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Let's (Truth) Twist Again (3)

999 replies

SouthWestmom · 24/05/2020 20:54

Thread three for following the uproar at playing down the lock down and rewriting the rules.

OP posts:
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11
Roussette · 25/05/2020 07:18
Shock The Guardian went to Downing St six weeks ago with this and they were stonewalled all the way. They've just said this on BBC News. Barnard Castle obviously happened too. Now Dan Hodges who I very much dislike is talking and trying to jusity despite the DM's headlines this morning. He is saying the regulations allowed you to drive to exercise, thereby saying Barnard Castle was OK. And he's now saying he didn't break the law going to Durham because he used common sense. Hmm
Roussette · 25/05/2020 07:20

It sounds more like a birthday party than a funeral

Well it was his Mother's birthday and also his wife's in amongst this Durham timeframe.

Lauders · 25/05/2020 07:31

Hi all, haven’t RTFT so apologies if this has been included. I feel incensed by this, sadly not surprised but furious none the less. I want to email my (conservative) MP but thought I’d ask if anyone had any outline of what to say/be sure to include? He won’t respond or even acknowledge what I say but I will feel better for it. Sadly, this scandal won’t make any difference at the next election for our MP.

StealthPolarBear · 25/05/2020 07:33

I don't think the lock down had loosened by the 14april. It was my son's birthday a couple of weeks later and as far as I was aware everything was the same as when we went into lockdown.

effingterrified · 25/05/2020 07:33

Shameless is the word that springs to mind - absolutely bloody shameless.

itsgettingweird · 25/05/2020 07:38

No stealth they hadn't. We celebrated my dads milestone birthday over a week later via zoom. It was all still very much happening.

itsgettingweird · 25/05/2020 07:39

I do think though that the autism rumour may be true. There is a very heavy emphasis this morning on "specific childcare".

However, as the parent to an autistic child, I can assure you they like familiar people and routine. I'm not sure how family who live 260 miles and away and who aren't part of the child's daily life or routine are better served than anyone else?

Roussette · 25/05/2020 07:41

@Lauders this is what I said... part of it only applies to me, you can scrub that out... but you get the gist

'To say I am appalled with today's decisions regarding Dominic Cummings is a very big understatement.

At the time of his journey 265 miles north from London, the Government was absolutely strict with it's message. We were instructed (not requested) to Stay At Home if developing symptoms and to self isolate. I have close family members who did exactly this, they did what was asked of them. For one particular member of my family, it was extremely difficult. She was very poorly with COVID (tested positive) and her husband has an underlying heart condition. To manage to self isolate in her bedroom and not pass on COVID to firstly her husband, and to anyone else was a very difficult and stressful time. She was weeks confined to her bedroom in a small London house, doing the right thing.

And yet the unelected advisor to the Prime Minister took it upon himself to travel up the country with his wife showing symptoms, to his parents in their mid 70s, for spurious childcare reasons. Both his wife and him have family in London, yet he ignored the restrictions that he had been instrumental in setting up,. And when he made this journey it was before the COVID peak had been reached and the press briefings emphasised what we had to do continually. Other families have been going through the same, trying desperately to get supermarket slots or relying on friends and family to leave food parcels for them. What if they all had decided to just go where they wanted for whatever reason?

Every single person I know feels let down, betrayed and incensed that they have been working hard to do the right thing and yet this man decided to do his own thing.

I have no idea where this will end up.. needless to say I, and others, do not feel quite the same about what we have to put ourselves through with regard to isolating and protecting others. If members of the Government can't abide by the restrictions, why should we?'

Laaf80 · 25/05/2020 07:42

It seems to me that they are trying to blur what rules were in action when.

I note that a timeline hasn’t been confirmed by DS/DC or anyone involved. In fact it seems rather fluid.

Utter bastards.

Blennyfish · 25/05/2020 07:43

This is being widely circulated on Facebook....interesting

www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2020/05/why-barnard-castle/

Roussette · 25/05/2020 07:45

God alive, Gavin Williamson is a patronising twat. He has a Doctorate in 'not answering the questions'

Laaf80 · 25/05/2020 07:49

I’m fact, Snapps insinuated that DC left on 27th Mar as it was the last day he was seen and ensured that IF DC was at Barnard castle this was after 14 days of isolation.

Lockdown was 23rd March 4 days earlier.

At the time we were queuing for bog roll and pasta. Thread after thread asking second homers to stay out as to not spread the virus.

