Surely they’ll have to allow us to go to one other household now

[SpongeCake23]

Now that Dominic Cummings has done what he’s done and the government have supported him, saying he’s done nothing wrong.
Surely they’re going to have to allow us to mix with one household soon, otherwise it’s a huge hypocrisy.

At least two pps said he went to a castle for a day out, I can't find that anywhere but I did read he was seen in Barnard Castle.

^a) Piers Morgan is an idiot.
b) Maybe the wifes sister in London didn't volunteer or wasn't able to look after a 4yo whose parents had the virus.^

Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

A set of 70+ grandparents are, of course, everyone's first choice for childcare if the parents have the virus then? As you have mentioned yourself and offered as explanation for Dominic's actions, his uncle (his mother's brother?) died of coronavirus and would presumably have already been ill when this was happening. I think that actually highlights their vulnerability and how irresponsible Dominic was rather than excusing it. If one of my parent's siblings was seriously ill or had died of coronavirus, I wouldn't be thinking 'gosh what if I die', I would be thinking, 'gosh what if I give this to my parents and they die'.

I think you forget that Dominic is not the only person with a child in Britain to have come down with coronavirus and to have sat down with it on day 1 and day 2, making contingency plans for if it got worse. None of ours involved preemptively haring across the country to be near relatives. We stayed put, and we checked in with friends and family via phone and internet each day. If it had got to the point where we were too near to death to care for our children, our next of kin would have come down then. In the meantime, we did not step out of the house at all until 7+ days after the last person developed their first symptom. As was DoH guidance. We got local friends to drop food on the doorstep to stop us starving to death.

Cummings' apparently close-knit family were just as capable of developing a similar plan, which wouldn't have risked passing it on to family members (or passers-by in a service station) unless it was absolutely necessary.

But they didn't.

@ZombieFan Mr Cummings has a lot of money. I find it hard to conceive that, worst case scenario, he didn’t have a PA or could have hired someone to drop off food.

Also, Durham Police dispute that he was in a separate property. His dad’s statement says he was staying in their house.

Curiously enough, this trip coincided with his mum’s 71st birthday party. Neighbours allegedly witnessed him dancing in the garden to ABBA.

Mr Cummings has a lot of money. I find it hard to conceive that, worst case scenario, he didn’t have a PA or could have hired someone to drop off food

Whats that got to do with someone looking after a 4yo if their parents are incapacitated with CV19?

Because Cummings alleges they stayed with said 4 year old in a separate property and just had his relative deliver food.

Anyway, I’ll defer to @PotholeParadise’s post - sums it up better than I could.

Having a lot of money means that it is much easier to pay for help.

Agree with pothole - yes, Piers Morgan is an idiot, but he's absolutely right about this. Clearly he's not the only idiot.

Cummings and his stupidity/arrogance aside..I think its quite shocking that its been suggested loads go back to work (and school as possibility) whilst still claiming we cannot even mix one household. We can meet one member of another household in the park though..just not go to their house. IDK. 'Everyone back to work, but for gods sake don't go see your sister, thats dangerous' and such just sounds all kinds of wrong. And it does seem a fair few I know have broken 'rules' for exactly this reason. We haven't as of yet. But it seems common and I kind of get it, where before I thought it was reaching, the justifications for it. Makes sense now though, for many anyway.

After his uncle died of covid19 I can imagine he was just making sure his 4yo had someone to look after him if his wife and him where incapacitated.

Imagine your uncle is seriously ill with covid-19 potentially looking like they might die or they have already died (depending on which version of events you believe). You get it too. Is your reaction to think "I'm not going to be able to look after my child, best drive 250miles and potentially risk infecting my parents and sister" or do you suck it up and think "we will cope somehow. Driving all that way when I'm this ill, is potentially dangerous. I'm going to protect the rest of my family. I'm worried I might otherwise be risking their lives". Especially since the law is not to travel and advice not to visit anyone over 70 or to go to second homes.

Which would you do?

At best he's a monumental bellend with a disregard for what everyone else in the country was going through. At worst a criminal who thinks only of his own interests and that the law doesn't apply to him.

Fascinating to see the excuses and who makes them on his behalf though.

On the Cummings thing though, apparently he had family nearby in London anyway, so his excuse doesn't fly, andnmber 10 standing so firmly behind him, along with seemingly retrospectively changing the 'rules' so hes not in the wrong is just weird, and surely the worst way to go about things!

I cannot imagine how it must feel to see the papers today if you are someone who has, for example not been able to see a dying loved one, or something like that. Of course him doing wrong doesn't make others breaking rules right, but it has to stick in the throat a bit seeing those in power just doing what the fuck they want with no thought for any consequences.

He's such an odious little man. And the contempt he has for his fellow human beings is appalling. As witnessed how he treats the photographers outside his house on that video. Never mind his arrogance that the rules don't apply to him and his ilk.

How someone like that can get to the top of the British political establishment says it all about what's wrong with the system.

Frightening that people are thinking "Well, fuck this, I'm going out and visiting family/friends too if he is" when the virus is no way under control.

People like him want all the privileges without the responsibility that goes with it. Stop voting for that shit!!

