Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Do you think Dominic Cummings broke lockdown rules?

117 replies

KenDodd · 26/05/2020 22:57

Quick poll.
Yabu = yes, he broke the rules
Yanbu = no, he didn't break the rules.

OP posts:
blubellsarebells · 26/05/2020 23:16

Despicable slimy low down lying snake.
His wife is not much better, goes some way to explaining how the lying psychopathic Gollum found someone that wanted to marry him.
Its disgusting.
If he had just said, i panicked, i was worried and scared and im sorry i broke the rules but i though that was best for my family at the time, with hindsight i was wrong and i regret doing what i did and the distraction this has caused.
Fine. We all make mistakes.
The fact they think we will buy this absolute bullshit is what's pissing me off the most.

Sadie789 · 26/05/2020 23:17

@KenDodd every AIBU thread is a poll

AlwaysAnEmptySpace · 26/05/2020 23:23

I think he pushing the boundaries. The exceptional circumstances and young children thing could apply to his situation as he’s said he felt his circumstances came under that. People will have differing views on that but the clause of exceptional circumstances means he can argue his way out of it. That’s why he’s currently still got his job.

KenDodd · 26/05/2020 23:24

I just saw a piece about it on Newsnight. The journalists picked apart his statement and made it look pretty black and white that he did break the rules. This was followed by numerous ministers saying he DID NOT break rules. Ministers saying that he's essential to fight the covid crisis and that we can't lose him at this important time. My thoughts on that is that he must be pretty shit at his job if he's in charge of our covid response.

OP posts:
Freddiefox · 26/05/2020 23:31

I think a really important question is very all these mp’s are prepared to fall in their sword for him?
What does he know?

Maria53 · 26/05/2020 23:48

Yes and he need to go. Agree with Freddie above, it is bizarre that all of these MPs are putting their own reputations on the line to protect this man.

ah995 · 26/05/2020 23:52

There were many people who returned to family homes, so that vulnerable relatives were cared for. My friend´s daughter lives and works in London, moved back home, to help my friend cope with her husband - he has MS. As long as isolation guidelines were followed there is no problem. In Cumming´s case this was true. We still learning about this virus - symptoms not consistent across a spectrum of symptoms. So there was no way, he or anyone else would have known if his wife were ill.

His child I understand is autistic, so it is unconscionable for him to spend time with strangers. Taking his child to lockdown with family as precautionary measure, was clearly the most humane and sensible course of action. Having press hounding his family - must also be extremely distressing.

I have to say - sitting in Germany - and as someone whose family actually contracted this virus (courtesy of Austrian Ski resort) - the nastiness of the British (albeit seen through the prism of the media) is astonishing. The hysterical manner in which people have dealt with this epidemic unfathomable to outsiders. We look upon the UK aghast.

Laschet and Spahn - do these names ring any bells? No thought not. These are the Ministers who, in spite of their errors/successes, were able to do their jobs in Germany without the distraction of every action or word, micro-analysed and pawed over by the media. Result, my child back at school, I enjoyed a massage this afternoon, will attend my Pilates class tomorrow, my husband now back at work (company blipped but now back on track). Meanwhile in the UK..... one throws ones hand up in despair…. what are you doing… clapping, dancing in hospitals, shouting at people in stores, fighting on beaches, hounding families… from the outside it looks more like a reality show.

We had the same challenges, our nurses on occasion lacked PPE, had to deal with 50/1 ratio, were not tested routinely, we got it wrong on equipment etc. No clapping or pay rises in the offing - we just focussed on with the job in hand - as best as we could - that´s what we do - protocols - routine - it´s boring but clearly works.

MorrisZapp · 27/05/2020 00:00

Yip. Accountability is one thing. Feeding the beast of 24 hour news via the worst excesses of social media is another entirely.

He acted ludicrously in my view, and made it worse with his laughable explanation. But he's just one person and this is the biggest crisis we've ever faced. What do people actually want? The whole news agenda to be about a guy driving his car in March for the rest of this already fucking unbearable lockdown? It doesn't help.

ah995 · 27/05/2020 00:05

How very sad these messages are.

Aretheystillasleepbob · 27/05/2020 00:07

Of course he did. He’s not denying tho is he?
Driving to check his eyesight? Come on!

blubellsarebells · 27/05/2020 00:08

Did your friends daughter have symptoms?
Either he or his wife had symptoms and shouldn't have travelled or they didn't have symptoms and had no reason to think they needed to travel.
It can't be both..
Im a single parent, have been for 10 years, in that time i have been ill a couple of times, i didn't dump my kid off on other people, especially if what i was sick with might be contagious.
Its bullshit. Steaming rancid bullshit.
Unlike the many single parents, disabled parents, parents working full time jobs on the front line for minimum wage, Dom had many options open to him.
Options that didnt involve driving 300 miles while infected or not.
They must use childcare in normal times, where was the nanny? I bet she's not much older than his nieces.
I can believe they haven't got many friends after finding out what disingenuous lying bastards they both are, but lets not pretend they've not got access to resources that most of us low life plebs couldnt even dream of.

