AIBU to say that people in the “real world” absolutely do care about Downing Street parties?

[PuzzledObserver]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-60318610

According to Mark Spencer MP, the new leader of the House of Commons, people don’t care about partygate because what really matters to them is their jobs, NHS backlogs and energy prices.

Personally I am capable of caring about all of those AND being incensed by the “do what I say not what I do” attitude of certain members of the Government and its officials.

YABU = of course nobody cares, move on

YANBU = it absolutely matters that they told us one thing and did another themselves.

I care as most of the people around me do but how much we care is related to the pressures around us.

I am however frustrated with the rhetoric that if you are not up in arms and screaming about it you re apathetic. When in fact it's mostly the case of exhaustion and fear of other issues. We can care about more than one thing but frankly only the comfort can afford to focus on the parties.

I actually included this in a training set about equality. I specialise on social care as I have worked in it for 24 years. I realised there was a lot of anger at the comfortable claiming that others were apathetic for not caring. When in fact they were focused on keeping roofs over their head, food on the table and their family safe.

I was amazed how many people had the same perspective I did (they didn't know I did as I have to be impartial professionally) that there was a massive level of entitlement in people focusing in the parties and not the multitude of issues that will have bigger impact .

Of course what they did was abhorrent. But if your focus is mainly the parties then you have enough food, money and heat. Not everyone is lucky enough to have that.

I care and it has affected me to the point that I don't think I will follow what I consider to be dumb rules. Why should it be on little old me - who has a hard enough life - to make my life even harder, to benefit others? This kind of thinking is cancer but it's how they have got me.

They’re hoping the public will tire of hearing about it and stop giving a shit. Most people do care about it and want the PM gone, they also want anyone else who attended the parties gone. ‘Real people’ lost relatives, were extremely sick themselves, missed out on seeing dying relatives, couldn’t attend funerals, had to postpone their wedding, lost their job or business .. I could go on. Real people give a shit.

Meanwhile, right now, we see inflation soaring towards 6% or even 7%, energy prices doubling or tripling, a major issue in Ukraine with the US sending B52s into their airspace, threats from Russia, customs delays, a shortage of labour, and yet those barely attract a mention on the front page of most mainstream media, including the BBC. All these things bother me more, than a few drinks at work 2 years ago but the media has its own agenda, and that feels wrong to me.

But do you not think that the lack of focus on these issues might be partly due to a PM who is more interested in holding parties and drinking champagne than doing the job he's paid for?

I care. I followed the rules. I didn't see my mother in early lockdown when she was diagnosed with cancer. I didn't see her during her treatment and surgery.

My cousin caught Covid shortly after getting her first jab, before it had a chance to kick in. She died. The youngest child she left behind was just 8.

Around the time of Prince Philip's funeral, I was unable to attend my cousin's funeral because of the restrictions on numbers.

Also around that time I was unable to attend another relative's funeral - at that time Wales wasn't letting people living in England in so my mother, my uncle and I were unable to attend the funeral. We had to watch it on zoom.

Whilst that was going on, No10 were partying away. They were breaking the rules I, like many others, followed.

I care. Not just about the breaking of rules that they made. The rules that they expected everyone else to follow while completely disregarding them.
I care about all the lies, the corruption, the fact that a high percentage of the front bench are complete imbeciles who are only there because they are willing to go along with this shit!
I care that they are attempting to change the laws around protests. They want to do this because the shit is going to hit the fan in the next few months and they know it!

Anyone who claims they don't care...they really really should!

The poster who pointed out it’s not apathy that leads to people doing nothing about it has a point. However I am furious about it and the way our government is letting us down . It’s not apathy stopping me from doing anything it’s not know WHAT to do. What good would a one woman protest do? Or is it a sign of apathy that I’ve not rallied together like minded people so I wouldn’t be alone? All I know is I care. Im not alone. I don’t know what the common woman can do?

I don't care about their parties. Regardless of what they were up to, I was never going to do anything to put myself or my family at risk and so wouldn't have l ived any differently, or made different choices, based on whether or not the PM celebrated his birthday.
As all the risks of infection were known, would people still have hugged their elderly Nan, if he'd been open about a party? Or would they have used common sense and thought, well he can do it his way, and I'll stick to my way as I'm not willing to put Granny in harm's way?

I care. It makes me sick to think of them partying , drinking champagne while my grandfather was isolated all by himself in his home for weeks at a time , seeing no one but the carers.

I had a miscarriage at the height of the pandemic , and sat there in the hospital by myself being told the news. The hospital staff were amazing but not having my husband there to support me was awful.

My husband and I worked really hard throughout the pandemic as we were both key workers, we followed the rules as we wanted to do the right thing , as did millions of others , people making excuses for them is just dreadful and diminishes the efforts of those of did follows the rules, making sacrifices on the the way.

Fair point, what would would you suggest would of been better, Please.

Basically the people I know, most of them happy to criticise boris, yet happy to break the rules themselves for one reason or another

What would've been better is the government not enforcing rules on the population that they ignored themselves. Either permit people to have parties as well, particularly outside in the warm weather when rates are dropping, or don't permit it and abstain yourself. Also don't lie to Parliament if you can't manage to avoid complete hypocrisy and then get found out.

And once again, those of us who didn't stick to the rules either are completely in the right to criticise Johnson and co for hypocrisy and lying. There is a colossal difference between an ordinary person with no power who neither kept to the rules nor made anyone else do it, and governments who passed laws that led to life changing fines for ordinary people and ignored those laws in their own lives.

We are the laughing stock of the world - you just have to look at the headlines in their newspapers. The rest of the world couldn't care less I should imagine. That is complete arrogance.

@derxa

We are the laughing stock of the world - you just have to look at the headlines in their newspapers. The rest of the world couldn't care less I should imagine. That is complete arrogance.

