To ask if your essential meetings involve sitting around in the garden with wine and cheese, with your spouse in attendance?

[AlexaShutUp]

So the justification for the pictures of Boris in lockdown is that they were essential work meetings and therefore allowed. The wine and cheese was apparently because people were working long hours. I have seen no explanation of why Carrie was present.

Do you have essential work meetings of this nature? I don't.

AIBU to think that, in the midst of a pandemic, I'd rather that our decision makers stayed off the booze while carrying out their essential functions? And that unelected individuals who are not employed by the government in an official capacity have no business sitting in on such meetings?

indoor party photos featuring ministers

And they mustn’t be wearing suits and must be smiling otherwise that won’t count either.

'Ordering a takeaway to the ward so you can all grab the chance to eat something during your shift isn't the same as having an after work garden party'

Risk wise, sitting with work colleagues at your workplace (which was allowed) is the same regardless if you're eating cheese or a KFC.

That is not like any 'party' I've been to..

@JaniieJones

I have friends and family who worked throughout and meeting in communal areas (without an essential note pad and pencil case to keep minutes) did happen. The nhs used to frequently order in takeaways where they sat together to eat them! Indoors! I know it is truly shocking isn't it 🙄'

'What about what about what about!!!!!'

'Give it a rest'

'Give it a rest'. Whataboutery. Great debate, well done you!

Look, the whole point of restrictions and guidelines was to reduce the risk of spreading the virus. These people had worked together all day, so sitting in a communal area outdoors discussing work issues was not increasing anyone's risk was it?!

It isn't 'Whataboutery' to point this out. Work colleagues up and down the country sat indoors and outdoors in communal areas discussing work related issues and this was allowed. Pals in your house? no, because that is socialising. Honestly it's no wonder they had to issue step by step simple guidelines repeatedly is it.

In that case the hospital staff posed no risk either did they?

@JaniieJones

'Ordering a takeaway to the ward so you can all grab the chance to eat something during your shift isn't the same as having an after work garden party'

Risk wise, sitting with work colleagues at your workplace (which was allowed) is the same regardless if you're eating cheese or a KFC.

That is not like any 'party' I've been to..

How many NHS staff and their partners were knocking back the taxpayer funded wine?

@JaniieJones

'Ordering a takeaway to the ward so you can all grab the chance to eat something during your shift isn't the same as having an after work garden party'

Risk wise, sitting with work colleagues at your workplace (which was allowed) is the same regardless if you're eating cheese or a KFC.

That is not like any 'party' I've been to..

I can't imagine many NHS staff inviting their spouses and children along for the takeways.

It's not about cheese and wine on a patio or whatever. That's what people like Raab want to reduce it to. It's about somebody remembering their mum dying alone because they did the right thing & now feeling awful wondering why they didn't break the rules to be with them. And that’s what their defenders singularly fail to understand.
Its about feeling you’ve been made a fool of, feeling you’ve let someone down when you thought you were doing the right thing . Doing ‘the thing’ which the ‘cheese and wine drinkers’ told you to , and which it now turns out they didn’t mean applied everyone, they just meant those people too stupid to ignore them . How they must have laughed at us ……

Look, the whole point of restrictions and guidelines was to reduce the risk of spreading the virus. These people had worked together all day, so sitting in a communal area outdoors discussing work issues was not increasing anyone's risk was it?! Can you please tell us what work Carrie and Wilf had been doing. I think there are laws on child labour so we might need to organise some help for the poor little baby.

It is indeed strange that babies are banned from the House of Commons yet were allowed at this 'work' meeting.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/stella-creasy-parliament-london-house-of-commons-pip-b1963491.html

@Peaseblossum22

That is it absolutely.

Those in the government should've been setting an example, and then some. They should be exemplary in their adherence to the rules. Otherwise it just creates furious anger when people lost loved ones they couldn't say goodbye to or hold a decent funeral for.

Someone I know lost her Mum last year. She had a 25 minute crematorium service, and was back home within the hour. How she would've loved to have had her close relatives round her for a couple of hours after the crematorium for cheese and wine. As it was, she just came home and cried.

I agree that it’s not particularly about the wine or the cheese or the girlfriend or the baby or the lack of social distancing and very much to do with first of all as pease said the feeling that you’ve been made a fool of and should have not “let down” loved ones who you could not see due to the restrictions etc, but for me it’s more a feeling of pure disgust that we are very obviously being lied to.

Of course that “gathering” was totally not allowed. We don’t need to discuss whether it was or wasn't allowed because we all know full well it wasn’t. Actually analysing it and discussing it is really ridiculous because a 5 year old could tell you that at that time, this was not allowed. No excuses. Not allowed. The end.

