To think that Mark Drakeford is a power mad dictator?

[LittleLapwing]

Half the shops covered in plastic. Can’t buy clothes, duvets, books, DVDs, tins but not tin openers.
All the Halloween and bonfire night stuff that’s just been stocked is behind a cordon. Presumably now destined for landfill.

Autumn half term after a shitty year and I can’t even do a few seasonal treats for the kids.

AIBU to think that Mark Drakeford is a power mad dictator, and that his ridiculous game of Covid oneupmanship with Nicola and Boris needs to stop!?

If you think he's bad (and he is the Peter Principle embodied), catch his dimwit sidekick Carolyn Harris on Any Questions today.
I'm Welsh and I was cringing.
Sadly, we're now governed by jumped up parish councillors.

I honestly can’t believe the drama and faux ‘woe is me’ over this. It’s 2 weeks. For stuff that you can’t buy in high street shops that have had to close, to try to protect them. Don’t be such a bunch of winers.

It seems that you and the other lockdown lovers are doing more whining than anyone because other people refuse to accept whatever crap the government throws at them, or whatever rights they take from us. No questions allowed. Big Brother knows what's best for us. Fuck that. Is there honestly no end to the bullshit you'll tolerate? Is there anything that you won't give up in the name of safety.

I support the lockdown. I’m glad I live in Wales where the government are taking it seriously and being proactive.

However, he’s lost the plot with this supermarket goods issue.

Sadly, we're now governed by jumped up parish councillors.

Nail on head!

......actually, not sure that’s fair on parish councillors.....😂

That’s his reasoning. He thinks it makes him look so bloody magnanimous.

But honestly. Do you think people will wait for the smaller shops to open again? No. If they need things, they need them.
Amazon will be the only winner.

It’s so so so stupid...they’ve literally LOST THE FUCKING PLOT...there are more ‘people’ than ‘small shops’ so give the poor Welsh who are in ANOTHER lockdown bloody options to buy whatever the fuck they want. Is it even legal that the welsh government can choose which sections of a supermarket can be open!? Absolute bunch of fucking fruit loops

And another thing....why are the supermarkets complying with this shit!?

I am not in Wales but I remember some supermarkets trying to section some goods as "non essential" right at the beginning of national lockdown

It lasted about a week before everyone simply started ignoring it

Looks like he might be backtracking......

@AllDayHappyHour

That’s his reasoning. He thinks it makes him look so bloody magnanimous.

But honestly. Do you think people will wait for the smaller shops to open again? No. If they need things, they need them.
Amazon will be the only winner.

It’s so so so stupid...they’ve literally LOST THE FUCKING PLOT...there are more ‘people’ than ‘small shops’ so give the poor Welsh who are in ANOTHER lockdown bloody options to buy whatever the fuck they want. Is it even legal that the welsh government can choose which sections of a supermarket can be open!? Absolute bunch of fucking fruit loops

Oh please. A lot of us poor Welsh are at best mildly pissed off, we are not having hissy fits about this.

It looks like Senedd will u turn in the next couple of days anyway. So much for MD being a "dictator”.

@TooManyDogsandChildren

Once again, a decision taken by those who are supposed to represent us which is entirely lacking in common sense.

A decision which they were strongly advised to take by the SAGE group. Who, presumably, have abundant common sense and expert knowledge.

SAGE urged government to implement a short circuit breaker lockdown.

Drakeford's been pretty good through the pandemic. I respect him and his efforts to protect us here in Wales. He's worked really hard to make good, balanced, considered decisions and to explain them well. I, for one, am happier to be here under Drakeford than under the jumbled loose lunacy of English rule. But he's fucked up on this one. I groaned when I heard the announcement, not so much for the general population who can and will manage if we have to (even though its bonkers and a right pain in the arse) but for the absolute ballache it must be causing supermarket staff and for the abuse they will definitely be on the end of from customers. But I'm also confident that Drakeford will back down. He does listen to us here, unlike bullshitty Boris and his massive ego, who wouldn't back down from a cliff if he was hanging by a thumbnail on chossy rock. Ivr never really been a pusher of devolution but since the pandemic, I'm in. Let us worry about ourselves England, ta very much!

