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Original poster

I know I should have "moved on" but Cummings...

270 replies

1stV45 · 01/11/2020 16:32

I do think the government's handling of that sorry business is, in large part, responsible for where we are now.

I know there were always rumblings of complaints about "others" not following the rules but ever since we were told people must do what's right for their families it seems widespread. Before that the majority were complying and there was a general feeling of at least wanting to be seen to do the right thing. Even now with tightening restrictions, lots of people just simply seem to be saying they're not prepared to do it. People who want to stick to things to the letter face derision.

I don't understand why he didn't just say "I made a poor decision, I was wrong" which would have enabled him to stay in his job and everyone to move on, instead of that ridiculous justification which lead everyone to question why they had been stupid enough to follow the rules.

I get the feeling, from taking to colleagues and what's going in on SM, that it doesn't matter what the restrictions are, there won't be enough people sticking to them to make a difference. And I do think Cummings was the turning point.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
13
Clavinova · 02/11/2020 11:17

VinylDetective
I do plan to go out shortly.

GrumblyMumblyisnotJumbly · 02/11/2020 11:23

@Clavinova yes plenty of other people have been found to make poor decisions. What sets Cummings apart was:

  1. his unique position in helping create the 'Stay at HOME' messaging for the whole country & then failing to do so himself.
  2. that unlike the rule breakers before and after him he was not denonunced by his bosses but was given a platform, from No 10 no less, to tell the public why his circumstances were more exceptional than eveyone else who had complied with the stay at home instruction

The fact we are even discussing this still shows that for many people it showed rotten judgement from the Government to back him.

They've since established that his family weren't paying council tax on the second home he stayed in. Not really a paragon of virtue is he?

Orcus · 02/11/2020 11:23

@Clavinova

More to the point, what does that have to do with anything?

I read the previous poster's link;

"Afzal, whose brother Umar died from coronavirus when he was self-isolating at home on 8 April when Cummings was in Durham, said he wanted to get to the truth."

The connection is Birmingham of course - the Labour MP's actions probably had far more influence over the ethnic communities in Birmingham than Dominic Cummings.

'Connection' is a strong word there.

You asked if he could blame Cummings for his brother flouting the rules. Given that the full saga, in particular the part of it that was actually illegal, had yet to play out, this is actually pretty batshit. It would look less bizarre if you'd just said I don't like so much attention being given to right wing rule breakers when look, the left have done it too. That obviously would be whataboutery but it would at least be possible to identify some kind of thought process.

LoganRoy · 02/11/2020 11:26

It’s not just a MN thing, Iain Dale mentioned that people still talk about Dominic Cummings pretty much every week on phone ins to LBC.

SerendipityJane · 02/11/2020 11:36

@LoganRoy

It’s not just a MN thing, Iain Dale mentioned that people still talk about Dominic Cummings pretty much every week on phone ins to LBC.
It won't "go away". It's just become a historic meme. Like Nero fiddling while Rome burned.

DC has written his own obituary. When he goes the headline will be "Lockdown lout Dominic Cummings passes", and the opening line will read: The man who derailed the UKs first Covid Lockdown in April 2020 has died ....

Even if it's in 50 years time.

Ask Richard Nixons family what he's remembered for. And rapprochement with China is usually second.

GrumblyMumblyisnotJumbly · 02/11/2020 11:36

Looking in the papers today Carol Vordeman made a dig about day trips to Barnard Castle in the intro to the Pride of Britain awards.

So yes, people are well aware of who Dominic Cummings is, what he did and where Barnard Castle is. It has not been forgotten.

Peregrina · 02/11/2020 12:00

They've since established that his family weren't paying council tax on the second home he stayed in. Not really a paragon of virtue is he?

If he'd not gone running off to Durham and been spotted there, they would still be getting away with this, so this was an own goal.

roarfeckingroarr · 02/11/2020 12:16

Oh FFS get a grip move on

JesusInTheCabbageVan · 02/11/2020 12:47

Shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't shan't Grin

napody · 02/11/2020 12:54

@HarryLimeFoxtrot

His justification was ludicrous. And his logic (which the government defended) meant that people who had Covid symptoms had more freedom under the lockdown rules than those who didn’t.

I agree that it was a significant tipping point with regard to compliance. The “what would Dominic Cummings do?” question is frequently rolled out to excuse all sorts of behaviour.

This.

And the way it has been misremembered by many as 'he broke lockdown' rather than 'he broke quarentine'

Angry
Unsure33 · 02/11/2020 12:54

stop going on about a man who has a special needs child and did not actually break social distancing rules or the guidelines at the time .