So the far bigger picture becomes why it is that we are being bare faced lied to and not calling it out, squarely, as a bare faced lie. Why is the basic integrity of these “public servants” so obviously, massively lacking, and there is no huge backlash, not for the original shabby, appalling and repulsive error, but for the cover up, telling us that black is in fact white. It’s grotesque.

@cauliflowersqueeze

I think in all honesty the smart move would have been for somebody, anybody, at or near the top of government to maybe have said a day or two or three ago:

“Dear General Public, voters, you now realise, and we should have done at the time, that the gathering was screw up..we are sorry”..

It does however appear they and their acolytes simply cannot bring themselves to do so and instead continue to indulge in C&P whataboutery and deflection that actually continues to fan the flames…

@notimagain

Yes I completely agree.

I understand the Dominic Cummings Barnard Castle business a bit better now. When DC was found out the govt defended him to the hilt not seeming to grasp that the key issue was telling us one thing and defending a man who did the opposite, making us seem like fools for obeying the rules. The reason they defended him was that they were ALL disobeying the rules, probably all the time so the DC business was perfectly fine and normal as none of them were obeying the rules either.

@ancientgran

I think people defending Boris and Co should have a think. Your defense of them is actually making me angrier about it, I bet there are others who feel the same. Ministers telling us rubbish is also making it worse.

The only thing to do in this situation is to put your hands up, admit they were wrong and they should apologise.

I, on the other hand, think they should carry on. The inept attempts at defence are actively damaging. It's great.

@VikingOnTheFridge whilst I can understand
That there is an element of entertainment here and also of them digging their own grave, we are now in a situation in which this country needs clear leadership.

Government is not a game nor a source of entertainment, it is deadly serious and people’s livelihoods and in this case actual lives depend on those in power making considered decisions in the best interests of the country as a whole and not merely in their own interests . The privileged few may be able to enjoy the spectacle but those with the privilege of power have a responsibility to use it wisely and to the best of their ability and also to consider the needs of the least fortunate in our society. This administration does none of those things .

[quote Peaseblossum22]@VikingOnTheFridge whilst I can understand
That there is an element of entertainment here and also of them digging their own grave, we are now in a situation in which this country needs clear leadership.

Government is not a game nor a source of entertainment, it is deadly serious and people’s livelihoods and in this case actual lives depend on those in power making considered decisions in the best interests of the country as a whole and not merely in their own interests . The privileged few may be able to enjoy the spectacle but those with the privilege of power have a responsibility to use it wisely and to the best of their ability and also to consider the needs of the least fortunate in our society. This administration does none of those things .[/quote]
This is all 100% true, but it's the posters defending them I'm laughing at.

Ah , I apologise wrong end of the stick again .

@VikingOnTheFridge I, on the other hand, think they should carry on. The inept attempts at defence are actively damaging. It's great. Yes you are right, I suppose I was looking at it from their point of view but from my point of view let them pile it on.

This is all 100% true, but it's the posters defending them I'm laughing at

Its certainly not showing them in a good light

@RufustheFloralmissingreindeer

This is all 100% true, but it's the posters defending them I'm laughing at

Its certainly not showing them in a good light

I don’t know who this refers to and I fully understand some people work for some companies where rhis would never be part of a work meeting, but factually it is for many others.

I’ve been to many work meetings, both internal and external with wine or a drink at the end. I think it’s difficult to comprehend that some folks find this so alien they can’t even perceive it.

I don’t know who this refers to and I fully understand some people work for some companies where rhis would never be part of a work meeting, but factually it is for many others

I’ve been to many work meetings, both internal and external with wine or a drink at the end. I think it’s difficult to comprehend that some folks find this so alien they can’t even perceive it

Yes ive been to work meetings that involve alcohol at the end, one or two during…dh works in finance and has many lunches and dinners including alcohol

Ive got no problem with the concept of after work drinks

The whole point is that these after work drinks took place during a pandemic when everybody else in the country was legally unable to do this (and yeah i know people still did…but they didnt make the rules)

And by ‘not in a good light’ im referring to SOME of the posters who are defending the after work drinkers….

@Bluntness100 it referred to my post of 16.00 , nothing to do with alcohol at work

I think drinking at work took a real knock back in the 80s. I worked in a few different settings including the drinks industry iyself where it had been the norm for managers to break out the bottles in the office. We laughed at the idea by 1990 it was so out of fashion.
But obviously not the case in finance and government though. Who knew.

[quote Peaseblossum22]@Bluntness100 it referred to my post of 16.00 , nothing to do with alcohol at work[/quote]
Thanks pease 😀