Dominic Cummings using his child's autism as an excuse

[Almahart]

So it looks as if the next excuse to be wheeled out is that Dominic Cumming's child is autistic.

My child is autistic. I know many families with autistic children.

This is what I have heard of happening for these families during Coronavirus:

• no school (yes I know schools should be taking vulnerable children. But many are not)
• no respite
• no transport to school even if they are open
• regular activities cancelled
• the fear that provision provided by local authorities through Education Health and Care Plans and suspended under the Coronavirus Act will slowly disappear

I know of many single parents alone with their child who are seriously struggling and who did not break the rules during lockdown.

To use autism as an excuse is beyond low. It is revolting and has made me even angrier than I was before

I support parents who have children with special needs and what some have been through during lockdown is horrific. Some of them have had no physical help or support for weeks on end and many of them have been ill with symptoms too. DC did not need the childcare as he says his son was looked after by them the entire time they were there. Surely a child with ASD should stay at home in their most familiar environment? IF they had ended up so ill then the family could have travelled to London to look after him at that time, the rules allowed caring responsibilities as a reason for travel at that time.

Hmm those posters defending him, you do realise it was his mums birthday that weekend?

I have no idea, but I doubt it was for fun or any reason other than to protect his child, and himself - ultimately to assist running our country for the greater good

🤣
That you Boris?

DS1 has autism. I have never used it as an excuse.

I wonder was the 'caring for someone' caveat introduced when Boris discovered DC had gallivanted off to Durham?
Lol, it's laughable.
I'm sure they have lawyers and shit interpreting their own laws which us plebians don't have access to.
It's all a fucking farce. I'm on death's door due to mental health issues aggravated by this fucking bastard lockdown. If I had known that I could flout the rules, I would not be. If I was privy to information that the government is, that it's all a load of bollocks, I would not be.
But I am. And I am extremely fucking angry.

The word slimy doesn't do him justice.

As for using his child's needs as an excuse? He's his fucking father! You seem to think you can manage a country, try managing your child you utter twat!!!

The Sky News correspondent described DC as being even more powerful in government than Boris. He can make or break your career.

Well how about we don't let a cunt like him have that much power?

If this has come out now, surely this is to excuse his day trip to Barnard Castle as the child wouldn’t cope well within the confines of his fathers farm of several acres.

He has something on Boris, something very big, it’s a ticking time bomb.

Surely he could have had a 'friend' (if they have any) drop off groceries - like everyone else did. My friend has 3 kids, autistic 8 year old too and her DH was in bed nearly a month with Covid, they all managed!
My brother had a bad bout of it too - there's not a chance he could have driven 260 miles even a day after the symptoms set in - he was struggling to FaceTime - it's all sniffs of excuses and lies .... you know, the usual government way!
Glad he had a nice easter at home with his parents! Strange they're not encouraging Muslims to enjoy Eid with their parents eh! Perhaps because ..... it's against THEIR rules?!
Bloody farce, when making up tough rules and expecting the country to follow, the least those making the rules can do is stick to them too - now there'll be a
Backlash and more people will flout the
'Rules' and more people will die of this horrible virus - nice one Dom - you'll have blood ok your hands, if you haven't already

I am not a fan of Cummings but what other reason could there have been for this move of location other than the care of his child

Maybe the prospect of being 'isolated' in Durham with access to a large garden was more appealing than being cooped up in his home in London. The care of his child thing doesn't hold water because he has family members on his doorstep who could have provided childcare and other help.

Although he's a machiavellian monster, I do actually believe that he was motivated by concern for his son in this case. It doesn't matter. He is not above the rules. He needs to go.

But he’s part of a few individuals trying to run our country under extreme and unprecedented circumstances. We need him available and well.

A few individuals? The government doesn't consist of 'a few individuals', the number of ministers in each department is actually quite large, and they are backed up by a small army of civil servants (who are the ones who do the actual work). Cummings is one individual of rather dubious merit.

Why is he exceptional? Why the fuck can't I do whatever the fuck I feel like doing? Why just him?

