Author who left wife and child in NEW ZEALAND and came to Scotland for lock down

[ssd]

I mean is he fucking nuts???

He left NEW ZEALAND to come here???

Apart from breaking lock down, obviously, who the hell would leave New Zealand?

Fud.

Are you his next door neighbour on Skye?

So British citizen returns to Britain and isolates for a lengthy period just in case? Can't get worked up about it.

Gaiman might be an arrogant entitled prick, or he might not. I like some of his novels - the Anansi Boys is great. I'm less bothered by his behaviour than by those people gathering on Westminster Bridge to clap for the NHS, whilst breaking all social distancing rules, and probably spreading the virus in an already badly hit area.

Such a non story. Brit returns home, and self isolates. And?

However he has come from New Zealand, who claim to have eradicated the virus, so no harm to Skye

Was he on an empty plane home? Did he meet noone else on his journey?

one rule for one-the police have advised him-anyone else would get a maqsive fine or worse

its his second home and hes putting pressure on a small island its selfish

Completely agree, @MinteeFresh.

I've no idea whether he pays tax in the UK. He's a UK citizen, yes, and I expect he pays council tax in Skye. Income tax, though? Probably depends on whether he would pay less here or in the US. I wonder what his domicile is for inheritance tax purposes.

If he isn't a UK taxpayer would he be entitled to NHS treatment free of charge? Not that the cost would be an issue to him.

he didnt hire a jet he topok a plane to la then to london didnt know you could even do that yet
then he went round a frfiends to get a car to drive to skye

Repatriation flights are, of course, still happening. People's circumstances change, job loss, relationship breakdowns, visa issues etc. If someone can't even grasp that fact..

He isn't a UK resident, he lives in Woodstock, East Coast of US. The Skye place is a holiday home bought because his American wife, like many others before her, decided that her distant ancestors had come from there. They blog about all this stuff incessantly, and then get upset that people are talking about their behaviour. journal.neilgaiman.com/2020/03/on-beach.html?m=1 and journal.neilgaiman.com/2020/05/where-i-am-what-im-doing-how-im-doing.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&m=1

I'm bored of these minor celebrities who I've their entire lives (and their poor kids) lives on social media, constantly banging on about their sex lives (google their names and open relationship, featured in 100s of articles) and then moan about it when it inevitably goes tits up. No sympathy from me. I reserve it for the people in similar situations who can't afford fleets of houses and nannies to prop them up.

Just because you're entitled to do something doesn't mean you should or its a good idea.

I'm entitled to go out licking car door handles, there's no current law against it

Kicking car doors and returning home after a relationship break up are somewhat different

So British citizen returns to Britain and isolates for a lengthy period just in case? Can't get worked up about it.

Exactly!

Apparently police have talked to him (Independent newspaper source)

His home in Skye is his registered home isn't it - it's where he pays council tax and so on I believe?

The police visit was hardly an arrest!

The source @LizzieMacQueen refers to states

Inspector Linda Allan said: “Officers have visited Neil Gaiman and spoken to him about his actions.

”He has been given suitable advice about essential travel and reminded about the current guidelines in Scotland.”

I don't think it's unreasonable that he left NZ - most people are trying to get home rather than quarantine in a random Airbnb on the other side of the world. If he counts the Skye house as his main home, and pays tax here, I don't think he's done anything wrong.

These millionaires who have houses in different countries - which ones are second homes?
He has to live somewhere. So he has a house in US and one in UK.
He might live in the US more, but this one is still his UK home, and he's British, so he should definitely be allowed there.
SOme friends of mine have just returned from India where they were stuck for weeks. They aren't millionaires, though, and went to live in Mirfield, so no big story.

Having read his blog piece - he didn't go back to his house in America because he and his wife had offered it to some others - friends I presume - who wanted somewhere to stay for lockdown, so there wasn't room for him to self isolate. That sounds relatively sensible to me.

His home in Skye is his registered home isn't it - it's where he pays council tax and so on I believe

Second home or first, you pay council tax. You get a (small if any) discount on second homes depending on the council.

Does Skye have a hospital? Obviously it won't have a teaching hospital or big well-equipped district hospital. Anyone who falls ill there will have to be transported off the island if they need hospital care. If they fall ill but don't need hospital treatment they'll need care from a GP and district nurse, and help from a local pharmacy. All increases the risk of spreading the virus through the community and making it harder for those key workers to look after those who are already there. Services are already very stretched. This is why the Scottish government has been trying to stop people leaving the densely populated areas to go to the country and the islands.

He should have stayed in NZ. If his wife told him to get out, fair enough. He has enough money to find somewhere else to live in the same country.

It's a long way to go to get away from the pram in the hall (or the non resident parent contact session).

I wonder if he is going to Skye to write one of those navel gazing "Lone Enraptured Male" books Kathleen Jamie talked about.

Like everything else, if you don't agree with his actions, don't fund his lifestyle, simple.

Does it REALLY matter?

Was he on an empty plane home? Did he meet noone else on his journey?

there are flights leaving New Zealand, I am sure they are not running empty

CrowdedHouseinQuarantine indeed - so the risk of however many planes etc isnt just limited to him coming from a country with no (known) cases.