to think Dominic Cummings should go/thread 3

[SophieB100]

Third thread!

It is bizarre that DC still hasn't been sacked considering the effect this has had on the PMs approval ratings. What on Earth is Johnson afraid of if he sacks him?

What on Earth is Johnson afraid of if he sacks him?
A lot apparently. Nothing else can explain this.

Cummings knows where ALL the bodies are buried.

OTH, he also made a lot on enemies on his way up the greasy pole.

I would guess he has a big hold over Boris, and probably something on Gove too.

Whether that's enough ammo to keep his enemies at bay remains to be seen.

Oh what a time to be a political journo!

I think they just got the fuck out of London. I think MW was worried, got DC to drive them up, they never had Covid, and she spun her story via the Spectator to cover their tracks, and they got rumbled because DC is so recognisable. The rest, as they say, is hysteria.
I think JC had CV.

Someone on twitter called them ' Dombo'
(Made me smile , even if it's not a laughing matter at all far from it !)

But why does Johnson going mean we get Gove? Surely we vote in who takes over?

We don't get a vote at all, unless you are a member of the Tory party. I imagine that they don't really want a leadership election right now. I imagine it being a crisis, they would have to put in a caretaker PM. Gove put himself forward last time, but didn't get all that far, from what I remember.

Cummings was instrumental in the Leave Campaign, Instrumental in getting Boris elected, and he’s basically running the country while Boris plays at being PM.
There is a power vacuum which he is revelling in.
He doesn’t inform Boris of major decisions until after the fact using the play that he is “protecting Boris’s precious time” feeding his ego and lazy nature while keeping control of the agenda himself.
He’s got fingers in lots of pies Re govt contracts.
Boris can’t sack him because he would have to actually work.

What on Earth is Johnson afraid of if he sacks him?

I'm sure Cummings knows all kind of dirt about Johnson - he's such a dirty bastard and he'll be vindictive as hell if Johnson dares to sack him.

But i'm still sure the main reason is that Johnson knows he can't function as PM without Cummings - he just hasn't got the brains or the energy.

He’s got fingers in lots of pies Re govt contracts. Boris can’t sack him because he would have to actually work.
This.
And it is quite scary because it means we cannot hold him accountable. It’s obvious that even the PM cannot hold him accountable. And that is why he should go.

Interesting poll in the Mail

Paul Brand
@PaulBrandITV
NEW: Poll in tomorrow’s Daily Mail (that well known left wing paper) finds 66% of people think Dominic Cummings should resign.

But most damning of all, 55% of Conservative voters say he has to go.

What on Earth is Johnson afraid of if he sacks him?

There must be some longstanding bodies he knows about, but more recently both the IDOX and the Glaxo Smith Kline deals are looking very dodgy indeed. The fact that they're in the Durham/Barnard Castle area and deals were being signed at the time Cummings was up there doesn't seem at all coincidental.

The trip to hospital is really inexplicable. According to his wife, he was totally incapacitated and unable to get out of bed for ten days when he was ill. According to him, he was certainly unable to get out of bed the night before. Yet he was suddenly able to get up and drive to the hospital? And it didn't occur to him to ask his parents, sister or nieces to drive? Simply not believable.

I rather suspect that, if he was ill at all, it was never as bad as they suggest; that they realised just before his press conference that the truth on this one was going to come out, and he was late because they were hastily cobbling together a story to explain the fact that he made this journey.

Apparently No.10 saying there will not be a review of fines given out to those travelling for childcare issues despite Hancock's promise to the 'man of the cloth'.

FFS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/police-break-up-illegal-lockdown-22091335?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

Police break up illegal lockdown birthday party at Tory MP's house
EXCLUSIVE: There were balloons and banners outside the house of Rob Roberts, MP for Delyn in North Wales, marking a 40th birthday on Monday after he commented on the Dominic Cummings' row

Police broke up an illegal lockdown bank holiday birthday party at the house of a Tory MP, the Mirror can reveal.

Two people who were visiting the house of Rob Roberts, MP for Delyn in North Wales, were asked to leave.

There were balloons and banners outside the house yesterday marking a 40th birthday. It is understood that Mr Roberts' wife Alexandra turned 40 on Monday.