@Rainyrainrant

If you think he's bad (and he is the Peter Principle embodied), catch his dimwit sidekick Carolyn Harris on Any Questions today. I'm Welsh and I was cringing. Sadly, we're now governed by jumped up parish councillors.

She was awful. I was cringing too.

I’ve just seen the letter from the Welsh Opposition addressed to the Welsh speaker requesting the recall of the Senedd

Whilst the lockdown was discussed with the Senedd and the closure of shops, it appears that the banning of non essentials was not, The first the Senedd knew about it was when he announced it on Thursday. It was never discussed or agreed during the democratic process.

It’s backfired on him badly.

I agree with Callcat. Up until now he has handled things well and I support a lockdown but this is ridiculous and is making things more difficult than they need to be. It won't be of any benefit to small shops, the business will go to Amazon.

I simply don't understand his reasoning that somehow it's fair not to let people buy stuff from supermarkets because they can't buy them in smaller shops. If my kettle dies, I need a replacement now, not in two or three weeks' time when the small shop reopens. If it's my mum's birthday on Monday, I need the card now, leaving it two weeks to send one would be utterly stupid. So obviously I'll go for mail order instead. How is that fair to smaller shops?

@cardibach

I honestly can’t believe the drama and faux ‘woe is me’ over this. It’s 2 weeks. For stuff that you can’t buy in high street shops that have had to close, to try to protect them. Don’t be such a bunch of winers.

How does it protect high street shops to drive people to Amazon?

Someone who supports this answer this for me...

You say that its a good idea because it helps reduce infections right thats the reason for banning non essentials

But how does it? So I need food and lets say a kettle.. I have to visit two shops instead of one, therefore the risk is doubled as ill be coming near more people than necessary

Someone please explain this logic to me because I must be stupid for thinking going to two shops is more likely to increase risk than going to one

The lock down that's been keeping us in our own county boroughs hasn't worked. What exactly are they hoping to achieve with a 17 day circuit breaker. We were told months ago that they were working on an exit plan. I doubt this, it'll be another month called something catchy to try and distract from the fact it's more lock down under another name.

Haven’t read the lot but supermarkets absolutely shouldn’t be handed the whole market on a plate when other businesses (clothes shops, electronics etc) are forced to closed. I can understand if they complain about designated ‘essemtial’ stores selling items these non essential businesses aren’t allowed to be open to sell. But the whole thing is very unworkable and Amazon will be the main beneficiary as mentioned by almost everyone. It’s almost like a direct donation from the Welsh Parliament to Amazon and they’re hardly skint or need the subsidy

As for my ‘solution’ the other stores shouldn’t have been forced to close in the first place. With the mask rules and in my experience aggressive staff it won’t be spread significantly in these places. We all know it’s principally being transmitted inside peoples houses. So the success is entirely reliant on people’s voluntary compliance as can’t be policed apart form catching a tiny amount of people who don’t. There isn’t the manpower to properly enforce it

They are rethinking the non-essentials decision after the weekend.

I do believe this will only last the seventeen days.

90% of the thread is populated by anti lockdown supporters from other threads I've read and the English so all the arguments here seem a little disingenuous at best or the usual straw man shite they come up with

Callcat totally agree with everything you've said about MD, even though I've moaned, I've agreed that all his policies were the right thing to do in a shit situation, until this! It is stupid and pointless.

But I also agree that I think he will listen and back down. It's a bit of a fuck up that it wasn't discussed in the Senedd at all and just announced on Thursday. Too late in the day.

@TrustTheGeneGenie

History will look back on this and conclude we were very lacking.

History will look back and think we all lost the fucking plot and that we were lead by absolute fucking power crazed wankers.

I hope they use this quote for a GCSE textbook in 2070