Dominic Cummings - was the original press around him correct? Please help a confused person!

[itsgettingwierd]

So right early on in the pandemic Cummings was portrayed as the evil one with evils plans and saying herd immunity was the way to go despite death toll. I also read/read he was totally against lockdowns.

Then he went on his eyesight driving test and he became public enemy number 1 to most and the person solely responsible for public undermining the rules.

However he is now all over Twitter and the media stating we should have followed an Asian model. Critiquing the PMs non existent plan then and also currently if variants evade variants.

It's like a completely different person.

Now I've always believed he's the evil conniving one with no empathy since he was Goves advisor because I work in education.

So has he always been a scapegoat as the advisor, was he forced to do the Rose garden media display or is he just so clever he's able to distance himself from his part in any of this and play the innocent and come up smelling of roses?

(I bet he's just an advisor do cannot be held accountable for decisions but it seems what we believe he was advising and what he's saying he advised are opposites)

Anyone got any insight to help me understand?

I’m no fan of Dominic Cummings but I remember reading early on that he was at the Sage meetings and it was reported that he was a supporter of lockdown.
The thing with DC (and the problem for Johnson) is that DC is not a Tory. He has no political allegiances. He likes to win and wanted to reform Government.
If I was Johnson I’d be very afraid - DC knows where the bodies are!

Dominic Cummings cannot be held responsible for Boris Johnson being the worst Prime Minister in history, for never making decisions in a timely manner, for having no morals and treating women worse than any since David Lloyd George.

I can believe that he is a bit more than the bitter and twisted man sacked for being rude about Carrie Symonds.

The theatrics of leaving No. 10 through the front door and with a cardboard box was an early warning shot of him preparing to share information he was privy to.

I agree with all the above.

I'm beginning to think have no political allegiance actually is about to give him a very large upper hand.

I for one would love to know the truth.

We don't know the source of those things we were told about him maybe they weren't true?

Or maybe they were true and this is his version of "the best defence is a strong offence."

It's so hard to tell with people who lie for a living.

DC is a bit of a know it all to be honest. He’s been known to amend his blogs so they look like he had such great foresight.

He’s playing the public and dicking all over Boris for his own personal reasons.

I wouldn’t believe for a second that he wasn’t part of the problem in the covid response. He’s not qualified to discuss epidemiology matters so I take anything he has with a pinch of salt.

I’m just getting out the popcorn and watching the fallout.

I don't trust DC one bit, and think he is furious and seeking revenge because of his well publicised issues with Carrie. A toxic man with an axe to grind. I don't trust him or like him, but he is clever.

I think the leaving with a cardboard box was for show, it wouldn’t have occurred to him to do anything else.

*wasn’t for show

I think it was clear DC has information that will damage Boris and the Tories.

DC wants Gove in

"If I was Johnson I’d be very afraid - DC knows where the bodies are!"
Usually a metaphor. In this case, probably not.

@itsgettingwierd

So right early on in the pandemic Cummings was portrayed as the evil one with evils plans and saying herd immunity was the way to go despite death toll. I also read/read he was totally against lockdowns.

Then he went on his eyesight driving test and he became public enemy number 1 to most and the person solely responsible for public undermining the rules.

However he is now all over Twitter and the media stating we should have followed an Asian model. Critiquing the PMs non existent plan then and also currently if variants evade variants.

It's like a completely different person.

Now I've always believed he's the evil conniving one with no empathy since he was Goves advisor because I work in education.

So has he always been a scapegoat as the advisor, was he forced to do the Rose garden media display or is he just so clever he's able to distance himself from his part in any of this and play the innocent and come up smelling of roses?

(I bet he's just an advisor do cannot be held accountable for decisions but it seems what we believe he was advising and what he's saying he advised are opposites)

Anyone got any insight to help me understand?

herd immunity was the way to go despite death toll

People accused Cummings of being to blame because they couldn't understand how SAGE scientists could have come to that conclusion unless they were ordered to. It's pretty clear though that the blame lay in the structure of SAGE and the secrecy of their meetings - a number of misunderstandings and miscommunications took place early on that led to the herd-immunity plan being seen as the only viable route.
Proof of that is easy to find - just find some of the Patrick Vallance interviews from the time on YT.

Cummings was seen as a villain for blatantly breaking the rules and unlike other politicians and people in positions of authority, who even after minor transgressions, resigned, Cummings engaged in denial, misdirection and arrogance.

I doubt if Cummings played ANY role in the initial dumb covid strategy tbh - he was likely just a fly on the wall. But he undoubtedly was aware of what was said to whom.

What happened to the old adage of “Keep your friends close but your enemies closer”? Boris

DC wants Gove in I think that's probably true. Michael Gove, the rudest man in politics, though had he become Prime Minister I think at least 10,000 fewer people would have died thus far from Covid 19 in the UK.

@GoodbyePorpoiseSpit

DC wants Gove in

Yep. And that thought is simply terrifying

It's hard to characterise DC as a bad guy if he did say we should "go the herd immunity route" when dozens of people on here said the same thing.

He changed his blog to make it look like he was on the right side of history. He told that ridiculous eye test story, and thought people would swallow it. He isn’t a bright man (or at least, he thinks the entire world is too stupid to see through his cunning plans, which is not the mark of a particularly intelligent person).

I imagine he has just changed his tune because herd immunity has been thoroughly discredited, and he is just hoping nobody is capable of remembering the events of six months ago.

@GoodbyePorpoiseSpit

DC wants Gove in

I've always thought this too.

They were a formidable team when he was his advisor in education.

Shane it wasn't a positive team that did good but I know they definitely had a relationship he didn't have with Boris.

Plus Gove is more devious and calculating than Boris. Boris is just a spoilt brat who thinks he can charm his way out of trouble.

my understanding is that DC has always wanted stronger sooner covid control measures; he's much more "with" Zero-Covid ideas than against them. It doesn't sit well with the anti-Brexit anti-Libertarians, but is what it is. Turns out that covid-opinions cut across Brexit opinions, rather than correlate.

I’ve no doubt that DC would amend history to make himself look better, we know he’s done it before. Possible he’s telling the truth though.

They are all hideous back-stabbers without morals.

I don't believe or trust anybody who thinks their ideas and everything they've done is right, and that includes Cummings. If Cummings lists his own faults, doubts and personal errors, then I might believe some of what he says.

I also find it strange that "herd immunity" was the devil's work last year, when this year it is the much praised prime objective (through vaccination).

@ceilingsand

They are all hideous back-stabbers without morals.

I think that sums it up quite nicely!