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?

@LizzieSiddal

*My impression was they'd were working there together anyway and just stayed. No different than having your dinner hour.*

Does your dinner hour include canapés, wine and a secret Santa?

Still just food and drinks. Not sure what risk Secret Santa us to anything. I had Amazon parcels coming in all last year. Same thing.

Clearly the no parties thing was to stop households mixing who wouldn’t otherwise. They couldn’t say works Christmas parties were ok either because people would use that at as a reason to party.

I think they left it quite ambiguous actually so that those that were working face to face wouldn’t get penalised for having a drink in the ward/office/staffroom, whilst not giving people leeway to mix excessively.

My impression was they'd were working there together anyway and just stayed.
No different than having your dinner hour

On the 14th of December last year I ate lunch "with" my colleagues at separate tables 2m apart with the windows open (NHS). Junior doctors in my trust were disciplined for sharing a pizza a kind member of the public had bought them. Our Xmas party was a zoom quiz as it will be this year.

No not like a lunch hour at all.

Your reasoning doesn't really make sense OP. I agree we shouldn't be surprised but why can't we be angry and upset about it? Its so apathetic to just shrug your shoulders and say well that's what they're like. Most people follow the rules, it's how societies function. It makes me sick to think they are laughing at us

*Still just food and drinks.
Not sure what risk Secret Santa us to anything. I had Amazon parcels coming in all last year. Same thing.

Clearly the no parties thing was to stop households mixing who wouldn’t otherwise. They couldn’t say works Christmas parties were ok either because people would use that at as a reason to party.

I think they left it quite ambiguous actually so that those that were working face to face wouldn’t get penalised for having a drink in the ward/office/staffroom, whilst not giving people leeway to mix excessively.*

The guidance was not ambiguous it was crystal clear. Even within workspaces social distancing was to be observed and there must be no socialising. Students were being made to eat at individual tables all facing the same way 2m apart, people were disciplined at work, two women were cautioned for drinking coffee whilst walking. The police were moving people on from benches in parks, playgrounds were closed. But yet the people who made these rules thought it was ok to flout them . Even the Queen sat in her own at her husbands funeral.

I deserve better leaders than that, my children deserve better leaders than that we all deserve better.

I suppose people like you are the reason Boris and co keeps getting voted in OP. Do you also not care about the PPE contracts? The delay on lockdown? The 140,000 deaths? The t&t debacle etc etc?

I care hugely that he's broken the law. I care hugely that he's lying about it. The Govt should not break the law. They should be accountable for breaking the law in the same way that house in Ilford is.

And yes, it was fucking hard last Christmas. The stories of people not seeing their aged parents, exchanging presents on motorways et c are awful. Not being allowed to be in hospital when your partner gives birth. People were alone. But even more horrific: the stories of people not being allowed into hospital to hold their relatives' hands as they died, are heartbreaking. And Boris was having a fucking party? It is time this country did get angry with him. He's taking everyone for a fucking ride.

Hiw do you know they weren’t 2m apart FFS?

What have family funerals or incidents about going out at the time no households mixing got to do with people staying after work?

But is this the worst thing the government has done? Not by a long stretch. I'm frustrated that there's not been the same outpouring of anger for some of the other really awful stuff they've done.

I agree that it isn't. I view much more seriously their outrageous corruption under which Johnson, Rees Mogg and their friends are making millions out of government contracts. But the point is in part that this demonstrates the same mindset: all you silly little people are beneath us, rules about theft and fraud don't apply to us because we've managed to lie our way into government, and we don't have to try too hard to hide what we're doing because Johnson will just bluster his way out of it and our stupid supporters will support us anyway.

And, I suppose, the point is that they are now hitting the population on a very visceral level - people who couldn't be with their dying spouses, parents, siblings and children realise that while they were suffering, the people who made those rules were partying and laughing at them.

I hate the way Starmer and Co are shrieking with outrage. They just come across as petty. It's boring. There are bigger issues to focus on.

I would imagine that all big political parties do their own polling on various things, and this will have come out as an issue people care about and therefore one they really want to focus on.
It is a bit depressing that people seem angrier about this than the litany of other shit, but politicians are obviously going to look at what people care about most when criticising another party/leader. It would be very odd for the leader of the opposition to not use a huge amount of public anger towards the PM.

@lightisnotwhite

Hiw do you know they weren’t 2m apart FFS?

What have family funerals or incidents about going out at the time no households mixing got to do with people staying after work?

We all know they weren't. We also know that, even if they were, it makes no difference. They made it a rule that indoor gatherings were not to happen whether people were 2m apart or not.

Most, if not all my neighbours had visitors, saw a few who were clearly off visiting themselves. (Quiet road- not a massive curtain twitcher lol). All friends were chatting about what they got up too. I think anyone who paid attention were in the minority.
They said it so when people inevitably didn't listen, they could say you should have followed rules, but as it goes the world didn't end.

If they reintroduce restrictions nobody will pay any attention, including government

@lightisnotwhite

Hiw do you know they weren’t 2m apart FFS?

