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?

I completely agree with @Sandsnake

"I didn’t listen to Boris et al, I listed to Chris Whitty and the scientists. I listened to them because I understood how much of an issue Delta was, and that we were living in a pre-vaccine world where the shit was hitting the fan regarding Covid. I listened because I knew how serious it was and I couldn’t live with myself if I knew that I was part of the problem.

I sacrificed my Christmas with my family. So did everyone that I know in my area (we were tier 4). We were helping people not to get Covid"

I followed the rules because I didn't want to risk passing it to anyone, especially family and friends. Or bringing it home to my children, or catching it myself.

At no point did I base my decisions on a belief that Boris and his corrupt government would do the right thing. It was just the right thing to do for society. It should have been done earlier. The tories being a mouthpiece for sound advice doesn't stop it being sound advice. The fact that they themselves ignored that advice should help prove its validity.

I dont feel like a mug for doing it.

@OneRuleForThem

I just feel like people are angry because they feel personally cheated out of a Christmas last year when the people setting the rules had a nice one and my only response is…WHY did you listen to them expecting moral high ground from the government, and Boris Johnson, of all people!

It wasn’t about ‘moral high ground’, at all. I didn’t have a normal christmas cos I didnt want to catch covid, or spread it.

I get your point about Boris and co being untrustworthy (to put it politely) but your post comes across as you’re not really bothered about holding the government to account, even when they’re breaking the law. What if everyone decided to treat all laws like ‘advice’?

I just wonder what it’s going to take for everyone to be angry enough? We let this gov do whatever it wants! Just roll our eyes and say ‘oh well what do you expect’.

justice.org.uk/police-crime-sentencing-and-courts-bill/

If the police consider a protest to be a public annoyance, which could be making a noise, blocking a pavement, you could be arrested and jailed, with max sentence 10 years. And the home secretary will be able to change what counts as a public nuisance at any future point. This effectively criminalises any protest action. Its been aimed at climate protesters, which might not be up your street, but could be turned on a protest about something you do care about. The ability to protest is a fundamental right and part of a functioning democracy. We're about to lose it, but the media is talking about a party.

@Marimaur

I just wonder what it’s going to take for everyone to be angry enough? We let this gov do whatever it wants! Just roll our eyes and say ‘oh well what do you expect’.

The British way of complaining yet doing nothing about it is part of the problem. In fact the government relies upon it being so. The British public is, as my gran used to say, all talk and no trousers.

If anyone's interested in a revolution, count me in.

@PinkiOcelot

People are up in arms because the majority of people didn’t flout the rules, unlike you and didn’t spend Christmas with their loved ones. So the fact that the government held parties and spent time with friends, whilst fining people for the same, is a bit of a kick in the teeth. What’s hard to understand about that?!

This. With bells on. And stop sounding so bloody smug about the fact you broke the rules too. People like you and the government are the reason everything is going to go tits up yet again today.

@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!!

You’re surprised people wanted to do the right thing? Which other rules are you surprised people follow?

Some people like me will have followed them because they are/were themselves public servants and there’s this thing called standards in public life. Which doesn’t seem to apply to the government, which kind of explains why some people are angry.

Many others will have followed the rules to stop the virus spreading, not simply because Boris said so.

People who don’t do stuff just because it’s a rule that came about during the tenure of a buffoon are even more stupid than the buffoon.

@Sugarntailsnluvlyspicysnails

I completely agree with *@Sandsnake*

"I didn’t listen to Boris et al, I listed to Chris Whitty and the scientists. I listened to them because I understood how much of an issue Delta was, and that we were living in a pre-vaccine world where the shit was hitting the fan regarding Covid. I listened because I knew how serious it was and I couldn’t live with myself if I knew that I was part of the problem.

I sacrificed my Christmas with my family. So did everyone that I know in my area (we were tier 4). We were helping people not to get Covid"

I followed the rules because I didn't want to risk passing it to anyone, especially family and friends. Or bringing it home to my children, or catching it myself.

At no point did I base my decisions on a belief that Boris and his corrupt government would do the right thing. It was just the right thing to do for society. It should have been done earlier. The tories being a mouthpiece for sound advice doesn't stop it being sound advice. The fact that they themselves ignored that advice should help prove its validity.

I dont feel like a mug for doing it.

This.

@ZebrasKnit

It's a dead cat to distract from police crime and Sentencing bill which is in the Lords today. From January we will no longer be able to legally protest.

The law is irrelevant. As long as your protest is a non-event you will be fine. Boris said so.

People who don’t do stuff just because it’s a rule that came about during the tenure of a buffoon are even more stupid than the buffoon.

Pithy, accurate, memorable.

Apparently he's going to investigate the party that 'didn't' happen now.

I'm seeing Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot.

Christmas special.

@requiredusername

Apparently he's going to investigate the party that 'didn't' happen now.