Plenty of European and US editorials and comments have laughed their heads of at Boris and the UK, just as they did on Brexit and when BJ became foreign secretary.

This is one of the more polite ones... www.nytimes.com/2022/02/07/opinion/international-world/boris-johnson-conservatives.html

Plenty of European and US editorials and comments have laughed their heads of at Boris and the UK, just as they did on Brexit and when BJ became foreign secretary. This is one of the more polite ones... www.nytimes.com/2022/02/07/opinion/international-world/boris-johnson-conservatives.html Read by USA middle class and the journalistic bubble.

My DH didn't see our newborn daughter for three weeks as she was in NICU and only one parent (the breastfeeding one in our case) was allowed in. While he sat alone helpless to help his wife and baby, they were hanging out eating cheese together.

I'm not angry that it was parties, specifically, but I think what they did shows the contempt that they all hold us in.

Alexandra2001
Plenty of European and US editorials and comments have laughed their heads of at Boris and the UK, just as they did on Brexit and when BJ became foreign secretary. This is one of the more polite ones...

By Andrew Marr
Mr. Marr, a veteran British journalist and political analyst, is a contributing Opinion writer.

I don't care. My view is that it's fine to attack the government on things that matter - the cost of living, healthcare, Covid response, employment and so on - but idiotic to get worked up about a few rather shit "parties" during lockdown.

If you take the party politics out of it, if you take the emotion out of it, it sounds utterly ridiculous to say "The PM should go because he stood next to a bloke with tinsel round his neck" or "The Tories are cunts because they had some wine and cheese in a garden." It sounds insane.

Every time Starmer or Blackford goes on about it in Parliament it just makes me think, "Is that the best they've got?" Especially when they go down the route of trying to use human tragedy to make a political point, e.g. "My constituent's sister died while the PM was photographed laughing." The implication is obvious, that they're trying to say Johnson was laughing at the sister dying, which is offensive and clearly not true.

Re the apathy - a Middle Eastern friend told me his people don’t have time or energy to rise up as they’re kept just a little bit hungry, deliberately when you consider the overall riches within the country. I used to think U.K. people don’t as the majority have just enough and can self soothe on nights out, take outs etc so life is ok enough - but maybe we’re moving more to the ‘keep em hungry’ approach here too.

@MorningStarling

I don't care. My view is that it's fine to attack the government on things that matter - the cost of living, healthcare, Covid response, employment and so on - but idiotic to get worked up about a few rather shit "parties" during lockdown.

If you take the party politics out of it, if you take the emotion out of it, it sounds utterly ridiculous to say "The PM should go because he stood next to a bloke with tinsel round his neck" or "The Tories are cunts because they had some wine and cheese in a garden." It sounds insane.

Every time Starmer or Blackford goes on about it in Parliament it just makes me think, "Is that the best they've got?" Especially when they go down the route of trying to use human tragedy to make a political point, e.g. "My constituent's sister died while the PM was photographed laughing." The implication is obvious, that they're trying to say Johnson was laughing at the sister dying, which is offensive and clearly not true.

I think you’ve quite spectacularly missed the point. Or you’re extremely disingenuous.

Plenty of European and US editorials and comments have laughed their heads off at Boris and the UK. This is one of the more polite ones...

This is quite polite as well;

The Times 20 Jan 2022

Failing Biden blames everyone but himself...
Still, there are bad years, there are very bad years and then there is Joe Biden’s inaugural year as president.

Not so polite:
Joe Biden 'broke wind' in front of Camilla with 'long and loud' emission. Daily Express

President Emmanuel Macron, a man who fancies himself as a cross between Napoleon Bonaparte and Jupiter, the king of the Roman gods Daily Mail

I don't care. My view is that it's fine to attack the government on things that matter - the cost of living, healthcare, Covid response, employment and so on - but idiotic to get worked up about a few rather shit "parties" during lockdown

Not one of these things can be separated from the mentality that led Johnson and co to make laws significantly limiting the rights of the population whilst refusing to obey themselves. The reason he thinks the NI increase is fine is the same reason he thought it was ok to prosecute people for meeting a friend outside whilst simultaneously holding parties: he isn't going to suffer because of it the little people who will don't matter.

Exactly @VikingOnTheFridge . I want politicians to be in their positions because they want to support and and develop the country for all members of society, not just themselves and their mates. There should be no "one rule for them and one for us " , it shows that they see themselves as different to the rest of society, and this whole situation shows how out of touch they are with ordinary people.

Listen to John Major’s speech and comments today; he’s scathing about the current government and is a reminder of what a decent administration should look like, and no, I’ve never voted Tory! He would make a brilliant leader of the opposition.

@MorningStarling

I don't care. My view is that it's fine to attack the government on things that matter - the cost of living, healthcare, Covid response, employment and so on - but idiotic to get worked up about a few rather shit "parties" during lockdown.

If you take the party politics out of it, if you take the emotion out of it, it sounds utterly ridiculous to say "The PM should go because he stood next to a bloke with tinsel round his neck" or "The Tories are cunts because they had some wine and cheese in a garden." It sounds insane.

Every time Starmer or Blackford goes on about it in Parliament it just makes me think, "Is that the best they've got?" Especially when they go down the route of trying to use human tragedy to make a political point, e.g. "My constituent's sister died while the PM was photographed laughing." The implication is obvious, that they're trying to say Johnson was laughing at the sister dying, which is offensive and clearly not true.

Hope you one day find that point that you've missed about this whole thing.

....but idiotic to get worked up about a few rather shit "parties" during lockdown.

Why is it idiotic to break the law? Even worse if the parties are shit and not worth attending. At least break the law for something you believe is worth protesting against.