"Downing St. considers the Dominic Cummings matter closed". AIBU that that statement, more than the actions of Cummings himself, makes my blood boil?

[JovialNickname]

I'm assuming the "so you can all fuck off" at the end of the statement is implied.

I'd also like those who voted Conservative to think of what they could have had.

A stupid old communist? No thanks!

The death of democracy in this country

Death of democracy? The government was democratically elected in a landslide, no matter how much you like to pretend otherwise!

We are aware the Boris Johnson considers the matter closed he had already told us to move on

However A number of MP’s from his own party don’t and neither do they from other parties

Neither do the press

And most importantly neither do many of the public and many of those voted Conservative

Oh at the police thought he broke the rules

Unfortunately for BJ and DC this isn’t going away

I’m looking forward to Parliament questions next week

I’m past caring about what he actually did. I’m angry that he’s basically stuck 2 fingers up at us. Bozo as well. And the fact that that they thought we’d swallow that utter shite about driving to Barnard Castle to test his eyesight. Yeh righto.

He’s an arrogant, lying bastard. Proved even more by being 40 minutes late for his press conference. I’m so important and you’re all nobodies.

If he still hasn’t resigned, it will be interesting when Parliament return from recess next week.

@CendrillonSings

The death of democracy in this country

Death of democracy? The government was democratically elected in a landslide, no matter how much you like to pretend otherwise!

Democracy is a continuous process, a feedback loop, not a one-iff box-ticking exercise. That is why it is so important to maintain it.

He was elected and now he is abusing his office by treating us with contempt. We didn't commit to being treated like that.

@mondaynoon

TheWordWomanIsTaken

I completely agree with you.

What can we do now? I'm getting more angry every day.

I don't know what we do. Wait for Piers to pile in on Monday Strange times when I am happy to jump in to bed with Piers

The government work for us. There's a website called "they work for you". Contact your MP that way.

I personally not no real opinion either way and was willing to his side during the rose garden presser.

That presser made me make my own mind up. Not the press.

And the fact he's determined to make the people he works for in a democratic country shit up makes me more determined we should carry on.

I'm having no luck with my MP. But I suspect she's having to keep a low profile after publicly supporting BJ and DC via Twitter. It wasn't the best career move for her.

Anyone unhappy with this should contact their MP direct to express their displeasure, as I myself am just about to do.

@CendrillonSings

The death of democracy in this country

Death of democracy? The government was democratically elected in a landslide, no matter how much you like to pretend otherwise!

Yes, but elected conservative by a landslide in large part due to the collapse of the "red wall" precisely because (as you correctly point out elsewhere on the thread) a lot of solidly Labour voters couldn't stand Corbyn.

But two things appear to have escaped your notice. The first (and most important from BoJo's point of view) is that if there's one thing that particular demographic won't stand for, it's being patronised by plonkers like Cummings who seem to think the rules are for the "plebs" not for him. They won't like the classism, and they won't like the hypocrisy.

The second is that Corbyn isn't there any more - Starmer is. And at the moment, he's looking pretty electable.

As I said upthread, this isn't about right or wrong (though I think Cummings is wrong). It's about politics and the optics. And I think the optics are looking very bad for the Tories with a large subset of their own voters. Not just the red wall, but solid rural traditional Tory voters in the shires.

The only thing that might save them, as someone else pointed out, is that they're banking on 4 years till the next election. Though frankly in 4 years time the impact of the global recession that's going to follow this will be so bad that pretty much any incumbent government's going to get spanked at the polls.

@Happygirl79

I 100% agree with you OP There will be no enquiry because Boris says its a waste of time (we're supposed to take his word for it) He may as well have stuck two fingers up to us about the whole Dominic Cummings affair He is more of a dictator than a PM Arrogance at its highest degree from the pair of them I am more furious than ever Its an almighty cover up and not a good one either Its a moral issue now and I will continue emailing my MP

Happygirl Your comment re Johnson being a dictator is something to ponder. Remember when he divided journalists at a DS briefing to each side of the room, then told half of them they had to leave. To the credit of the rest, they walked out as well. And that cabinet ministers refuse to appear on ITV. And that if they hear something they don't like they try to plant the trumpian seed of fake/false news. The above are reasons why it worries me that laws were introduced to effectively place us under house arrest - stopped in the street to be questioned on what we are doing/where we are going. Now if I trusted this government, I would consider this to be in my interests (and I have stuck religiously to lockdown rules). But I don't trust this government. They will sell us out to America next month with a no deal brexit. They are shameless.