Yanbu. I've got a teenager with severe autism who has been in so much distress he has been self harming and hurting others due to the current situation. He now has a school place but only after we said we didn't think we could keep him with us because the situation had got so unsafe. Others in the same situation still don't have places because most schools are shut despite the government saying they would be kept open. Families are going through hell at the moment and so I have no sympathy for someone who has one small child and more support at their disposal than most but broke the rules.

I am so angry about this. So angry. I have written to my (very good Tory) MP. A very measured e-mail. I am quite politically interested but have literally never been motivated to write to my MP before. DC has to go. BoJo can get the far side to fuck with making the excuses for him. It takes us all as fools. And using his son's autism like a get out of jail free card. It makes me sick.

Well said, OP.

If what Cummings said is to be believed, he and his wife continued to look after their child and the only difference is that his sister left shopping for them - i.e. they did what most parents of autistic children did, with the crucial difference that they chose to drive 260 miles.

Most children with autism really need the security of a regular routine and their familiar surroundings. They have struggled enough with the disruption both before and after lockdown. The very last thing a responsible parent does is take them to unfamiliar surroundings and people.

Good plan Green tea. Writing to MPs at the mo especially Tory ones right now is the best way to get some sort of action.p

what other reason could there have been for this move of location other than the care of his child. Many have broke lockdown and probably put more people at risk than one man and his family moving location

Mostly that he couldn't be bothered to look after his own child and wanted to palm child care off onto another woman, his sister.

If he put one person at risk unnecessarily, that is one person too many. But in fact the strong likelihood is that he put several people at risk.

I don't know much about autism, but is 4 quite young to be diagnosed? I had the impression it was a drawn out process to get a diagnosis.

Do you all not think it’s more likely that he didn’t have covid in the first place? Obviously he can’t admit that now.

It all a load of made up shite. Oh what tangled webs we weave etc...

I saw someone speculate that maybe his wife and child have been in Durham all through the crisis and that's what they're trying to cover up.

I think that sounds plausible. It would make perfect sense for them to relocate there before lockdown was announced. But of course then Dom should not have been visiting them.

I'm surprise generally that supporters of Dom don't seem to get that he's the most powerful man in the country - he sets the rules. The rules that told other people they couldn't do the things he's done. You can't ask for sympathy for breaking rules that you yourself have told other people they have to follow. His outriders on social media seem to be asking for more and more sympathy for someone struggling with the hardships of following the rules without seeming to grasp this,

That sounds like sarcasm yester apologies if not the intention. But my MP is pretty close to BoJo, and also very dynamic and proactive and responosive to his electorate- and how else are they going to know what people actually feel about it? i'm not going to picket DC;s house (any of them) as unlike some people I am not prepared to break the lockdown rules and I doubt my MP is reading Mumsnet. (Although it'd probably be to his benefit if he did).

@where is it reported that his child is autistic? I can’t see that anywhere except social media

But he’s part of a few individuals trying to run our country under extreme and unprecedented circumstances. We need him available and well.

Why, @eeehbyegum? You can't seriously think he's irreplaceable? This is the man who promoted the herd immunity idea, remember. In any event, we didn't have him available and well, because he was 260 miles away and ill. He put his availability and health at greater risk by getting in a car and driving that distance when he was incubating covid.

We need these handfuls of people to run the lives of millions. Why did he travel that far unless for altruistic reasons? I have no idea, but I doubt it was for fun or any reason other than to protect his child, and himself - ultimately to assist running our country for the greater good.

We don't need this person so much that it justifies him breaking the rules and putting several other people's lives at risk. The likely reasons for him travelling so far have been amply described on this thread, and the whole altruism excuse falls to the floor when you realise that he had other family members living close by in London. The idea that he did this to protect himself is ludicrous when the advice is so clear that if you or your family members become ill you stay put.

In fact what he did is the reverse of acting for "the greater good". The effect of what he has done is to jeopardise the government's entire Covid strategy and send the message out that travelling miles for non-essential journeys is absolutely fine.