DomCum in the garden with the journalists...

[DonLewis]

Do we think the PM Is going to allow the rest of us to hang out in our gardens now?

@Clavinova , in what way was his situation exceptional in these exceptional times. Every household with a minor in it had exactly the same problem. Totally and horribly unexceptional.
As for driving (with a child in the car, ffs) in order to check you could see properly? Invalidated insurance right there.

From the link above - former Labour MP Helen Goodman writes about not being able to visit her father in his nursing home - but current Labour MP, Stephen Kinnock was caught visiting his dad on his birthday;

www.itv.com/news/wales/2020-03-30/police-urge-mp-stephen-kinnock-to-comply-with-coronavirus-lockdown-rules-after-visiting-dad-on-birthday/

But it wasn't an exceptional case of parents being unable to look after a child
It was an exceptional case of parents thinking that possibly in the future they might not be able to

If my dh was ill and I'd popped back to see him before returning to the office, I would have been ordered out.
And if Johnson made such a show of having Cabinet meetings via Zoom (which is an insecure platform, btw) why did Cummings have to be in London to talk to the PM. Although, to be far, it's hard to operate puppet strings remotely.

He doesn’t believe he is different to anyone else, yet he does believe that his were exceptional circumstances. You couldn’t make it up.

Oddly enough the part that actually annoyed me most was when he said (several times) that he has hard decisions to weigh up and make every day. (Not a direct quote because I can’t find a transcript of his statement) He’s not alone in this! We ALL have to weigh up and make difficult decisions - especially now! There are literally people who had to make the same decisions he did about how to care for their family while also committing to their important jobs.

The whole thing really came across as a “woe is me” situation. “My life is so hard, I am such a dedicated public servant and parent and now also a victim of you mean people. Poor me.”

He made quite a big thing about feeling it was a risk to leave his child and wife at home while he was out at work, yet his “reasonable excuse/exceptional circumstance” was the (possibility of) illness and lack of childcare - so the issue of risk while he was working was completely irrelevant except to try to get people to feel sorry for him.

He must actually think we’re all thick!

Do what you like with as many people as you like in your garden.

I just checked with Dom Cummings and he says it's ok.

I thought I had better ask Johnson to confirm it. He just mumbled something incoherent but I think it amounted to 'yes'.

PS: Not possible to get my £5 Wetherspoon breakfast yet but I can put £5 down on a new car instead!!!

We really have got a Government full of wankers.........

Hands up anyone with kids on here who had the "oh fuck, what do we do if we both get ill? conversation.
Or any single parents on here, hands up if you had the "oh fuck, what if I get ill?" thought process.
Every. Single. One.

bellinisurge
I think Jess Philips just tweets whatever she reads on social media.

@Clavinova in what way was his situation exceptional?

@bellinisurge

Love the comment about the puppet strings!

@Clavinova , Jess Phillips was involved in making sure there were rules in place for victims of domestic violence. Were you?

Hands up anyone with kids on here who had the "oh fuck, what do we do if we both get ill? conversation.

We have. The only option family wise would be to get my sister to travel 200 miles and stay with us. That’s why we aren’t going anywhere we would be at risk.

Must have been a nightmare birthday for Cummings wife wondering if his eyes would hold up all the way to Barnard Castle from Durham.

I used to live 4 miles from Barney - Cummings managed to find a nice spot by the river. Or perhaps his eyes gave out and he just crashed there?

He is sadly not going anywhere. Boris will dig in, safe in the knowledge that the next election is 4 years away and all will be forgotten by then. It leaves a very sour taste in my mouth though.

I just pray we do not have a second peak that requires another lockdown as I sincerely doubt the government will be able to convince the public to stay at home.

Just a thought. I know there are people on here who hate Boris Johnson with a vengeance (like me) and people who love him.

To the haters his whole performance over the past few weeks is no surprise. His 'Pound Shop' version of Churchill is just embarrassing.

I just wondered if any of the Johnson lovers on here are actually starting to change their opinion given the contempt he has shown for the British public?

bellinisurge
I thought his explanation was reasonable - I'm not one of his fans but he came across better than I expected. If the media or Durham police can find evidence of something else or he returned to Durham after the 14th April - fair enough I will change my mind.

Again, @Clavinova , every single family with kids in it faced exactly the same dilemma.
And driving while sight impaired is a criminal offence. If you have health problems which stop you driving, you need to get a letter from a doctor who has examined you to confirm your fitness to drive.

There were more holes in that narrative than in a colander.

Why did none of the journalists ask if his wife has a driving licence? I went hoarse shouting that at the TV.

This is what I thought:

chng.it/kGqTFDCwnD

Remember Jackanory?
This afternoon's show has to be a contender....

That’s a petition to have him stand down

And driving while sight impaired is a criminal offence.

He said the drive went well.

you need to get a letter from a doctor who has examined you to confirm your fitness to drive

I thought that was for notifiable medical conditions. How do you know his eyesight didn't meet the legal minimum requirement at the time?

Why did none of the journalists ask if his wife has a driving licence?

I never volunteer to drive our car to Cornwall.

To be honest I think more is being made of this than is reasonable. However, the public are clearly angry at the shambolic handling of everything and I have no issue with Cummings becoming a scapegoat for this. How is this man important enough to justify himself to us in the first place? He's not elected, he can fuck off.

On the bright side, at least Cummings has solved the age old discussion about does being a wanker do awful things to your eyesight.........