Snowjive2 · 27/05/2020 00:11

He did, and the PM’s desperate defence of him has destroyed the lockdown in one weekend of lies and prevarication. They made a mockery of everyone who has made sacrifices to protect other people. Utterly despicable.

PotholeParadise · 27/05/2020 00:17

His child I understand is autistic, so it is unconscionable for him to spend time with strangers. Taking his child to lockdown with family as precautionary measure, was clearly the most humane and sensible course of action. Having press hounding his family - must also be extremely distressing.

One person from a random account tweeted that they'd heard that and then deleted the tweet.

Amazing how you saw that tweet and didn't see half the UK cabinet tweeting that Dominic had done no wrong in quite insulting terms.

Because that's the problem. I don't care that Dom is an arsehole- I knew that. People on Mars knew that. But I care that the highest levels of elected government have spent this weekend arguing the sky is green rather than say, "yeah, he screwed up. We're really sorry about that but we can't sack him because he won't tell us what the log-in passwords are at number 10".

ItsASunnyDay · 27/05/2020 00:18

No. He had extenuating circumstances and acted as any worried parent. Not only that his property and family were subject to a ridiculous amount of media attention (they weren't social distancing I note...)
He is lucky that he has the option that he did.
You cannot compare this to people dying alone in hospital. Of course you can't go into hospital and put yourself at risk of infection. It's tragic that anyone has to die alone, but he was not dying he was ensuring he would have adequate childcare for his son as his wife was unwell and he was starting to display symptoms.
Move on, the media witch hunt has been disgusting IMO.

Freddiefox · 27/05/2020 00:19

What do people actually want?

I want some leadership, I’m tired of all the bluster and showman ship, I want a pm who values integrity and Is slightly intelligence. I want facts and action, not a massage of the figures and someone trying to trick me with their agenda.
I want a government that counts gloves in pairs.. because shock horror you need both. I don’t want to be told there have been x amounts of test completed when the truth is you’ve just shoved x amount in the post at the last second. (Pat on the back for whoever thought of that.)
It’s incompetency at its highest.

FliesandPies · 27/05/2020 00:22

There isn't any did he/didn't he about it. He did and he doesn't care, he only cares that he got caught out and has lost control of the situation.

AlwaysAnEmptySpace · 27/05/2020 00:24

I want some leadership, I’m tired of all the bluster and showman ship, I want a pm who values integrity and Is slightly intelligence. I want facts and action, not a massage of the figures and someone trying to trick me with their agenda.

Good luck with that. It’s never going to happen whoever the pm is, no matter what party. That’s politics for you.

AlwaysAnEmptySpace · 27/05/2020 00:26

ItsASunnyDay

I agree. Unless any more evidence comes to light.

blubellsarebells · 27/05/2020 00:28

They weren't subjected to media attention before all this and if they were he has access to security.
His kid went into a hospital, risking infecting everyone the child, and his wife, (who it turned out might not have had covid but her feeling unwell was the whole reason for the flit 260 miles away), came onto contact with.
In an area that was not badly infected but might become overwhelmed. From an area that was very badly affected ie London, specifically 10 downing street.
There is no justification for what he chose to do. None.
And if there is a justification we can all find little loopholes and do what ever the fuck we like. Hello second wave.

FliesandPies · 27/05/2020 00:29

He had extenuating circumstances and acted as any worried parent No he didn't and no he didn't

He is lucky that he has the option that he did

Yes he is, and he had plenty of other options as he is rich and powerful

Move on
Not going to happen

PotholeParadise · 27/05/2020 00:30

I want some leadership, I’m tired of all the bluster and showman ship, I want a pm who values integrity and Is slightly intelligence. I want facts and action, not a massage of the figures and someone trying to trick me with their agenda.

Me too. And I want them to focus on doing this instead of astroturfing all over social media because we the people dare to object to Boris being rude live on telly.

Registering new usernames just to try and get the idea out there that Cummings' son is autistic, for example...

FliesandPies · 27/05/2020 00:33

What do people actually want?

Personally, I want him gone and not to have to see or hear of him again. He had his chance to make a sincere apology but it's just not in him.

Alsohuman · 27/05/2020 00:34

Good luck with that. It’s never going to happen whoever the pm is, no matter what party. That’s politics for you

It is now. It never used to be. I detested Thatcher with every fibre of my being but that woman had integrity. Cummings’ feet wouldn’t have touched the floor in her government. May got rid of both her advisers too.

blubellsarebells · 27/05/2020 00:38

I want some leadership, I’m tired of all the bluster and showman ship, I want a pm who values integrity and Is slightly intelligence. I want facts and action, not a massage of the figures and someone trying to trick me with their agenda.
I want a government that counts gloves in pairs.. because shock horror you need both.
Hear hear.
Anything would be better than "erm erm hes my mate tho, erm, responsibility, erm, wild hand gesture, erm, stay alert, but if you need to do what you need to do just folkow your instincts, i mean thats just for my mates all you plebs stay at home, erm i mean stay alert, something about the nhs, who actually gives a fuck"
Hypocrites.

FagashJackie · 27/05/2020 00:42

Animal Farm. Not cool.

Swipe left for the next trending thread