Current Affairs

[Quizzical Bob]

So they wished to remain as a family unit, which they could have done in London, isolating at their home.

If they had stayed in London and had both been poorly / hospitalised there wouldn't have been anybody to look after their little boy. There were however rellies in Durham who could take care of him .... obvious if one's name is Cummings.

His wife’s brother lives in London.

[Manoverboard]

His wife’s brother lives in London.

Who is a single guy who's specialist subject is unlikey to be child minding ... the lad would prefer his Auntie

[Quizzical Bob]

We are just packing the car up for a long drive to some attractions.
If the police stop us it appears 'I need to check my vision' is perfectly valid excuse.

You jest and joke, but in all honesty your actions are not going to be influenced by what Cummings did or said, and neither will the vast majority of the UK population, and those that will use him as an excuse would have broken the rules regardless.
What he did might have bent the rules quite significantly, but it is highly unlikely that he in anyway contributed to the spread of the virus, indeed it could be argued that by isolating near his family he was able to ensure that his likely spread of the virus was reduced well below the "R" of 1, which might not have been the case had his family stayed in London.
Unfortunately the media are extremely unlikely to let him off the hook, and like hound dogs with the scent of blood in their nostrils, they are going to chase him until he collapses in exhaustion and resigns, or Boris decides to sack him.

Actually it’s quite the opposite. He drove a car loaded with coronavirus up to the other end of the country and then unleashed it on the local hospital when their son developed a fever and they called an ambulance to take the boy and his wife there. Test showed that the boy was negative for coronavirus.

At the moment they left London his wife was displaying symptoms and Cummings himself went down with it the day after arriving at his farm. This was not a case of people with no signs of the disease breaking the lockdown. It was a classic case of irresponsible behaviour that the lockdown was intended to prevent.

[Quizzical Bob]

His wife’s brother lives in London.

Who is a single guy who's specialist subject is unlikey to be child minding ... the lad would prefer his Auntie

In these current circumstances a child doesn’t get a chance to express a preference. Are you seriously trying to suggest that someone at the highest level of government living in London wouldn’t have access to help at all levels?

Besides, there would have been countless ‘ordinary people’ who were faced with a similar situation yet had to handle it themselves.

[anniec]

What he did might have bent the rules quite significantly, but it is highly unlikely that he in anyway contributed to the spread of the virus, indeed it could be argued that by isolating near his family he was able to ensure that his likely spread of the virus was reduced well below the "R" of 1, which might not have been the case had his family stayed in London.
Unfortunately the media are extremely unlikely to let him off the hook, and like hound dogs with the scent of blood in their nostrils, they are going to chase him until he collapses in exhaustion and resigns, or Boris decides to sack him.

His wife, with Covid-19 (as stated in her Spectator article) accompanied his son (with suspected covid) to a hospital in Durham. If that isn't potentially spreading the virus to an area where they had few cases at the time, I'm not sure what it.

ETA: Oops, sorry, I now see that Bob has made the same point.

[oldbluefox]

I watched the Cummings interview yesterday and given the circumstances I would, in the main have taken the same action. Some of the arguments put forward by the Press are a smokescreen and irrelevant. Actually I think the way the media have behaved over the past few days, if not before, has been pretty disgraceful. As far as I am concerned I see people all around me who are breaking the lockdown in its purest sense but they have adapted the rules on personal circumstances just as Cummings did. However it must be borne in mind that Cummings has a higher responsibility than the rest of us mortals. To that extent it also brings privileges but he is also human with a young child to consider. What we have heard so far is that he undertook a journey north for the well being of his child. Am I going to throw my toys out of the pram because I may not agree with what he did because listening to some of the claptrap on the radio and in the media that is what they are suggesting? Would I be attending loved ones funerals or visiting sick relatives because of what Cummings did? Of course not because I don't want the virus and I don't want to pass it on. Common sense seems to be lacking in great measure. Surprisingly I wasn't aware until recently of the activities of Messrs Tahir Ali, Stephen Kinnock and Vaughan Gething so I presume those who were breaking the lockdown did so with the approval of the silent media.
In short I am bored with all the petty nitpicking over this situation and it's time to move on. In truth Cummings has many enemies largely because he was instrumental in the Brexit vote so the Remainers and the pro Remain Metropolitan Press won't like him; he orchestrated Boris' campaign to become leader and then go on to a resounding electoral victory so the left/liberals won't like him and he seems to be pretty ruthless as far as government ministers and civil servants are concerned so they have axes to grind. Basically his enemies want him out and are willing to do anything in their power to dislodge him over some spurious technicality. I am bored with the nitpicking from those who are still stinging from electoral defeats. Time to move on.
On Sunday I was particularly interested to hear what Grant Shapps had to say about transport infrastructure. I saw him on Sophie Ridge's Show and with Andrew Marr and all they talked about in a most aggressive manner was Dominic Cummings. They refused to let him have any say on his own speciality. I found that disrespectful to him and to the viewers.
Once we get onto something worthwhile to discuss you can count me out.