Was Schrodinger or his cat at the party?

Me and my family abided by all the rules set by the government. I saw my parents TWICE last year when I would normally see them once a month (we live nearly 200 miles away).

We didn't have Christmas together not just because we were told not too but because we honestly thought it would the best thing to do to keep my parents safe.

It was the first Christmas in my 66 years that I didn't spend with my parents and my siblings.

We had a zoom call with my parents, siblings, neices etc and mum tried to put a brave face on it but I could see she was upset. Not only was it just mum and dad on their own but dad had dementia and was bed bound so hard work for mum

We all said we would celebrate Christmas as soon as we could all get together but that never happened. Both mum and dad died in January, less than 2 weeks apart.

I am bloody raging about the useless government. I really wish we had all ignored the advice last year and just spent Christmas together. It's no good really having regrets but if we had known what was going to happen we would have had our last Christmas together

Congratulations, you are selfish as F, just like this government. Does that make you feel better?

People like you are the problem, you don't have a moral high ground here.

@mydogisthebest

Me and my family abided by all the rules set by the government. I saw my parents TWICE last year when I would normally see them once a month (we live nearly 200 miles away).

We didn't have Christmas together not just because we were told not too but because we honestly thought it would the best thing to do to keep my parents safe.

It was the first Christmas in my 66 years that I didn't spend with my parents and my siblings.

We had a zoom call with my parents, siblings, neices etc and mum tried to put a brave face on it but I could see she was upset. Not only was it just mum and dad on their own but dad had dementia and was bed bound so hard work for mum

We all said we would celebrate Christmas as soon as we could all get together but that never happened. Both mum and dad died in January, less than 2 weeks apart.

I am bloody raging about the useless government. I really wish we had all ignored the advice last year and just spent Christmas together. It's no good really having regrets but if we had known what was going to happen we would have had our last Christmas together

I’m sorry 💐

@Sugarntailsnluvlyspicysnails

I completely agree with *@Sandsnake*

"I didn’t listen to Boris et al, I listed to Chris Whitty and the scientists. I listened to them because I understood how much of an issue Delta was, and that we were living in a pre-vaccine world where the shit was hitting the fan regarding Covid. I listened because I knew how serious it was and I couldn’t live with myself if I knew that I was part of the problem.

I sacrificed my Christmas with my family. So did everyone that I know in my area (we were tier 4). We were helping people not to get Covid"

I followed the rules because I didn't want to risk passing it to anyone, especially family and friends. Or bringing it home to my children, or catching it myself.

At no point did I base my decisions on a belief that Boris and his corrupt government would do the right thing. It was just the right thing to do for society. It should have been done earlier. The tories being a mouthpiece for sound advice doesn't stop it being sound advice. The fact that they themselves ignored that advice should help prove its validity.

I dont feel like a mug for doing it.

I agree too.

This childish mentality that allegedly some civil servants (not ministers) may have broken guidelines so we all should have is ridiculous.

We didn't see our relatives last year not as punishment or because we are plebs but to reduce the spread.

@Lorriestakingppe

People like you OP and Allegra Stratton etc make me bloody sick. How dare you come on here basically laughing at all of the people who tried to do the right thing last Christmas?? I am glad 88% of people on here agree that you are unreasonable

I’m not laughing at anybody??? I feel sorry for people who sacrificed a Christmas and now this has come out. But I don’t understand why people did and are now shocked that the government didn’t.

@requiredusername

Apparently he's going to investigate the party that 'didn't' happen now.

I heard in the radio that it needs to be established whether the cabinet secretary (who’s likely to be in charge of any investigation) was at the party that didn’t happen before an internal investigation can be launched…. Honestly, you couldn’t make it up.

And sorry, but I think some people are being highly hypocritical on here. Those who are saying “well I will bloody well enjoy a Christmas this year, despite what the government says”…but that is EXACTLY what I thought last year. So why is it okay for people to reach that conclusion now but a year before and I was, according to some, BU for doing the same?

I feel like people are also purposely misconstruing my words. I already said I was meaning visiting families and NOT where protocols were put in place: like weddings, funerals, care homes etc, where people didn’t have a choice because rules were set in place where they physically couldn’t get around them, but people are saying these things and asking me if that was acceptable when I didn’t say it was in the first place??

You don't understand why people followed scientific and medical advice in order to try to save lives? Where is your common sense and fellow feeling?

@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?

Of course people listened to them. Not everyone is a selfish twunt though. YABU and goady AF.

Ah @OneRuleForThem so you don’t like the fact that your behaviour is reflected in our government and that people are drawing parallels with that?

What the government did was wrong and what you did was wrong. On an individual level you have much less accountability but you’re basically the same.

@KrispyKale

I'm seeing Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot.

I thought Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau. Convenient as he's dead so the investigation won't go far. Of course Peter Ustinov is also dead so it would be a safe bet either way.