No inessential journeys at all. 1 hour exercise only and you couldn’t drive to walk.

People were being fined for being on their front gardens ffs.
It was explicit that grandparents shouldn’t mind children as older people were vulnerable.

If I could be arsed I’d rewatch BJ’s presser but it will only piss me off more.

IgnoranceIsStrength · 25/05/2020 07:50

Emailed my MP 3 times in succession now Saturday, Sunday and this morning. Hoping for response tomorrow but not expecting anything as I am yet to get anything personal despite emailing many times in the past.

Lauders · 25/05/2020 07:51

@Roussette thanks ever so much. Gives me a great idea of how to get across my disgust without bordering on ranting! I hope your family member is well on the road to recovery

Laaf80 · 25/05/2020 07:53

@IgnoranceIsStrength @launders I saw someone mention cc’ing the speaker because MP’s HAVE to respond to emails.

Roussette · 25/05/2020 07:56

@Lauders thank you yes. It was a long old haul, she was diagnosed really early on, just managed to stay out of hospital, but was poorly for nearly a month.
Pick what bits you want from my email, it was a bit long and ranty but I was soooooo furious

StealthPolarBear · 25/05/2020 08:09

Just heard the news and they refer to Corona Cummings as the PM's top advisor. Who are the others, and what do they think? Why do we have behind the scenes advisors anyway, surely the PM should be being advised overtly by experts and others?

Lauders · 25/05/2020 08:11

Thank you @Laaf80 I have cc’d him in. I’m more angry for sleeping on it and haven’t yet calmed down!

itsgettingweird · 25/05/2020 08:13

The thing with BJ message "I think he followed the instincts of every parent" is he probably did. I'm sure all our "instincts" told us to move around to get help if needed.

But we followed the rules. We stayed at home.

Everytimeref · 25/05/2020 08:15

Had been hoping that the Guardian or Mirror had some more evidence that he had returned again after coming back to London, but guess it was only hearsay.

He is going to get away with this.

SpaceDance · 25/05/2020 08:15

WTF?

On 12 April Dominic Cummings was seen in Castle Barnard during lockdown. Two days later, GlaxoSmithKline of Barnard Castle signed an agreement to develop and manufacture a Covid-19 vaccine with Sanofi of France.

Of course, that could be coincidence. As a child I lived in nearby Peterlee and I know families may go to Barnard Castle just for relaxation. Even when that is illegal. But GlaxoSmithKline Barnard Castle has been working 24/7 during the coronavirus crisis including the weekends. It was working.

The government’s extraordinary refusal to confirm or deny Cummings visit to Barnard Castle appears to make little sense if he just went there for a walk.

But surely if he was discussing Covid-19 vaccine business on behalf of the government, that would answer all the critics of his trip, would it not? They would want to trumpet it from the hills? I mean to believe otherwise, you would have to propound a crazed conspiracy theory. You would have to believe that criminal activity may be occurring again involving GlaxoSmithKline of the kind which might lead to fines of 37.6 million pounds for overcharging the NHS, or of three billion dollars for fraudulent medical claims in the USA. Nobody sane believes that kind of thing, do they?

The proverbial plot thickens.
Thanks for sharing the link @Blennyfish

Laaf80 · 25/05/2020 08:15

Exactly @itsgettingweird, people made huge huge sacrifices. The nation was petrified at that stage - I cannot remember if furlough had been announced at that point.

Furthermore considering BJ’s parental instinct when his wife was incapacitated with cancer was to shag someone else, I think he needs to chose his words carefully.

Roussette · 25/05/2020 08:20

Yes, I think we must bear in mind that we are somewhat more relaxed about all of this now. At the time, I know I was very scared about it all, and we were all doing everything asked of us because of fear.

IF he gets away with this, the Govt will have lost a lot of credibility. They will be challenged again and again on any restrictions they try and put over to us. DC will be maligned at every single turn. It's not as if he is popular, is it?

1forsorrow · 25/05/2020 08:25

@Roussette re Gavin Williamson, when I was watching thinking much the same as you plus how incredibly boring he is to listen to I suddenly thought how much he reminded me of Lurch. Does anyone else remember the Addams Family?

Roussette · 25/05/2020 08:29

Yes, Lurch!

It's the soft slow talking. And he comes across as far too pleased with himself. However, it was a lesson in how to avoid the questions.