If you are going to blame him you are basically saying that the british public are Lemmings

So who was the cause of the same and worse deaths in spain , france, belgium and even sweden has the same rate per 100000 ?

Do they all have their own cummings?

Boring , boring , boring .

VinylDetective · 02/11/2020 13:06

@Unsure33

stop going on about a man who has a special needs child and did not actually break social distancing rules or the guidelines at the time .

If you are going to blame him you are basically saying that the british public are Lemmings

So who was the cause of the same and worse deaths in spain , france, belgium and even sweden has the same rate per 100000 ?

Do they all have their own cummings?

Boring , boring , boring .

He broke the guidelines. However boring you might find it, others don’t.
showmethegin · 02/11/2020 13:19

@Unsure33

stop going on about a man who has a special needs child and did not actually break social distancing rules or the guidelines at the time .

If you are going to blame him you are basically saying that the british public are Lemmings

So who was the cause of the same and worse deaths in spain , france, belgium and even sweden has the same rate per 100000 ?

Do they all have their own cummings?

Boring , boring , boring .

I hadn't realised he was the only one in the country with a child with special needs.
IcedLimes · 02/11/2020 13:23

Yes he did break guidelines. Lying about it won't help. That makes you just like him so not surprising you are defending him

Peregrina · 02/11/2020 13:25

I hadn't realised he was the only one in the country with a child with special needs.

My thought too - some of whom were having to manage in a small flat with no outside space.

Original poster
1stV45 · 02/11/2020 14:43

Again, it wasn't breaking the rules that is the main issue, it's the way he was defended and supported. If he was "a special needs parent" who made a rash decision, that may well have been OK, if the government had said they thought he'd got it wrong. But they didn't, they said everyone who worked hard to follow their (his) rules had got it wrong, so people can't be surprised if people are thinking more critically about how important the rules are now.

OP posts:
Original poster
1stV45 · 02/11/2020 14:47

I dont thinkbthe issue is whether people are still talking about it or thinking about it but the fact that attitudes changed as a result. People may not remember why they switched from total adherence to applying common sense, but they did.

OP posts:
Orcus · 02/11/2020 14:54

stop going on about a man who has a special needs child and did not actually break social distancing rules or the guidelines at the time

He's never actually confirmed his child has SN, has he? But more to the point, you're wrong. He did break the rules at the time, because his account of his reasons for the trip to Barnard Castle didn't fall within any of the permitted reasons to leave the place where he was staying in the regulations that were in force at the time. If you disagree, tell us which of the permitted reasons it was.

SerendipityJane · 02/11/2020 15:01

If you disagree, tell us which of the permitted reasons it was.

The permitted reason was "Being Dominic Cummings". End of.

Orcus · 02/11/2020 15:06

@SerendipityJane

If you disagree, tell us which of the permitted reasons it was.

The permitted reason was "Being Dominic Cummings". End of.

Snort. Probably typed in white at the end of the legislation!
Mischance · 02/11/2020 15:13

The fact that he has a child with special needs is irrelevant.

He broke the rules and was defended by BJ and crew. The end result was that people started to abide by their own rules and the virus spread further.

Orcus · 02/11/2020 15:15

Do we know he has a child with SN? I was under the impression this had never been confirmed, and a quick google isn't throwing any light on the matter. Do people know something I don't?

fuckrightoff · 02/11/2020 15:19

@1stV45

Again, it wasn't breaking the rules that is the main issue, it's the way he was defended and supported. If he was "a special needs parent" who made a rash decision, that may well have been OK, if the government had said they thought he'd got it wrong. But they didn't, they said everyone who worked hard to follow their (his) rules had got it wrong, so people can't be surprised if people are thinking more critically about how important the rules are now.
You are 100% right @1stV45 The ones who weren't sure before whether they can visit someone struggling with MH for example, even if that person lives with someone now apply common sense and do visit under the "vulnerable person" category
Orcus · 02/11/2020 15:23

I must say, I thought his decision to drive on a public road with his wife and small son in the car when he wasn't certain he was fit to do so was actually pretty awful. It wouldn't have been any better if it hadn't broken the coronavirus regulations.

SerendipityJane · 02/11/2020 15:25

@Orcus

Do we know he has a child with SN? I was under the impression this had never been confirmed, and a quick google isn't throwing any light on the matter. Do people know something I don't?
Without checking (which only seems to be for losers these days anyway) I seem to recall there was an intimation that was the reason, along with a suggestion that to actually ask would be an invasion of privacy.