In the interest of full disclosure, I don't live in the UK (but I love it!). Makes me so sad, these types of politicians - and I include people like Trump and Bolsonaro etc. in that. To them people are just expendable in favour of their ego/power/wealth. They're sick.

Oh, and appalling also how they have thrown the Durham police force under a bus for their political gain. How dare they! Front line workers who are risking their own life to do their job.....

Despicable.

I think the reasoning @BatShite is that there can only be a certain number of interactions between people and the R stay below one. They’re prioritising economic ones.

It isn’t that going to work is less risky for you as an individual - it isn’t. It’s that going to work is more beneficial to society than you seeing family, and society can’t afford to let people do both and keep R down.

Not saying it’s right but that’s the reasoning I think, it just hasn’t been very well conveyed.

Or it was. After this Cummings horseshit, and the suggestion you can use common sense when applying the guidelines, I think that message is all the more dilute. But we shall see.

He was in a separate property, he was did not mix with his extended family.

I'd bet some serious money this is bullshit.

It's very simple. If your income is over 100K and you have any power of any kind... make up your own rules. If not, suck it up plebs. Die for the economy and don't see your family before you do.

Yes, it doesn't look great for him. No, I'm not suddenly prepared to start mixing with vulnerable family members off the back of it.

You think that government policy should be set to match the worst misbehaviour of the stupidest political adviser?

They had no reason to travel.
Same with all those that buggered off out of London when we were told not to.
Hardly surprising people are carrying on.

We saw those in the public eye leave London. It was national Tv after the lockdown was announced.
The stupid party.
That daft mp, the party, meeting constituents (crime right there, to knowingly infect another person)
The handshakes.

Go to work unless you cannot.
Avoid public transport to get to work. Everyone can cycle/walk.
Can have a nanny spend the day in your house.
Parents aren't teachers. Teachers are carers.
See one of your own parents. But hang on, there will be more than one person in the household that the nanny will be at. Oh same with the cleaner, who might have several jobs a week.

Wear a face covering in some shops, and on public transport. Work in an office, some shops, schools and countless other buildings don't need to wear one. Forgetting to mention the science and medical guidelines advice. But it's ok, don't listen to what their guidelines say even though they are following this themselves. Instead, we have some people walking around with washing up sponges, sanitary pads and other equally random items to cover their mouths and noses.

Get told oh this is happening.
Next day oh wait, nope.

Never mind the vaccine farce that will be ready in September, even though it's one of many in the early testing stages. Yet talk elsewhere seems to be consistent, IF it will be created, it will be at least another 18 months away.

I'm surprised people are still listening. Hopefully, though they will listen to the person who started the NHS clap who is asking for it to stop.

"Imagine your uncle is seriously ill with covid-19 potentially looking like they might die or they have already died. You get it too. Is your reaction to think "I'm not going to be able to look after my child, best drive 250miles and potentially risk infecting my parents and sister"

Ummm YES, if your sister has volunteered and you have zero contact with your parents. Haters gonna hate.

Fascinating to see the excuses and who makes them on his behalf though.

yep.

I read on another thread neighbours not only saw him dancing to ABBA on his mother’s birthday, but was also witnessed kissing her on the cheek.

Dickhead. Can’t stand him.

Zombie
Have you actually had coronavirus? If you have it badly enough that you need assistance to look after your dc, you can’t drive hundreds of miles up the motorway. Can you seriously not see the irony?

Since the advice was 'STAY AT HOME' and Dominic and his family were smply unable to follow this advice he should now resign and travel to Durham as much as he likes.

Part of me thinks the reason the government are happy to keep him and have all the fuss about Dom in the news, is that it takes the heat of the complete shit show they have made of this.

He's a prat anyway always has been.
I think the more worrying thing is the amount of abuse the police will probably get (like they don't get enough). I can imagine people demanding to know why they are being picked up on their behaviour but not Dominic . He needs to design but he won't because it's one rule for him and one for the rest of us. No wonder the government have lost the respect of the country.

Zombie the scariest thing is that you appear to genuinely believe that they had zero access to childcare anywhere between London and Durham (despite being ridiculously wealthy and connected) and that it was safe and wise for them to drive a 4 year old 250 miles when they were that ill they were desperate for help

Grow up. You’re being told not to mix with family so you don’t spread the virus and destroy the NHS. Just because some tosspot politician has misbehaved doesn’t mean you should be liberated.

The thing is, for some people it won't be "he broke the rules and so I will break them too" it will be "the deputy chief medical officer and half the cabinet say he didnt break the rules, therefore I must have misunderstood the rules and shall now base my behaviour on this new information." DC and his wife were well enough to drive that far, but were worried about becoming more ill because they did have symptoms. So, if this is fine can any parent with symptoms now drive across the country to stay with family? According to the deputy chief medical officer, they can.
For months the government has been banging on about the importance of a clear, unambiguous message and now they've sacrificed that to save this horrible man.

We should be allowed to mix with family now anyway. It's the next step.

Meeting one person at the park, seems minimal risk to extend it going to your mums back garden? Surely that's the next logical step?