What have family funerals or incidents about going out at the time no households mixing got to do with people staying after work?

Because staying after work and socialising was also illegal at the time. Not sure how you play party games under social distancing rules but the fact is that social gatherings of more than two people even in their place of work were illegal.

@OneRuleForThem

I think I’m most surprised that so many people actually listened to their advice and did what the government said As if I would watch and listen to Boris Johnson of all people(!) saying “do not visit your family at Christmas” and do what he said!!

It was not advice. It was the law. You broke the law. They broke the law.

I'm dead confused and I know this thread is long and I have only read the first page but I am half asleep and I feel like I'm cracking up so can somebody tell me if this statement is right or wrong?

We were allowed to spend Christmas with family at gatherings so OP didn't break any rules. We were not allowed to have a Christmas party with colleagues in the run up to Christmas so Dowing Street did.

So the government broke the law, and so did you.

Well done all of you....

It's attitudes like "what did you expect" that have allowed the, to keep doing this and stay in power.

I'm as guilty as the next person but we don't fight for our rights enough in this country. And they are laughing at at for it.

Congratulations OP on the crafting of such a beautifully goody post where you combine two positions of ‘aren’t you all thick for expecting politicians to follow the laws they have written’ with and ‘aren’t you all thick for following said laws set to protect the population from a new more transmissible variant of a dangerous virus’.
Very impressed. 9/10.

My 82 year old father had his first Christmas alone. Meanwhile the government broke the law.

The government broke the law in a way that many people were put at risk of a virus, and lied about it.

@TheShadoutCrepes

Congratulations OP on the crafting of such a beautifully goody post where you combine two positions of ‘aren’t you all thick for expecting politicians to follow the laws they have written’ with and ‘aren’t you all thick for following said laws set to protect the population from a new more transmissible variant of a dangerous virus’. Very impressed. 9/10.

Basically this is what's happened.

We were allowed to spend Christmas with family at gatherings so OP didn't break any rules. We were not allowed to have a Christmas party with colleagues in the run up to Christmas so Dowing Street did.

Depends where OP lives - in the SE, you couldn’t. Given that she said she ignored the rules (she’s positively proud of it) to have a “normal” Christmas, it sounds like she did break the rules for wherever she was.

I think you are purposely missing the point, tory bot or a bit dim OP.

It was the law and most people in the UK are law abiding. It's what keeps society safe.

Its a massive massive piss take and undermines the seriousness of what they were supposed to be portraying. If covid is that bad we can't see family at Christmas then why were they at a piss up ( which they had banned)

It going to undermine social distancing and even booster shots. People will lose faith in what they say.

Tbh, I am a floating voter. I really didn't think Labour could have done a better job over Covid as they are a state and I was leaning towards the Tories because of their reluctance to hurtle towards to the Trans debate.

But this is too far. Laughing at the mock press conference? they knew it was a piss take. So many people made a sacrifice on the orders Boris gave and didn't see their loved ones who then went on to die over the winter period. Police were actually called out to peoples homes if neighbours had spotted people entering homes.

This and the shocking lack of leadership from Dominic Rabb over ignoring emails, getting interpreters in to speak people trying to flee Afghanistan is just fucking dreadful.

They need to get the fuck out. These are not he party to lead the country.

You fucked it Conservatives!

@twelly

I am of the opinion that this was last year and we need to move on - yes it was hypocritical and shows a contempt for the public, I disagreed with the lockdowns and believed at the time we were storing up issues for the young and for all those who missed diagnoses of preventable disease. The country was locked down for the vulnerable and elderly, and locking those of them who were able mobile and active. So Downing Street had a party and should be honest but I don't think we should focusing on this - lets move on and ensure we return to normal life and get rid of constant restrictions

There's people still appearing in court this week over breaches of this law last Christmas.

It was the law at the time. Many people were given £10,000 on the spot fines. There were several cases of students who only vaguely understood the law, and their families had to sells cars and other valuables to help them pay the fine. You are admitting you broke the law OP. There are cases still going through the courts today.

Boris Johnson took a private plane back from the environment summit to have dinner with old friends at a men-only club.

He dismissed a tribunal’s findings that the Home Secretary had bullied civil service staff, and kept her in post.

He defended a politician who had broken the lobbying rules until it was obvious he could no longer do so.

Now It’s Christmas parties. Same thing.

Laura Kuemssberg on the BBC says that Boris has an ‘unusual relationship with the truth.’, I’d add to that a lack of common decency and respect for the people he governs, and a sense of entitlement that belongs back in the 1960s.

Op even corbyn broke the "rules" didn't he and had too many people at this diner party or something. I can't get too excited about but, they are supposed to showing us the way and mixing and enjoying themselves when people have left elderly parents alone etc will make people furious.

“We were allowed to spend Christmas with family at gatherings so OP didn't break any rules. We were not allowed to have a Christmas party with colleagues in the run up to Christmas so Dowing Street did.”

This depends on location, and which tier you were in at the time.