If you were annoyed at Dominic Cummings before

[NoMoreReluctantCustodians]

How has his performance in the rose garden affected your opinion?

YANBU it's made things worse
YABU its cleared things up for me

It's a clear show of contempt by him and the government for the rest of us.

He advises others what to do and yet cannot follow simple instructions himself. Double standards as usual and he has got away with it.

Basically when I want to test my eyes I won't visit Specsavers in future..... it's more the fact that he treats everyone as idiots and with contempt.... that's the main problem IMO

When asked about driving his covid wife 270 miles he said she might not have had covid.
Then when asked why they went to isolate in Durham he said because he had been surrounded by covid at work and with his wife now I’ll, he thought he’d probably get it. So which is it?

I think he was foolish doing what he did due to his position but losing his job is not a proportional outcome.

Why? He has blatantly lied again and again, and more importantly he's sent out a message that the rules really don't matter. That is going to kill people.

If he is advising the gov on strategy.....

Worse. More lies and spin. It’s making the PM look weak (not that I care much for him) and the cabinet look like nodding donkeys.

It’s the two fingers, I’m untouchable and better than all 66 million of you, attitude that stinks.

Every joker in the land has now been given the green light to use ‘testing my eyesight’ as an excuse for breaking lockdown.

I’m more angry than ever, but also feel deeply weary and sad at the state of our government. So many holes in the story. So much disrespect for the public (we’re only angry because of those naughty “fake news” media riling us all up....silly pawns that we are!). The circumstances were not exceptional and faced by families across the uk.

It’s not just what DC did, but the fact that BJ and Ministers have all come out in such vocal support. It’s sickening. I’ve lost so much respect for them. And if they’re willing to risk the public’s trust and their own integrity to save DC then he must be inordinately important to them. The amount of power and influence that shows for an unelected official is frightening.

I wasn't annoyed with him before and I'm not annoyed with him now.
HTH

Indeed - I don't know for sure that his statement yesterday was 100% of the truth but I'm inclined to believe him on the balance of probabilities and, given what has been shown in the media over the past few days of the baying press pack outside his home and the venom towards him expressed from many quarters, I am entirely prepared to believe that he was concerned for the safety and well-being of an ill wife and four year old child left at their London home had he not later fallen in but rather he was working 16 hour days in Downing Street. Arguably such concern would've been detrimental to his official role if he had been distracted by worries about his family.

"If someone had posted on mumsnet ’I’ve just thrown up and feel really really shit is it covid?’ they would have been told of course not and to stop being so attention seeking.

Really? I am on mumsnet a lot. Way before the schools closed, I was aware of this as being a symptom. It was discussed on these boards."

I was not on these boards a lot - but I'm pretty sure anyone who said several work colleagues had gone down with the virus would have been told to self isolate.

Had there been some sort of regret/ apology it would be possible to move on. There was not. Boris is clearly just his puppet so unfit to be PM and none of the shower who defended Cummings on twitter or TV are fit to replace him.

If Cummings really reacted so catastrophically badly to (at the time) a non-existent situation in that no one had covid-19, he just worried they did, because of stress then no wonder the government's handling of the pandemic has been such an utter shitshow. He was orchestrating the response under far more stressful conditions and it's gone so badly wrong. That's if you believe a yarn so obviously spun to try to fit what's come out of course. Either way, Cummings has performed incredibly badly and has to go. He's just some SPAD, he doesn't merit the weird mass defence by ministers who should - MUST - know better!

I believe it's been found out that last month Cummings retrospectively edited his blog to make it look like he predicted all this last year. He's supposed to be a superforecaster not a total obvious blagger and if Johnson's fallen for it, it shows how awful his judgement is and he has to go too.

When asked about driving his covid wife 270 miles he said she might not have had covid.
Then when asked why they went to isolate in Durham he said because he had been surrounded by covid at work and with his wife now I’ll, he thought he’d probably get it. So which is it?

yes, yes, exactly.

He has badly misread the public mood. He thought that if he explained we would understand. Errrrr no mate.

The only thing I can admire about DC is the sheer fact he believes he is untouchable.Billy big balls sat there and was unapologetic in his belieff he was right and fuck anyone else who begged to differ.To have that unshakable belief in yourself is something truly to behold.The fact that he was wrong will never matter to him.and I cannot image he has lost any sleep in the past few days with what anyone thinks of him.100 % Sociopath....and to be so close to the seats of power is terrifying.

Caringdenise009 - thanks for saying 'google contact Downing Street'. That's what I've done. I'm fed up with the contempt that senior politicians are showing us. Cummings actions are bad enough, but to watch senior tories attempt to defend the indefensible is excruciating.

He has badly misread the public mood

Not judging by The Times comments section he hasn't.

I'm a bit worried about him driving 260 miles (5 hours) without a break, while potentially coming down with Covid. That doesn't seem to me like the safest option.

Very very poor judgment - both in March/April, and his response now. Of course he should go, his position is untenable. Complex situation my arse.

I am still angry that they have so little respect for the public as to parade a shoddy pack of lies that they obviously spent 2 days cobbling together. Why couldn't he just admit he was wrong once he was caught out? It's the lying by the PM and cabinet ministers that you were always allowed to transport Covid-infected people across the country I cannot stand! We all know that this is not allowed. For them to say it was allowed at the time because of his 'exceptional circumstances' (which turned out to be -having a child!!!!) is just insulting and a real low in public life. I do expect more from any British Government that lying and rewriting history in this brazen way. They really think we are all stupid.

We drive to Durham from the south regularly. It’s nearly all motorway . Nowhere to stop to be sick or use the loo apart from service stations. Would you set out on a journey with a vomiting wife in an enclosed space with a young child in the back knowing you can only stop at a service station, when you have a lovely big house to stay home in? Would you?

I still don't see how driving 260 miles helped their situation

They got to spend the 2 weeks self isolation in a cottage in the woods rather than a flat- a huge benefit if you have a 4 YO.

They got to visit his mum for her birthday.

They got to go for nice drives and walks.

Actually, thinking about it they were very unlucky. The only three times they went out for a few minutes they got seen immediately and recognised and they definitely didn't go out on any occasions apart from the ones where there is firm proof.

Sorry, should say townhouse, not flat above.

Sarah Jarvis GP

He's just some SPAD, he doesn't merit the weird mass defence by ministers who should - MUST - know better

i think one good thing is that its revealed hesnot just a special advisor- he is running things- theyve made that clear.

unelectedbureaucraticand a metropolitan elite at that.

He wanted to get out of London. He did what he wanted. He made rubbish choices. Now let's move on

He put other people at risk. He put his wife and child at risk. He lied, repeatedly. He tried to twist what the rules say to justify himself, thereby sending a message that they don't matter and potentially killing people. He essentially also told other people in considerably worse circumstances than his that they were total mugs for sticking by the rules.

No, I don't think we should move on, thanks. Most materially, I want to know a whole lot more about the timing of the GSK deal.

The eyesight thing was ludicrous. Otherwise he was just as expected.
I'm reminded of the story of The Scorpion and The Frog
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scorpion_and_the_Frog