AIBU to be so, so angry (sorry, another Dominic Cummings thread)

[ItHappenedOneDay]

I'm so sorry...this has been done to death and my post is quite long. But the latest development just makes me furious all over again.

An amendment today to the Health Protection Regulations mean that relatives are no longer 'childcare': www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/coronavirus-laws-dominic-cummings-lockdown-childcare-relatives-a9542381.html

Therefore, if you are are worried you will be unable to care for your children due to illness, it is no longer legal (if it ever was) to travel to seek help from family as Cummings did.

I must admit, I thought the (very small) silver lining to the whole sorry affair was that it apparently would be ok for my husband and I to call in relatives to help with our toddler should we become seriously ill...Before this, we had assumed that we would have to soldier on and, if hospitalised/too ill to cope, call social services. However, the Government has now changed the law to clarify that family are no longer allowed.

I could cope with this on the basis of the greater good/preventing transmission, were it not for statements by the PM/senior Conservatives defending (and practically praising) Cummings for his actions.

To remind you of a few:

• Boris - Cummings acted 'responsibly and legally and with integrity' and followed 'the instinct of every father and every parent'.
• Gove - 'What's clear is that he didn't break the law, he didn't break the rules, he sought to protect his family'.
• Shapps - 'In moments of crisis, we seek to have our family around us' and 'I think it was a straightforward arrangement which meant they stayed in the same place and prevented the possibility of the child not having support around him'.

However, none of us are permitted to act in this 'responsible' and wholly commendable way, since family childcare is now excluded. Of course the new law cannot be applied retrospectively to Cummings, who continues scot-free. So for ordinary people, the message is:

"Do as we say, not as we do, otherwise we'll arrest you. Your children don't matter like ours do and don't require the same protection and support."

I don't normally get this wound up about politics but they should all be deeply, deeply ashamed. Bunch of weasels. I hope their words come back to choke them.

Please remember when the election comes. It's a long time away.

We just have to keep the subject in discussion, keep asking why Cummings still has a job there. When it is so important to the government that we all shut up and talk about something else it must matter not to.

You know there's a big social media movement for #BlackOutTuesday in support of #BlackLivesMatters which means A LOT of social media accounts will not be saying anything at all tomorrow...

Support this absolutely as we've all got to try to hold our shameless racist governments to account however possible. I just don't want this particular example of arrogant contempt to be sneaked out on Monday and then buried on Tuesday...I wouldn't put it past them.

I work in children social services the first thing we ask if parents report to us that they are concerned about caring for their child, is do they have a family member who could take the child, we may of course assist with assessing the suitability of the alternative cater where the family is already known to SW. We don’t have foster carers just sitting about ready to take children and introducing a new child into an existing foster care set up would only be done if absolutely necessary. Many of our foster carers are older or maybe already caring for children with medical needs.
During the current pandemic SW are only able to visit families where there are real CP issues which makes the risks to both the families and the SW’s worth taking.
I really cannot foresee SW’s being asked to take children into care where there are suitable family members who could take them, even if travel was involved.
I am in the U.K. but not in England.

Ah but Private Eye is out on Wednesday OP

"How have we sleepwalked to this point"

Its a mystery

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3764459-Boris-Johnson-refuses-to-look-at-photo-of-child-on-hospital-floor?pg=1

Incidentally BJs poor eyesight is mentioned in that thread.

Im assuming it is the same poor eyesight that developed post Covid when he used it to defend Cummings.

I agree OP. Although I recently heard Matt Hancock defend Cummings's actions then in his next sentence completely contradict himself by making it clear that people who broke lockdown rules in almost identical ways would be fined! So I'm not surprised at this possible development.

As for childcare, I assumed this was one of the reasons why the rule about not staying overnight/not spending time inside other household's homes has now been emphasized, presumably to prevent actions such as children being dropped off at their grandparents - and a recent thread on MN suggested some families were contemplating doing this post the Cummings's affair, especially now that many are being told to return to work but have extensive childcare problems...Although to be fair I'm sceptical about the reasoning behind multiple forms of lockdown easing at this stage.

The parents of that child were gaslit too.

The warnings were there.

This "law" is totally unenforceable. It's utter bullshit.

Never dreamed I would say this (my DM also) but thank god Piers Morgan is back - he's been like a dog with bone about the DC saga and even though events in the US do matter, it doesn't cancel out what DC and BJ is getting away with.

many are being told to return to work but have extensive childcare problems

No childcare from relatives
Schools shut/provision severely limited
Childminders not allowed as two settings
Many nurseries disrupted/not reopening yet
Playgrounds/groups/play facilities all shut indefinitely

What a time to be a parent ! We're 'lucky' in that can wfh with toddler. So lucky that I'm staying up most of the night at the moment to catch up on work (hence late postings...have a while to go yet till I can put my head down ).

There is another story running in the Guardian today so I started a new thread. This isn't going away is it?

The childcare issue will have to be addressed soon, it is pivotal to getting people back to work. I expect social care will speak up soon to let the government know that services who have been cut back and underfunded relentlessly just aren't in the position to help with new bonkers laws designed to absolve ill behaved civil servants!

Is anyone going to pay attention to it, or to be honest anything that comes from them now?

If I had to make a decision that I felt was best for my family and it went against these laws, I'd simply break them and wouldn't feel guilty about it at all.

The government need to be very careful. Try to be too heavy handed and it's going to blow up in their face.

Contrary to what some people have said and think "good ole Boris" and his band of muppets have never given a shit about the public and never will, why would they? No government of any colour will.

My DS is looking after my DC when I work, she is local but I have to work so he has to go and I wont be stopping!

That is shocking. The government is taking us all for fools.

They may have shot themselves in the foot, hopefully this will be picked up by a journalist.

No idea why its people in the 'shitty north' who are responsible for this joke of a government. Remove the South East of England and the rest of Britain could have a chance of some decent politics.

I think a lot of southern middle class people have been reading (and writing) articles about those awful northern brexit voters, over estimated the numbers to try and soothe their guilt about the huge amount of their own who vote tory-whilst the north mainly abstained from voting with Corbyn in charge. There was no 'red wall goes tory'.

So effectively they are saying this is not a safe thing to do - which must mean it wasn't safe when Cummings did it, despite the fact that the infection rate was a lot higher then. Hypocrites.

Typical ‘I’m all right Jack, pull the ladder up’

Now they have criminalised sex between two adults from different households. Who is coming up with these ludicrous "rules".

This sorry excuse for a government becomes more ridiculous as each day passes.

This whole #scummings thing has made me like the guy. Well done lefties

Although this is infuriating, I think it doesn't change the legal situation if you become too ill to look after your children and need to call in relatives (as suggested above) - the legislation explicitly allows you to leave your home to provide emergency assistance or to care for a vulnerable person. This only seems to rule out the "Cummings defence" of thinking that you might be too ill to look after your children at some future point.

By closing the loophole they’ve admitted that it’s wrong. DC needs to be sacked. Otherwise he’s effectively above the law and exempt from the rules, which is unacceptable.

Hang on, is this saying it’s now actually illegal for relatives to provide any form of childcare, in any circumstance? Does anyone know where I can find the actual legislation?

My parents have been having my DC some days, as there are some days where both me & DP have to go into work (wfh a couple of days a week). Pre-Covid my parents did wrap-around childcare as we can’t afford childminders etc - not that any round here have spaces now anyway.
I know two of my neighbours who have returned from furlough over the last couple of weeks who are also having to use grandparents/aunts for childcare for the same reasons.

Are we now all going to be hit with fines? Although tbf the fine is still probably cheaper than paying for childcare I guess.

paulolina what do you like about him?