AIBU to feel gaslighted by the government and BBC?

[Bavarois]

Another photo has appeared, showing the Tories having a 'work meeting' (garden party) on 15th May 2020. The BBC report states 'The 15 May photograph shows a gathering of staff in the Downing Street garden... At that time, gatherings of more than two people were banned in outdoor public places in England. However, because the picture appears to show a private garden, that restriction would not apply. Later on in the pandemic, gatherings were banned in private gardens too.'

We were in LOCKDOWN. We weren't allowed to leave our house for anything other than work, medical supplies, or exercise. Now I'm in Scotland so I might be remembering things slightly differently as our rules were slightly different, so I looked it up. Guardian article from 28th May - 'Johnson said: “We will now allow people to meet in gardens, and other private outdoor spaces'

How can they just lie and lie? And even the BBC?! Shouldn't we be able to trust at least them? It's despicable.

@torquewench

In these days of social media and everything being posted online immediately, why weren't the photos leaked at the time they were taken? Surely that would've caused maximum outrage/ fewer people would've gone "pfft whatever" back then???

We're being played, just not in the way that we think it's happening.

We are ALSO being played the way we think we are.

The photo isn’t fake. It happened, and whoever took it is clever w ought to use it when they want maximum impact

@DockOTheBay

Not allowed more than 6 people at Granddad's funeral, even if held outdoors with social distancing.

Drinks party in the garden of number 10 with twenty people and no social distancing - no problem.

Can't believe people are defending this.

Exactly. Can't believe people are actually defending this "work meeting". How can we be so mean and lack of understanding to our own (the ordinary people, just look at the recent treads on the covid board) yet, so forgiven and understandable to the government. It is a sign of Stockholm syndrome.

@AutumnAlmanack

If this group of people had been working together all day, what on earth is wrong with them having a quick drink after work (still in the workplace)? Boris had not long been out of hospital so naturally Carrie was also there. The person who took the photo obviously had it in for Boris and has been biding their time - THAT is despicable!

What’s wrong is that these are the very people MAKING the rules, blatantly and unapologetically breaking them. HTH

@madisonbridges

But Downing Street is a workplace. People were allowed to go into work? Surely it's better to have a meeting outside than inside for reducing covid. But even so, if you've been sitting in an office with all these peoole, why does it matter if you're sitting outside the office with the same people?

I get people being annoyed for parties, but now we have to be outraged for people going to work?

Absolutely correct. And they’ve said it was a working lunch/meeting. Downing Street is a government office where the staff cannot work from home or be furloughed. So what if they sat outside for a meeting? That’s safer than in a conference room FFS.

@EmpressCixi tell us, what is Carrie Symonds government role? And where are the pens, papers, tablets, laptops etc?

I’m quite embarrassed for people believing this is actually a work meeting

[quote Bavarois]**@Bitofachinwag* That's not what gaslighting means. But it doesn't look like a work meeting.*

As above, "Gaslighting is a colloquialism, loosely defined as making someone question their own reality" - I'm talking about the BBC reporting that restrictions didn't apply in private gardens. Is that not what gaslighting means? It's making me doubt my own memory of May 2020 but other sources confirm I was correct thinking that it was end of May/June before we were allowed in gardens.

@BiscuitLover3678 I dont think the BBC is lying. They showed the pictures and said Boris called it a meeting. Doesn't mean they believe him!

First paragraph of my OP, the BBC state restrictions didn't apply in private gardens. That's factually incorrect, so is it a mistake or a lie?

@mildtomoderate Isn't the past simple of 'gaslight' gaslit?

Nope, I was surprised too[/quote]
Your memory is correct, gatherings of no more than 2 people in public places was in place until 31st May 2020

[quote LlamaParma]@madisonbridges Boris was scared but apparently not scared enough to follow the rules HE put in place 🤔[/quote]
But that wasn't what you said. You said, why the people telling us to be scared aren’t the least bit scared themselves

He was scared. You've just acknowledged that. I also said that fear lessens as you face that fear everyday. That blurs the edges of the rules. A bit like speeding. Rule is 70mph on motorway. But its hard to keep to that on a well lit, empty motorway when you're in a rush. It's human nature to speed up a bit (for a lot of us people 😉) But if he broke the rules, like speeding, there are consequences. (Looking at you, North Shropshire.)

Ok, if we accept this photo is a business meeting, then there are even bigger issues about breach of confidentiality unless Carrie works for the government too.

They can't have it all ways.

@madisonbridges

But Downing Street is a workplace. People were allowed to go into work? Surely it's better to have a meeting outside than inside for reducing covid. But even so, if you've been sitting in an office with all these peoole, why does it matter if you're sitting outside the office with the same people?

I get people being annoyed for parties, but now we have to be outraged for people going to work?

Gosh, I had no idea I could have a meeting with wine and cheese at my workplace in May when we were heavily restricted, AND invite my husband and kid along to it.

I was working at an NHS hospital in May 2020 and staff members weren't allowed to queue any less than 2m from each other when collecting the lunches/dinners for the patients, let alone have meetings that involved alcohol outside in a garden with spouses invited.

Workplace meeting my arse.

I’m not acknowledging Boris was scared, he said he was scared but given he’s a proven pathological liar I really don’t believe him.

