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!?

@froggygoneonakillingspree

Personally I just keep an entire fully furnished second house as a backup, doesn't everyone?

Sorry that won’t work. He’s already forbidden travel to second homes!

I have an extremely large collection of backup Easter Egg mugs in case anyone gets desperate. Happy to post to Wales if I can figure out how to get into my local post office without slaughtering a load of grannies.

Sorry that won’t work. He’s already forbidden travel to second homes!

No no, you pay a workman to go to your second house to fetch you your backup tin opener, thus saving lives and supporting small businesses, killing two birds with one stone but definitely not killing any grannies.

But if your second home could be described as a "hut" in your garden, you could move in there. Like our esteemed leader, who clearly has a good grasp on what life is like for the ordinary person.

(It's not a hut so much as a granny annexe.)

There are some very angry British Nat Daily Mail readers on this thread. This whinging has nothing to do with not being able to buy a toaster.
It has everything to do with hating the Senedd, devolution and Wales doing anything different to England. I mean really, the Wales doing its own thing, can't have that can we. It might give them ideas.
'We are living in a police state!!'- what a twat.
There's not a country in the world who's getting Covid-response 100% right-Boris sure as hell isn't.
Everyone is tired and bored of the restrictions, everyone is frustrated, there are no easy answers.
The 'essentials only policy has handed the unionist bigots the perfect opportunity to stick the boot into Drakeford and the Senedd in general. And boy aren't they making the most of it. Notice how many aren't just saying they disagree with Drakeford, its always a comment on how the Senedd isn't working etc etc. Bigotry disguised as outrage. Nothing to do with not being able to buy a kettle. And the hard of thinking in Wales are falling for it.

Don't start with that bullshit. Fuck me. Is that the only argument that you have when people criticise Scottish or Welsh leaders? They hate the Welsh? Utter bollocks. So they should be immune from criticism? How pathetic that you can't take them being questioned and have to resort to that pitiful excuse.

I am Scottish and was thrilled when Scottish Parliament opened but damn right I am going to hold The First Minister and co to account when they make what I see as terrible decisions. If I think they are causing harm I'm not going to shrug it off.

I think the 'essentials only policy was ill-thought out. I disagree with it. Hold him and the Senedd to account by all means, disagree with their stance, absolutely . But when I see Brit Nats whipping up faux outrage to score points I will call that out too And let's be clear the biggest anti-devolution West Brits are in Wales, will tell you they are Welsh to the bone as long as its just about supporting Wales in the rugby and having a cushion in your house with the word Cwtch on it. Beyond that, forget it.

You sound like one of those kids who comes home whining to their parents that they're in trouble again, and "It's not faaairrr" that the teacher hates them, conveniently leaving out the fact that they've been giving the teacher attitude all day.

It's not just you though. A lot of people seem to pull that excuse out of their arse when anyone criticises a Welsh or Scottish politician.

I can't bear Boris either btw. None of them should be immune from criticism.

Are people only allowed to count as Welsh if they have the "right" attitude to devolution then?

If you're Welsh, you're Welsh regardless of your political views. You don't become any more or less Welsh according to where your views lie. There isn't some scale of Welshness that corresponds to your opinion on Independence.

It has everything to do with hating the Senedd, devolution and Wales doing anything different to England. I mean really, the Wales doing its own thing, can't have that can we. It might give them ideas

It has absolutely nothing to do with that. You have a low opinion of people living in England (or is it only the "English", whatever that means these days) if you think we can't make our own minds up and need the Westminster government to tell us what to think. MNers are an opinionated bunch and don't need anyone to tell them what to think!

It has everything to do with hating the Senedd, devolution and Wales doing anything different to England. I mean really, the Wales doing its own thing, can't have that can we. It might give them ideas.

Iawn de 👍
Os dwin ddim yn hapus fo hen Mark, dwi yn ‘welsh hater’ ta saes?
Ia ok 😂

It is actually allowed to not approve of everything the Senedd do you know.

@AllPlayedOut

If you're Welsh, you're Welsh regardless of your political views. You don't become any more or less Welsh according to where your views lie. There isn't some scale of Welshness that corresponds to your opinion on Independence.

You’re right, but it’s scary how many would say you’re wrong...

