AIBU to not understand the outrage over the government’s so-called Christmas party?

[OneRuleForThem]

I feel like this is only an issue if people automatically followed guidelines like robots. We were “told” not to visit our own families over Christmas. Nobody tells me whether I can or can not visit my own family, so I did, and had a lovely and nice normal Christmas last year.

It seems people are up in arms over the fact that Downing Street allegedly (do I have to say allegedly?) had a Christmas party and flounced the “rules” without social distancing. My only reaction is…And? And so? So what? Did anyone expect the government NOT to do something like this? I don’t know why people are up in arms over it tbh. It’s not like this government is brand new to people and they didn’t have prior information that this government backtrack and “do as I say not as i do” ALL THE TIME.

I really don’t get why people are so outraged by this. My main reaction is…why did you listen to them in the first place expecting them to be some kind of moral leaders? AIBU?

[Parker231]

@OneRuleForThem

I’m just struggling to understand why people listened to the advice in the first place. It doesn’t make sense to me

They listened because it was legally binding and people were dying. I’m beginning to think you have trouble understanding what was happening in the hospitals?? I’ll pass your messages on to my doctor DH - he could give you the information you are missing

[OneRuleForThem]

I’m just struggling to understand why people listened to the advice in the first place. It doesn’t make sense to me

[Peaseblossum22]

but @lightisnotwhite you miss the important point that this is not just any workplace, or just any team. This is the centre of power, these are the people who make the rules , the people who are meant to be e exemplifiers of the behaviour which they are expecting from the rest of society.If they can't keep to the rules/guidance then arguably they are showing that the no one can except that this was plainly not the case because millions of people put themselves and their own desires second to the needs of society as a whole.

I would never ask my team at work to do something that i would not be prepared to do myself, its called leadership . To have the opportunity to work at the very centre of government is an immense privilege, you have a responsibility towards those people whose lives you have sway over to use that power mindfully.

[lightisnotwhite]

@Iwantmyoldnameback

I think the people who struggle to understand why people are upset probably struggle to understand a lot of things to be fair. How could anyone not know it was a law when it was all over the news about people being prosecuted, about families exchanging presents at service stations, about separation at funerals? How do we get through to these total fuckwits?

As a fuckwit I want to understand why you can’t tell the difference between people mixing unnecessarily and people who are working together all day.
There’s nothing to say that people at number 10 didn’t also not see dying relatives, not mix households at home, or not have the family Christmas they wanted.

At the time these quizes parties were occurring it was illegal
London was under Tier Two restrictions at the time, which banned mixing of households indoors - apart from support bubbles - and allowed a maximum of six people to meet outside.

And yet there they all are, inside , at work together everyday. Like thousands of others in schools, hospitals and supermarkets. So that bit of law isn’t being followed.

Official guidance said: "Although there are exemptions for work purposes, you must not have a work Christmas lunch or party, where that is a primarily social activity and is not otherwise permitted by the rules in your tier."

So what are the “exemptions”? Who is to say it’s much different from a stupid team building INSET morning? That’s primarily social but still counted as work.

[Onthedowns]

So many missing the point.
At the time these quizes parties were occurring it was illegal
London was under Tier Two restrictions at the time, which banned mixing of households indoors - apart from support bubbles - and allowed a maximum of six people to meet outside.

Official guidance said: "Although there are exemptions for work purposes, you must not have a work Christmas lunch or party, where that is a primarily social activity and is not otherwise permitted by the rules in your tier."


Why are some ignorant to this? Its a complete and utter piss take. The rest of the country in crisis yet Boris

Do as i say not as I do

Cummings Hancock Patel second jobs scandal, his flat decorating scandal, how much more to proof his clear view of not giving a shit about the demographic who voted him in. - not me.

Yes there has always been scandals and sleeze but this is the worst in my memory

The frightening thing is we are currently left with very few alternatives and a piss poor opposition

[Loveinacoldishclimate]

@Pinkyxx I don’t think anyone at all is coming for key workers who had to workout out of home and shared cake in their lunch hour or a bottle of wine and the end of a shift. The Downing Street Party was not that. So I don’t think it’s a red herring.

There were dozens of people meaning people who wouldn’t normally meet in the workplace came together. There are reported party games, secret Santa’s, alcohol, speeches and awards and it ran into the small hours. So they did it over a prolonged period.

It breached the law, they were hypocritical and it may have resulted in virus spreading.

Beyond that there are the lies, cover up, damage to public confidence which may result in further deaths. And the damage to democracy- a PM who lies to Parliament should resign.

[twinklystar23]

Had to miss a few pages of this long thread, the most cruel issue is for those who couldn't be with dying relatives. I so feel for these people caught in CIRCUMSTANCES CREATED BY THIS GOVERNMENT, can you imagine OP watching your child or close relative die on screen? To not be able to do the simplest thing such as hold their hand? What do those people have to live with? Ask yourself, was there relative in pain? Did they know they were "there" (on a screen) were they afraid, felt abandoned.
I've felt I've had to spell it out. There is no going back for these bereaved people. Is this not the ultimate insult? Why should we just shrug our shoulders? This is the point, one day their LAWS will affect you, and they will laugh and joke about it.

This government, the whole sleazy lot need to go. I was one of the poll tax organisers we got rid of thatcher ( though at least she believed in what she said) we really need to demand better. I am beyond angry for these people I think we should all be standing g with them, dont you?

[JennyForeigner]

@ComtesseDeSpair

Was it “the Government”, or was it various No. 10 staff and aides who had most likely been working together in close quarters in the preceding weeks anyway? It doesn’t seem that Boris or any MPs actually attended, and I really can’t get worked up about the latter.

If you believed this even before today's pictures, you'll believe anything.

