DC making a flask and packing a picnic, though. If he were that type, he'd have handled the prospect of managing childcare (let's just say parenting) by himself without skipping a beat.

When I think of what the rest of the country took on, it makes us all look rather stupid.

Just because Stephen kinnock didnt make the rules so what plenty if people didnt make the rules but broke them. Same punishment all round right. Which is what if you broke the rule you get fined.

Otherwise sack everyone who broke the rule.

Your position in society has no bearing the rule is the rule right it doesnt differentiate whether your a government person or not. Same rule for everyone same punishment for everyone.

Aa for whoever said boris has killed people, dramatic much!

All those people saying they would have done the same. How fucking irresponsible!

There have probably been millions of people who have had covid in the last 3 months. Many many of those, probably hundred of thousands will have had children to look after while one or even all of the adults in the house were ill. If even a fraction of those decided to drive across the country to get 'help' while one member of the travelling party was symptomatic, the spread of covid would have been so much worse.

In this instance the person doing this actually had a great deal of influence on what the guidance and rules were. He hasn't even been fined. In fact he is being helped up by our prime minister as an examplar of how to behave in this crisis. This is because as a society we have accepted bare faced lies so often, the government now believe they can say anything they like and we will lap it up.

I despair that there is anyone who could possibly defend DC.

That well known leftie rag the Daily Mail seem to think it’s a problem.