Yes there are four years to go. But I reckon that the PM will have exactly the same credibility problem the next time something is difficult.

Will you believe him so readily next time? No, I think not.

The Tories are turning. Even The Spectator is now saying “The price of defending Cummings is admitting Johnson’s inadequacy.”

This is very serious for Johnson.

www.spectator.co.uk/article/boris-johnson-isn-t-fit-to-lead

I've written to my Tory MP again, and tried (in vain so for unfortunately) to persuade several family members not to block the phone number that contact tracer's would call from, on their mobiles.

The most agonising thing about all this is that the people who suffer from the loss of confidence in the public health measures isn't the government who caused the problem with their dependence on Cummings, but the elderly and vulnerable. I can't bear it.

The matter isn't closed for us. Claiming it is does not make it so.

I don't appreciate the attempt at bullying on a national level. Furthermore I consider it demeaning to the office of The Prime Minister.

I totally agree and love the analogy of the poster unthread.

By Boris saying "move on" to us, who he works for he is basically shutting up his boss.

Sorry, link posted earlier might not work. Try this:

twitter.com/simonmaginn/status/1266071585179480065?s=21

@motoko7

Tbh i find it more frustrating watching journalists wasting their questions on Dominic Cummings yet again, when there are more important things going on atm, e.g. contact tracing / schools reopening etc. I hate Dominic Cummings as much as the next person, but couldn't care less where he chooses to self isolate as long as he avoids contact with other people. And trying to drag the medical/science experts into it was totally unfair.

For me a question on whether yr's 2-5 are still expected to get a month at school before the summer would have been much more useful/ informative, as there was no mention of other primary school years from boris this time.

Sheesh, it isn't about hating Dominic Cummings. This isn't primary school. It is not really about DC's transgressions now either. It is about the way the government has tried to tell us we didn't understand the very clear rules, about the entitled attitude of a PM who simply wants us to shut up and put up. About the statement that DC was allowed to give with 'facts' that fit the story. This government is taking us for fools, some people have lost close relatives. One young lad of 13 died on his own. Imagine for a moment how scared he must have been if he was aware of what was happening. Imagine the grief of his mother and father. Imagine all that, and DC broke his own rules just in case he needed childcare. Just in case. DC or BJ have no respect for us. They are shameful.

Snowjive2 that article is spot on. In particular, these two paragraphs get absolutely to the heart of the matter.

Again, Mr Kruger unwittingly shows us how. In his note to colleagues, he argues that ‘BJ and DC together are why we won the 2019 election and them together is the only way to GBD [Get Brexit Done], level up the regions and fix Whitehall - the only things which will win us the next election too. An arguable minor infraction of lockdown rules is totally secondary to that.’

But no mere advisor should ever be thought indispensable and any prime minister so wholly dependent on a single advisor, no matter how brilliant he or she may be, is a weak one. If Boris Johnson cannot function without Cummings he is not qualified to be prime minister. The price of defending Cummings is admitting Johnson’s inadequacy

What on earth made Boris think that it was up to him when the matter was closed? While I'm not surprised at his tactics when there is no handy fridge to dive into, he came across so badly and looked really petulant when he left.

Newsflash Boris - it's not closed for the rest of us.

Help required - the public welcome politicians of any political persuasion to remind the PM that we would really prefer to retain journalistic freedom in this country. You would have thought being a former editor and journalist himself he would have more professional respect.
I know the Queen has to remain impartial but, if on her subjects behalf, she would like to ask Boris what the chuff he thinks he's playing at we'd be most grateful. Looking forward to that episode of The Crown in 2050.

This Dominic Cummings incident is now turning into scandal by No. 10s own handling of the situation.Boris you told us to make our minds up and because you don't like the outcome (we didn't swallow the halfbaked story from you or straight from the horse's mouth) you refuse to have public opinion put to you by journalists. Not acceptable. We'll move on when you answer the public's concerns.

As for DC, how could you sit there and watch all this and not resign? Why doesn’t his wife tell him enough is enough fgs?

His wife's complicit in all this. They both think they're above the law because they're special and privileged.

“If you also want to copy your complaints to Mark Spencer - chief whip to the Conservative party. His email is: [email protected]”

This was posted on a different thread by Sarahbean. I’ve emailed him. My blood is boiling. This will cost lives. It probably has already.

On Question Time: “Moving on is not an essential journey”.