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!?

There’s a good chance most people will not need any of the things deemed non-essential for two weeks - but that isn’t the point. It sets a very dangerous precedent of control over the population to have this kind of thing in place.

Exactly.

There is already a published case of a mother unable to buy clean PJs for a child just admitted to hospital. Clothes were covered in blood. She had to drive 40 miles back home! Supermarket 5 min from the hospital ( and I know it, it is huge and it got plenty of clothing, and there are another two within 10-15 min from the hospital with a whole floor of clothing).
First day of this. And surey there are more cases that did not make it to the newspapers.
Why less than two days notice for this? If we had more time we could have get the petitions going earlier, and stop this madness!

@tempnamechange98765

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.

Apparently he's said he will review it tomorrow, so it sounds as if he probably will find a reason to row back on this one.

Also they've said the ban isn't intended to cover stationery items sold by supermarkets. Quite what the difference in terms of essentialness is between staples, post-its and sellotape on the one hand and clothes on the other, no-one knows.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-54676457
It is in this link

@DBML well done !

I am sure they will change it on Monday. But that is two days too late

Over 17 days, you would expect about 104 premature births in Wales (based on 1 in 13 births being premature, and about 29,000 births in Wales per year). That's around a hundred mums who might suddenly need tiny baby clothing.

Actually the pjs for the kid in hospital example is a reasonable one. Few years ago I had an accident, smashed my knee up. Hospitalised for a week. DH had to go out straight away and buy me night shirts - they're not something I wear so I don't own any, but due to the massive leg brace and complete inability to move my leg pjs weren't an option. I needed them, and immediately. But you wouldn't think "adult nightwear, totally essential. Folk will definitely need to buy that immediately".

The "you don't know what non essential will suddenly become essential " comment in the article is pretty true.

@AnyFucker thank you 😊

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.

Actually many many of us are. You dont speak for everyone welsh

Did you miss that police are patrolling the border? I know people who’ve been stopped

And that's a good thing. People can cross the border if they have a valid reason to do so. The point of the lockdown is to try to slow the spread of the virus.

It's funny, mind you,Jacinda Ardern closes borders = hero. Drakeford does the same=Stalin/Hitler/Demon.

Gethin was just on Marr. I'm not so sure now that they are going to row back on the non-essentials rule, so we will see. At least this row is something to entertain us during lockdown!

BTW, I am not sure some of the posters here even knew who Drafeford is, some of them are banging on about a chap called drake Ford?

@ghostmous3

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.

Actually many many of us are. You dont speak for everyone welsh

Indeed I don't want. That's why I sad "a lot" and not "most" or "all". I'm not in favour of the rule but I am not having conniptions about it. You can if you want to!

Who is Drafeford?

@110APiccadilly

Over 17 days, you would expect about 104 premature births in Wales (based on 1 in 13 births being premature, and about 29,000 births in Wales per year). That's around a hundred mums who might suddenly need tiny baby clothing.

That's a good example of why it is an ill thought out policy.

@RedRiverShore

Who is Drafeford?

Hahahaha hoist on my own petard! I think he is drake Ford's second cousin once removed?

Oh god, too many typos in my posts. I need a lie down.

It's funny, mind you,Jacinda Ardern closes borders = hero. Drakeford does the same=Stalin/Hitler/Demon.

No hero worshipping from me, it is also not comparable as there isn't a border as such - as in it is a wiggly line that separates the two but in essence is the same country, so it is stopping, by legal force, free movement within a country. It also disproportionately affects those living close to the borders as they are more likely to regularly be crossing the border. I know not Wales, but we often holiday in Northumbria, and stop very close to the border. The nearest supermarket is in Scotland, so we go there.

It is absolutely shocking. My thoughts are with the people of Wales who clearly must feel they woken up in a dictatorship.

I understand the need to be seen as fair when it comes to trading, but some people will desperately need things like kettles, children's pjs etc and won't have the time to wait for deliveries. It is far too draconian.

It is a terrifying development in my view - and one that needs the whole country to respond to.

Just had a text saying he's not changing supermarket rules and to expect another lock down in January. This wasn't from Mister Drakeford himself I hasten to add.

@Mooseflake

How does it protect public health to stop people buying kettles in supermarkets, particularly given that they can easily get them from other shops that are permitted to stay open?

Once again. The closure of non-essential shops is there to protect public health. The prevention of big supermarkets from selling non-essentials is to stop them from capitalizing on the lack of competition from other shops - to create fairness.

When we had countrywide lockdown there were none of these stupid distinctions and covid numbers came down quite successfully

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52090441 Coronavirus Easter Egg Crackdown.

Yes. There. Were.

I love it when people link to 'proof' that actually contradicts the point they were trying to make. If you actually read that article you linked to it says "“There is no government definition of which products can be sold within those stores," and "the current rules, which put no restrictions on the items essential retailers can sell, were common sense."

The article is about over-zealous officials in police and local government misinterpreting the rules made by the government and specifically clarifies that no laws or regulations or even guidance were passed restricting the sale of any items sold by essential retailers. This is the COMPLETE OPPOSITE to what is currently in place!

@IamaBluebird

Just had a text saying he's not changing supermarket rules and to expect another lock down in January. This wasn't from Mister Drakeford himself I hasten to add.

I would have enjoyed it if that was his new way of announcing restrictions though. I was ready to be outraged at not having received such a text.

When he first announced it I assumed his plan was another few shorter lockdowns next year. I had always thought was the original plan for restrictions in the UK anyway.

Late to this thread and I see some great examples about have already been posted about prem babies and hospital admissions/folk needing new nightwear. When I heard about this, I thought about our newly arrived kitten peeing on DS’s bed earlier in the year & having to buy a new duvet out of the blue because his soiled one didn’t fit in our washing machine and launderettes were closed. It seems like totally counterproductive overreach.

Yes very deceiving, power mad dictator under the guise of a softly spoken welsh Grandad figure.

(Just been to my local Tesco (Wales) and you can buy pretty much anything. Including car air fresheners.

Home goods is cordoned off though.

@babyroobs: he IS a softly spoken Welsh grandad. A very out of his depth one.