Disagree with the Senedd's decision-making and policies all day long but let's be clear for a proportion of posters here and on social media this isn't about that. It is about undermining devolution in Wales in any and all its forms. It is not about fucking kettles.

I don't completely agree with Snottymonkey but I don't totally disagree either. There does seem to be an attitude in some quarters that Scotland and Wales are doing things differently just to be "awkward" or to make a point.

The outrage about the non-essentials thing seems fairly muted in my part of South Wales and doesn't align with the more over the top views on this thread. But obviously that’s just a small snapshot locally. Also we are a Labour area and there is a lot of goodwill here towards Drakeford.

The outrage about the non-essentials thing seems fairly muted in my part of South Wales and doesn't align with the more over the top views on this thread. But obviously that’s just a small snapshot locally. Also we are a Labour area and there is a lot of goodwill here towards Drakeford.

Im in North Wales and I agree the views on here dont align with what I hear locally, we're all fed up of the restrictions but for the most part people understand, we get to look over the border at the shambles thats going on in the English government and I'm glad MD gives a shit about the people in Wales.

I agree with a lot of what Snottymonkey has to say

@Snottymonkey I live in England and haven't the slightest interest in or knowledge of Welsh politics. I just think a policy where someone can't buy a perfectly legal product for no sensible reason IMHO is an infringement of people's civil liberties.

I don't disagree. But people throughout the UK have had their civil liberties curtailed at an unprecedented scale for months. Argubly being told you can only leave your home for certain reasons, can only socialise with a certain number of people in certain places is a far more serious deprivation of civil liberties than being prevented from buying certain things in a shop.
My point is some posters here are desperate to portray Wales as soon sort of gulag-like outpost labouring under an oppressive megalomaniac whilst apparently the rest of the UK are carrying just fine and got it all under control. And that's about scoring political points and nothing else

@Snottymonkey my concern is the idea might catch on in England and Scotland! I think of older people like my df who hasn't a clue how to order online. This year has been hard enough on people like him. That's really where I'm coming from.

[quote MissEliza]@Snottymonkey my concern is the idea might catch on in England and Scotland! I think of older people like my df who hasn't a clue how to order online. This year has been hard enough on people like him. That's really where I'm coming from.[/quote]
It is a ill-thought out policy so I hope they don't for your sake! But then you have Boris in charge and as many of the posters on here will tell you he only has the best interest of the people at heart. Unlike us in poor old Wales.

@MissEliza I’m worried about this too. Saint Boris is a weak man, easily swayed, and if Drakeford starts spinning “look at our SUCCESS “, Saint Boris might be a copycat. I just hope a backlash by the good people of wales averts this, and that the English show that they will revolt if Saint Boris copies Drakeford.

[quote Wanderings]@MissEliza I’m worried about this too. Saint Boris is a weak man, easily swayed, and if Drakeford starts spinning “look at our SUCCESS “, Saint Boris might be a copycat. I just hope a backlash by the good people of wales averts this, and that the English show that they will revolt if Saint Boris copies Drakeford.[/quote]
Yeah, maybe stock up with two of everything in your house now just in case while the good people of Wales man the baracades in defence of their God given right to buy spatulas and duvets.
Or maybe just buy whatever shit you need online and get it delivered which is still allowed. Or maybe buy what you need in the 7 days or so notice period before lockdown started. Or maybe just calm down a bit and do without whatever shit you need to buy till you come out of lockdown in 2 weeks time. But that would be common sense and we can't have that can we.

@Snottymonkey just how many times do you have to be told that we DIDN'T have seven days notice of these particular rules? This one was dreamt up about 24hrs before lockdown. Were people expected to go out and buy spare duvets just in case? Or ensure that at least one set of pyjamas was in a bag by the front door (taken with them wherever they went) just in case of an emergency hospital admission?

Plenty of people cannot afford to order online or keep spares of everything. Many more would not have had time in the 24hrs given to go out and buy any essential 'non-essentials'. Not everyone gets to doss around "working from home", some of us have to work all sorts of ungodly shifts.

I've actually got fairly flexible working hours. I still struggled to fit in shopping for the couple of "non-essentials" I needed on Friday - it definitely wasn't announced a week in advance. The lockdown was, but that was billed as having broadly similar rules to March. You could still buy this stuff in March, from a supermarket.

I think I’d give up on SnottyMonkey.

Clearly has some difficulty taking in information.