Your speeding analogy is a poor one. The equivalent would be begging in a nationwide rule that motorways are now 55mph limits, then him and his cabinet being found to be doing 100mph the day after they made the announcement

[quote LlamaParma]@EmpressCixi tell us, what is Carrie Symonds government role? And where are the pens, papers, tablets, laptops etc?

I’m quite embarrassed for people believing this is actually a work meeting[/quote]
I don't know if it was a work meeting but I definitely believe it was a meeting related to work. They're all in suits in Downing Street. I've had been to meeting without pens and paper. Where you discuss something that's happened and ramifications. You don't need write things down to have a meeting.

YANBU I hate being taken for a fool. No laptops no pen and paper. And Carrie sitting there with the baby it too looks like.

@madisonbridges so why is Carrie Symonds there when she doesn’t work for the Government?

I work in a school, I don’t bring OH to safeguarding meetings because he doesn’t work there.

I’m LOLling at the ‘they were wearing suits’ - what do you think they wear when having work drinks, corduory flares, feather boas and Hawain shirts?

It is very strange, some people who are making excuses for the government are the ones (in other thread) advocate for for Covid passport for the "greater good".

Maybe because they know the passport will only limit the right ordinary people but not them.

Sloping shoulders at its finest. They just cannot act with integrity.

DH and I could not have even walked the dog with my mother at that time. Only one of us could have gone. That is a fairly heavy restriction on society. Therefore, we are well within reason to be at our wits end with all the latest news of parties including this.

Agree with other posters. What was Carrie and a baby doing at a work meeting? Where are the notes? Where are the laptops? Why are they drinking alcohol during working hours? It absolutely stinks!!

I am so frustrated and even more so with the possibility of further restrictions for all of us when it is clear it is a completely different set of rules for them.

Tory voter no more.

I can't get upset about this. It's happened, it can't be changed.
Yes, there are double standards at play, but worse things are going in than some people meeting up who all work together anyway.

@LlamaParma

I’m not acknowledging Boris was scared, he said he was scared but given he’s a proven pathological liar I really don’t believe him.

Your speeding analogy is a poor one. The equivalent would be begging in a nationwide rule that motorways are now 55mph limits, then him and his cabinet being found to be doing 100mph the day after they made the announcement

He was in critical care which is indicative that you are in serious medical trouble. There was a strong possibility that he was going to die. Anyone would be scared. Unless you think he's superhuman so mit scared? I hasn't thought that he was but now you're implying it, I'll have a rethink.

My speeding analogy is exactly the same as yours! There's a speed limit. You break it. You pay the consequence. 🤷

YANBU but it has become normal somehow for the British people
to accept that government and royalty and Katie Price, Rita Ora, rich people and celebs are all above the law as they are better than the rest of us.

DH and I could not have even walked the dog with my mother at that time. Only one of us could have gone.
But all three of you, plus the dog, could have gone to work together. That's what they're saying they did.

@inappropriateraspberry

I can't get upset about this. It's happened, it can't be changed. Yes, there are double standards at play, but worse things are going in than some people meeting up who all work together anyway.

This is not ‘some people’ this is the very people who told everyone else they couldn’t be with their dying mum, or go to their grandmas funeral, or meet their friend for a walk

What’s happened in this country, why is the bar so low for the expectations of our Government?

He was in critical care which is indicative that you are in serious medical trouble. There was a strong possibility that he was going to die. Anyone would be scared. Unless you think he's superhuman so mit scared?

And yet, just a few weeks later, he’s out mixing without a mask next to his newborn and wife; it scared for their safety.

Why do you think that is? If he was so scared why didn’t he respect his own imposed restrictions?

My speeding analogy is exactly the same as yours! There's a speed limit. You break it. You pay the consequence.

1. It’s not the same, speed limits protect people at all times, these lockdown laws were brought in to limit freedoms and liberties in the name of the ‘greater good’ - but it didn’t apply to the rule makers
2. How has Boris et al “paid the consequences”? After Cummings and the Barnard Castle fiasco, Matt Hancock feeling up a state paid aide, the Christmas party and now this gathering - after all this piss taking, how has anyone faced consequences? Did these people get fined like you would have been had you done the same on 15th May 2020?

@madisonbridges

DH and I could not have even walked the dog with my mother at that time. Only one of us could have gone. But all three of you, plus the dog, could have gone to work together. That's what they're saying they did.

But I do not believe for one second that it was a work meeting. I go back to why on earth Carrie and a baby had to be at a work meeting? If you're safeguarding your employees you are presumably reducing the risk to the lowest possible level and therefore she shouldn't have been there.

Reiterating points about no notes, laptops, and consuming alcohol. This was a cheese and wine party make no mistake.

I've always had my suspicions about how unwell Johnson actually was. He's a very powerful man, he might have been escalated to 1:1 care at a lower level than us mere mortals would have. We don't know he was at death's door.

Just to reiterate, this thread wasn't intended to be 'ooh aren't the Tories awful?' (they are) but more to highlight the reporting of inaccurate facts.

@madisonbridges

DH and I could not have even walked the dog with my mother at that time. Only one of us could have gone. But all three of you, plus the dog, could have gone to work together. That's what they're saying they did.

Assuming they didn’t work together, no they couldn’t