This is how journalists work. Drop what they have, wait for denials/junior staffers to get thrown under a bus. Get given more by now furious colleagues, publish more. It's based on knowing and having known for a year than Johnson and vile little clique ignored rules as he always ignored rules, but this time as it was law and people were dying.

Wait till next weekend and see what comes out then. In the meantime, if you defend him you're a mug.

[Iwantmyoldnameback]

I think the people who struggle to understand why people are upset probably struggle to understand a lot of things to be fair. How could anyone not know it was a law when it was all over the news about people being prosecuted, about families exchanging presents at service stations, about separation at funerals? How do we get through to these total fuckwits?

[SuPerDoPer]

I'm happy that by not seeing my family last xmas I did the right thing, not for the governments sake but so I didn't give them covid. But there were many many people who were fined and threatened and there was a lot of fear among normal law-abiding people. We lost a family member (not from covid) in March 2021 and we spent a lot of time together as a family then, against the rules as they were, and my mum was genuinely worried that the police would come crashing through the front door to arrest her. I'm not at all surprised that No 10 had an Xmas party or that Hancock was having an affair or any of the numerous examples of the government breaching their own rules but it is right that they are held to account and these things are put in the spotlight so we can what hypocritical scumbags we're voting for.

[Groovee]

For me it was the fact they put us into another lock down. My dad had just died and I was in a daze. Then nearly 12 months on the evening after their party BJ stood there saying we're closing the schools and hospitality blah blah blah.

Then it comes out and he fecks off on paternity leave.

[Nowayoutonlydown]

@OneRuleForThem

I feel like this is only an issue if people automatically followed guidelines like robots. We were “told” not to visit our own families over Christmas. Nobody tells me whether I can or can not visit my own family, so I did, and had a lovely and nice normal Christmas last year.

It seems people are up in arms over the fact that Downing Street allegedly (do I have to say allegedly?) had a Christmas party and flounced the “rules” without social distancing. My only reaction is…And? And so? So what? Did anyone expect the government NOT to do something like this? I don’t know why people are up in arms over it tbh. It’s not like this government is brand new to people and they didn’t have prior information that this government backtrack and “do as I say not as i do” ALL THE TIME.

I really don’t get why people are so outraged by this. My main reaction is…why did you listen to them in the first place expecting them to be some kind of moral leaders? AIBU?

I'm up in arms because I did what was the responsible thing, and I followed the rules. Our area was in T4 over Christmas, so we didn't see anyone.

Many people didn't want to risk huge fines and it feels incredibly unfair that we were all threatened with these fines, and the rules were imposed supposedly based on risk, but the people who made the rules were just off doing their own thing

[Booklover3]

1.1 million “going” to the rave now.

I think people are still very angry. I’m hoping he doesn’t weasel his way out of this one.

[MrsHastingslikethebattle]

Scare campaign*

[MrsHastingslikethebattle]

I'm on the fence.

I can see your point about the shock of people actually listening to them. I didn't, I had a normal Christmas last year ..but many people didnt.

That was not just down the goverment instructions, it's also down the scare captain that media have continued to do throughout this pandemic.
Sensationalist misleading headlines over and over again...every news channel, every radio station.

Some people were scared into admission. Its not fair on them when the people who are mainly responsible for them having a lonely Christmas when they're partying without a care in the world.

It's just wrong.

[mikulkin]

OP, the problem is you didn’t have an open choice, you broke the law and it worked for you, but if someone had reported you, you would have ended up paying fine, cutting your visit short and would have been very angry now at government knowing they did more and got away with it.
People are upset about your posts because it sounds like you are saying, everyone had a choice, but choosing to do what you did was breaking a law, I agree not logical law, but still a law. If everyone decides to choose which part of law they follow and which one they don’t based on their assessment and liking of government, it will be a chaos, hence people are usually law obeying.

[PamDenick]

If it wasn’t the law to meet, then why did police aggressively break up an outdoor vigil of grieving women held in remembrance of Sarah Everard?

[Peaseblossum22]

I think you will find that it was law because it was implemented under the emergency powers legislation which allowed the Government to pass regulations into law without going through the usual process.

[rainbowscalling]

I have felt more angry the more I have thought about it to be honest.

I did see my parents at Christmas against government advice, because my grandad, who I had not seen in months because of covid, was busy dying in hospital without any of us being able to say goodbye, through a non-covid related illness that could have been avoided if he was aloud visitors that could have advocated for him properly. He passed on Boxing Day.

I then had to sit at his funeral, unable to comfort my grandmother, unable to go anywhere afterwards and still have not really been able to even accept that he has gone nearly a year later.

All whilst they were busy doing whatever they pleased and telling us that we couldn't see eachother.

[Malibuismysecrethome]

We were told it was law at the time and they had police and enforcement officers ensuring you comply.

[Darbs76]

I listened to the government to protect my vulnerable mother. I didn’t want her death on my conscience for a Turkey dinner

[Cornettoninja]

@HannibalHayeski

Erm, if it wasn't the law, why were people fined for breaking it?

Pillock...

Quite. There still some cases working their way through the courts as far as I’m aware.

www.cps.gov.uk/cps/news/cps-review-findings-first-year-coronavirus-prosecutions

[HannibalHayeski]

Erm, if it wasn't the law, why were people fined for breaking it?

Pillock...

[HopefulHetty]

If it was never law we are in a worse place going forward than ever.
It would explain the insistence that no laws were broken.

[jgw1]

Omg 😂it was never law lol it has to pass through the Lords. It was guidance and many did meet family and friends and no one can tell you what to do. Oh mumsnet 😂people like you

I had to break it you but the vast majority of our laws do not pass through the Lords or Brussels.