Boris completely misunderstands the question

[PuzzledObserver]

Michelle in Cornwall says they are getting inquiries about booking their holiday let from June onwards, but they are worried about people from cities bringing a second wave to Cornwall. How will tourism be managed in the coming weeks?

What Boris heard: when can I start getting income from my holiday let?

So he went on to assure her that she would be able to open when the time was right etc but it was important not to do it too soon. Completely missing the point, I think.

Not according to my Cornish aunt or the dictionary? (Just a google one and she’s also lived in Devon). She also said ‘emmet’ which is what someone shouted at me because of my 4x4 once.

All tourists in Cornwall are grockles to the locals, nowt to do with class.

In Devon they’re emmets. (Ants, I think.)

I say grockle, I’m from Somerset

DH says emmet he’s Cornish. It’s from emmet ants.

It’s definitely emmets in Cornwall. I’m an emmet. I don’t mind. I’m a good emmet who buys locally and picks litter off the beach.

I didn’t know grockle was Somerset too

The thing is, I used to visit Cornwall out of season, then I had my children and we had to visit in school holidays, which I hate due to the crowds.

However one day we’ll be able to go back to visiting out of season.

It’s a shame to berate the masses of summer visitors when actually, one day soon, those same people will be propping up the tourist industry outside peak times.

Stupid question because it more than obvious that restrictions will be in place and decisions made on how we are coping with CV
It a changing picture so no fix date could be given at the moment.
There could be any number of restrictions in place we are at the mercy of the virus .
The answer is shut till further notice but there would be a kick off if he said that as people won't accept a situation they don't want or like .

It really is packed in the summer, if I were a local I would love a summer without tourists, obviously without loss of finances. They have the right idea in the Scilly isles with a cap on tourists. It has hardly changed over the years.

I submitted a question to YouGov which was
"Given that there is capacity in ICU, will hospitals admit COVID-19 patients at an earlier stage, when they might be helped by oxygen rather than needing a ventilator"

I suppose they were never going to ask it really.

He did answer her question.

Admittedly, in the middle of waffling about tourism industry but he did answer it

I have a holiday to Spain booked for August. I'm assuming it ain't happening

Ds and I camp some years for a few days. I had already discussed with him doing a longer camping trip this year instead if possible somewhere that needed the tourism as it's a seasonal area.
I have already had suspected covid but clearly don't wear a sign on my head!

But even before I heard the question i was questioning Cornwall due to the attitudes I've seen via the media.

It's catch 22 though. Infrastructure is poor because of the number of second homes and holiday let's. They've built on basis of number of permanent residents. But without that industry over summer months things wouldn't be as prosperous.

Michelle seemed to want to know if she could take bookings and make money but alongside that have the government garuntee her visitors are covid free?

It's not easy to avoid not answering a question when a bunch of people can't even work out or agree on what the question was actually asking!

The man is an effing genius when it comes to not answering the question. I cannot wait for next Wednesday’s PMQs when he has to face Kier Starmer. I shall settle in, in the front row, with my knitting.

I’m not sure how he could answer the question because it’s impossible to protect tourism and prevent the virus spreading.

Are there any other areas with low infection rates currently that are worried for the future after lockdown?

Nothing to do with discharging old people from hospital into care homes without testing them then? Or GPs not setting foot over their doorsteps?

I think the first of those is included within not testing enough. As for the second, yep, that would make a difference - not to Covid deaths probably, but to deaths from other causes (which have also increased in care homes)

We say grockle in Dorset too - well, we did when I was growing up in the 70s anyway

What a disgusting attitude, looking down on people who provide you with an income

That's not fair.He's not looking down on them at all. He's just accepting of the fact that this year they will not come. And that's fine with him. He can do fuck all about it after all. He is not looking down on the people who rent his house. He would much rather his summer season would go ahead as normal.

We normally rent his house in September. Obviously we won't now. Who knows how long this will go on for? He's written the whole year off,

People being discharged to care homes when positive wasn't a lack of testing. It was known in many cases they were positive. Health care were putting pressure on social care as they needed the beds.

We didn't breach. We just moved the problem elsewhere so to speak.

Of course he doesn't have all the answers, no one does. Everyone's constant bitching does my bloody head in

Agree. Give the man a fucking break. It's not every day we get a global pandemic. I suffered the last one, the Asian flu pandemic in the 50s. It killed more children than adults. I survived that one. But it felled my whole family so dramatically that I actually remember it.
My family of five were felled and my aunties came in daily to give us food and water for two or three weeks. Then when they fell, my mother did the same for them. There was no social media and we had no telly.
We just had to go figure what was going on locally. We responded to it locally.. There was no global info like there is now. In buckets.

@GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER I'm confused, a Cornish lady once told me it was the other way around? And I've definitely come across grockle in Dorset and I think, Somerset?

In all fairness the way that was put was a bit confusing. Someone who isn’t very bright and isn’t concerned about coronavirus would probably assume the main point was accepting bookings (given that it came first and was completely unnecessary for someone who was genuinely concerned about tourists bringing a second wave to mention). Either that or he was annoy but just managed to hold back ‘We’re on lockdown you moron, how do you think ‘tourism’ is going to be managed over the next few weeks?’

grockles is Devon, emmets is Nish!

Good question @Choccyp1g

Also I agree with this point by a PP:

The thing is his colleagues have been doing quite well in his absence. They've actually been answering questions properly and holding their hands up when they don't know the answer yet. The difference is quite stark now that Boris is back. That press conference was excruciating.

Dear Holiday Cottage Owner and Michelle

I was very much looking forward to staying in one of your beautiful holiday cottages this summer. I have paid my non-refundable deposit and of course I do understand that if Coronavirus prevents us from travelling, you will be able to keep it. My deposit, plus the deposits of other holiday makers will be a tidy sum when you count it out on your kitchen table, wearing gloves of course.

any deposits through a third party are held by them. We have refunded the direct deposits. We havent kept a penny

I also understand that you will be able to get a £10,000 payment from your local council and, if you have a commercial mortgage, be able to defer payments on it. In fact you already have it now I gather. You will also be able to stop paying for commercial waste collection, allowing the bin men and bin women to be furloughed and saving you another £5,000 this season. Your cleaners will also be able to go onto Universal Credit and you will not have to pay them. Your gardener too. You can also postpone your self-assessment tax payment due on 31st July even though it’s for your profits from the 2019 summer season.
we are a farm. We are ineligible for mortgage holiday, grants etc. we do all the work ourselves but cannot furlough ourselves or, because of the farm, claim any unemployemnt relief. We still have to pay mortgage, insurance, council tax, electricity and oil

All in all, I compute you will save about £21,642.80 this summer if we don’t come.

Oh I wish. This year is going to mean no income, and costs of approx £20K

You will weather this storm very well Michelle. You should have no need to worry about catching Coronavirus because Cornwall will be empty. It was a beneficial side-effect buying those holiday cottages with your inheritance because you can now keep them empty for several months at your choosing. Had they been local housing, lower paid families would now be living in them. That would have resulted in even more people in your community, kids at primary school, returning kids at university, all coming back to the village at these desperate times for you. Leave those cottages empty.
the barn conversion is not allowed to be a residential let. The planning permission on farms in areas of outstanding natural beauty is pretty strict on that - they HAVE to be holiday accommodation. The glampingsite is not suitable for year round or even seasonal residential living. Its not as clear cut as you make out for all of us, so please dont tar us all with the same brush. My daughter is also in the shielding group so the prospect of opening our business and putting her at risk means we are taking the hit, and probably will take it all season, to keep her safe

Au revoir, Michelle. We shall see you next year, unless of course we go abroad.

Oh, if you have to sell your cottage and if you are lucky enough to make a profit on it, you will be delighted to know you will only pay tax at 10% - much less than your cleaner. Thats much less for the NHS.

Again, not applicable to us. Unless we just have to close the business completely and sell the family farm. We cant sell off farm holiday cottages to release equity. Its hang on and hope, or sell the business and make 3 generations homeless

we are a farm. We are ineligible for mortgage holiday, grants etc. we do all the work ourselves but cannot furlough ourselves or, because of the farm, claim any unemployemnt relief. We still have to pay mortgage, insurance, council tax, electricity and oil

What does the RPA pay you in May? I am not against that at all as I think it is important the role farmers play but you will get a grant surely (as I do).

Again, not applicable to us. Unless we just have to close the business completely and sell the family farm. We cant sell off farm holiday cottages to release equity. Its hang on and hope, or sell the business and make 3 generations homeless

My post was not aimed at you. No need to be a martyr. If there is a place for holiday lettings it is on a farm diversification unit.

You will weather this. Farming is tough and farmers are tough. There are some paying rent under farm tenancies who have the additional overhead which you do not have.