Sky News - Cummings to make a rare statement...

[MunchMunch]

And answer questions today. I wonder if he's doing the briefing today with Bozo?!

I wonder how this will go?!

Im not going to do it @juneybean Im just making a point.

But lots of things reported are the case!

These media people are absolutely relentless - OK he made a mistake, but their treatment of him is abominable. I actually feel sorry for him.

- OK he made a mistake, but their treatment of him is abominable

The media are probing him because he's not admitting to making a mistake

So... he didn't want to put anyone at risk by asking for a childcarer or friend to come to his London home if he and his wife were too ill but was happy to drive 260 miles risking a road accident, calling out paramedics in a rural area to his potentially CoVid infected cottage then collecting his child from hospital, driving whilst ill. He had acres of private woods and farmland to walk in but drove 30 miles whilst worried his eyesight was poor to Barnard castle again putting the public at risk through a potential accident or coming too close to others to have a walk as he felt sick. The smell of silage is high and pungent.

"The man child had to get back to work as the PM was seriously ill and we were in the middle of a pandemic."

If it was really a matter of national importance, then I'm sure such a wealthy - and important - man could have organised an emergency nanny

or just asked family that lived 10 minutes away

If he can't even organise that, maybe he's not the best person to be PM adviser to the PM in a crisis

So really he didn't do anything wrong except for the drive to Barnard castle.
It is in the guidelines he could seek help for childcare.
He shouldn't apologise for having the facility of a relative's home he could stay in safely.
The government failed the people by not being more clear about the guidelines of you're stuck for childcare and ill

@S0phisticatedSal

So what should they have done?

They had quite a few options.

1. He had advance warning of the lockdown rules, so he had time to think through and prepare. If he felt that they were unsupported in London and that his wife wouldn’t cope if she became ill, then he could have moved his wife and child into his parents guest house before the rules came into place. This is what I would have done (my husband has a similar job which means that he knew in advance of the lockdown and we discussed similar ideas about me moving prior to lockdown as I am in the shielded group and we had various other complicated issues that were going to make things difficult. It was very clear that there would be no option to move after this point and that anyone breaking the rules would be expected to resign).

1. They could have waited to see if they definitely had a childcare emergency (not a possible future one) and at that time one of his relatives could have travelled to fetch the child or help. This would have been a fair exception as the emergency would have been actual not theoretical at that time.

1. He could have got one of his relatives or close friends who live in London to help look after their child, in the exceptional event that they became unable to do so (which didn’t happen in the end as they were able to care for their child themselves throughout). Again, if it had actually occurred that they were unable to look after their child then they would have had an excuse for an exception at that point.

An introvert would be a trembling wreck if the worlds media was descending on them. It's an act that wins over the gullible. A hugely successful tactic for the last 4 years.

Introversion =/= shy. You can prefer your own company and be totally comfortable dealing with crowds, speaking, media.

He’s just a

He’s just someone who isn’t particularly media trained.

"It is in the guidelines he could seek help for childcare."

All those silly people in the country who didn't realise they could drive 250 miles with a sick partner, for childcare

You know what a crucial job is? That of an epidemiologist who’s advising the government in the middle of a pandemic. He resigned for meeting up with a woman in the same city.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-52553229

I can guarantee that he made much more of a contribution to the government’s response to coronavirus that a political hack like Cummings.

Sorry helena didnt mean to imply you would haha just that I've read piers morgan and others saying they will visit their parents now because of this. C

If he's this useless in a crisis, why is he such a vital adviser to the PM that he's above the rules of ordinary people ?

The questions are so pointless. Relentlessly pursuing a gotcha story.

The general public just want the facts about the pandemic, a plan of action and to know our family is safe (physically, mentally and financially). This is just a media circus, journos frothing about what they think is a headline...but for whose benefit? The newspapers and viewing figures

It’s tiresome and has been like this throughout the pandemic. If you pay any attention to our Journalism, it really is dire

Gosh he's squirming! I thought the rules said that if both parents were ill then to contact the LEA and they would offer child support. Maybe he didn't fancy that for his son?
His body language is fascinating - lots of covering his mouth and blinking and self reassurance suggesting lying and insecurity.

All those silly people in the country who didn't realise they could drive 250 miles with a sick partner, for childcare well yes. Basically

You can exercise reasonable judgement. This overrides the rules of you have a young child. Yay!

Well, I'm off on holiday to check my eyesight, see you later losers.

When I saw he'd gone there to test his eyesight, I thought he meant he'd gone to the optician's 😂
But no, of course he meant he was driving a car to see if he crashed it or not. Makes total sense and absolutely understandable in the circumstances.

Questions from journos are poor because they’re open questions, giving DC further opportunity to spin his Alice in Wonderland tale. There is nothing exceptional about two parents with one child to look after.

No, it isn't pointless

The government made rules for the country to follow
and then had such contempt for their own rules - or for the people silly enough to obey

Will the public ever obey any laws or advice on anything, not just COVID, if those in charge ignore the rules

"All those silly people in the country who didn't realise they could drive 250 miles with a sick partner, for childcare ....
well yes. Basically"

OK, then everyone that the police turned back or fined can now take legal action

HeIenaDove

Well you fill your boots and visit your parents, I personally won’t be visiting my in-laws until there is a vaccine as they are over 80 and one has cancer, my son will be visiting me in my garden on Friday as me and dh are In our late 50,s (Friday because we are in Scotland)

And I’m sorry I have been watching the witch hunt live on tv feel sorry for the guy!!

So much so I’m off to listen to pop master finally as I don’t like people being bulled by the press.

O by the way why was no one up in arms when Prince Charles moved from London to Scotland when he had the virus!!

Ordinary folk like us are too uncool and silly to think of testing our eyesight by seeing if we crash the car with our family in it