Superintendent Mark Pierce of North Wales Police told the Mirror: “In response to two reports of a possible breach of Covid 19 regulations we visited an address at Ty’n y Coed, Mold, yesterday.

When we called at the property two people visiting the house left following advice and no further action was taken

There has been no lifting of the lockdown rules in Wales where - as in England - you are not allowed to visit other households.

A spokesperson for Mr Roberts said: "Rob Roberts was not present at the time.

"His family have been reminded of the guidelines set out by the government

Mr Roberts, who recently came out as LGBT, is understood to have spent the bank holiday weekend in London and returned to the family home yesterday afternoon.

He has since tweeted that he and his wife "separated 6 weeks ago when I came out".

Mr Roberts tweeted on Monday morning that he wanted a "proper investigation" of the Dominic Cummings scandal.

He said on Facebook : "Of course it is right that we cannot have one rule for one and another for the rest ... If Mr Cummings has acted inappropriately according to an investigation, then he should go.

If an investigation concludes that he hasn’t, then he shouldn’t.

"The media doesn’t get to call the shots on who is hired and fired

But later he added: "Having watched the statement from Mr Cummings, I believe that he seemed to be entirely acting in the best interests of his child as a responsible husband and father .. It is now time for us all to move on from this issue.

Just saw that DM poll on Facebook. 66% of Daily Mail readers think he should resign. You'd think that meant the writing must be on the wall, but it's a long way from an election so maybe they're still hoping to ride it out.

Im so so sick of their arrogance and hypocrisy.

@chomalungma that poll looks pretty serious for the conservatives. Surely Boris would be mad to ignore it. Dominic could cost Boris his job if things get any worse.

And in the Mail

Just caught up with this thread after reading this:
www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/mums-open-letter-dominic-cummings-18307170.amp?__twitter_impression=true

I don’t know if it’s already been discussed on MN (I would hope so) but it’s heartbreaking. It’s also very familiar and my heart goes out to that mum again.

And then I read quibbling on here about how someone might not be thrilled to have to drive down the motorway because they don’t normally, or that they find it weird that people don’t understand that a family would like to be near relatives in case they need childcare so think it’s all reasonable.

And I feel even more angry that this happened while so many people have been in so much pain over the last three months.

And FWIW, although I think everyone should be playing their part, I can cut some slack to those who make a mistake, a one off. It’s a bastard of a situation for us all, people or politician, whatever party they belong to. But this is so much more than a single mistake, and the lying, and the contempt, and the level of responsibility that this man holds, all that matters enormously. So the whataboutery isn’t cutting it as a defence for me.

Sorry if this has already been posted - but this:

twitter.com/stevewhiteradio/status/1265341114246184961?s=21

ust saw that DM poll on Facebook. 66% of Daily Mail readers think he should resign

It's not DM readers. It's just in the DM
But 55% of Conservatives think he should resign.

Which is damning

Im so so sick of their arrogance and hypocrisy

It's very striking that in his job, DC understands that for a political message to cut through it must be short and easy to understand.

Yet when he defends himself he acts as though everyone in the UK will have obtained and read through the detailed legislation.

As you say, arrogant and hypocritical.

TBF @helendove

I can't blame the MP for events at a house that he was not at and when he had separated. Not even a Tory MP

Fair enough but it does beg the question what the outcome would have been if it was a housing estate given what happened weeks back.

And speaking of housing estates check out tomorrows Daily Mail front page.

Are they going to call it a red zone like they did in Years and Years.

he acts as though everyone in the UK will have obtained and read through the detailed legislation

Actually he doesn’t as he is busy telling people the legislation says things it doesn’t. His argument of reasonableness rests on one small section of one regulation around seeking childcare, which in the legislation is described as a ‘critical public service’ - the provision was designed for very vulnerable children, primarily those of women leaving abusive relationships or looking to get their kids out of the home. He also takes out of context a reference to some self isolation measures being hard to do with small children, again relying on people not reading the full thing, and a passing reference in a public health briefing by the Deputy Chief Medical Officer.

The more people read and understand the legislation and guidance, the weaker his argument becomes. Most lawyers on Twitter think it’s straightforward that he broke the law with his Barnard Castle trip and that the initial trip north is a highly debatable point.