[Manoverboard]

His wife’s brother lives in London.

Who is a single guy who's specialist subject is unlikey to be child minding ... the lad would prefer his Auntie

In these current circumstances a child doesn’t get a chance to express a preference. Are you seriously trying to suggest that someone at the highest level of government living in London wouldn’t have access to help at all levels?

In these circumstances the child has every right to be heard ... he's four years old for goodness sakes and one doesn't farm out four year olds like they were puppies ... at least not in our family they don't.

[Onelife]

I watched the Cummings interview yesterday and given the circumstances I would, in the main have taken the same action. Some of the arguments put forward by the Press are a smokescreen and irrelevant. Actually I think the way the media have behaved over the past few days, if not before, has been pretty disgraceful. As far as I am concerned I see people all around me who are breaking the lockdown in its purest sense but they have adapted the rules on personal circumstances just as Cummings did. However it must be borne in mind that Cummings has a higher responsibility than the rest of us mortals. To that extent it also brings privileges but he is also human with a young child to consider. What we have heard so far is that he undertook a journey north for the well being of his child. Am I going to throw my toys out of the pram because I may not agree with what he did because listening to some of the claptrap on the radio and in the media that is what they are suggesting? Would I be attending loved ones funerals or visiting sick relatives because of what Cummings did? Of course not because I don't want the virus and I don't want to pass it on. Common sense seems to be lacking in great measure. Surprisingly I wasn't aware until recently of the activities of Messrs Tahir Ali, Stephen Kinnock and Vaughan Gething so I presume those who were breaking the lockdown did so with the approval of the silent media.
In short I am bored with all the petty nitpicking over this situation and it's time to move on. In truth Cummings has many enemies largely because he was instrumental in the Brexit vote so the Remainers and the pro Remain Metropolitan Press won't like him; he orchestrated Boris' campaign to become leader and then go on to a resounding electoral victory so the left/liberals won't like him and he seems to be pretty ruthless as far as government ministers and civil servants are concerned so they have axes to grind. Basically his enemies want him out and are willing to do anything in their power to dislodge him over some spurious technicality. I am bored with the nitpicking from those who are still stinging from electoral defeats. Time to move on.
On Sunday I was particularly interested to hear what Grant Shapps had to say about transport infrastructure. I saw him on Sophie Ridge's Show and with Andrew Marr and all they talked about in a most aggressive manner was Dominic Cummings. They refused to let him have any say on his own speciality. I found that disrespectful to him and to the viewers.
Once we get onto something worthwhile to discuss you can count me out.

In a nutshell

Deffo best post of the month

[Manoverboard]

We are going over trodden ground so I will also refrain from posting on this Topic until something new comes along.

.

[barney]

Another beautiful day down here.
I’ve just come back from a stroll along the beach and although busy, everyone seems to be using common sense and distancing.

My brother is coming for a bbq later so I’m going to start my marinades.
Live is good, isn’t it

[Stephen]

Another beautiful day down here.
I’ve just come back from a stroll along the beach and although busy, everyone seems to be using common sense and distancing.

My brother is coming for a bbq later so I’m going to start my marinades.
Live is good, isn’t it

I would come down barney but you know what the media are like

[barney]

Another beautiful day down here.
I’ve just come back from a stroll along the beach and although busy, everyone seems to be using common sense and distancing.

My brother is coming for a bbq later so I’m going to start my marinades.
Live is good, isn’t it

Everyone is very welcome Stephen.
Just a bit of notice to get more wine chilled

Chicken thighs, fillet of pork kebabs plus numerous veggie bits for Mrs B.

It will be a three hour eating fest which should keep me going until supper.
It’s like being on a cruise but without the bad entertainment

I would come down barney but you know what the media are like

[Kendhni]

Another beautiful day down here.
I’ve just come back from a stroll along the beach and although busy, everyone seems to be using common sense and distancing.

My brother is coming for a bbq later so I’m going to start my marinades.
Live is good, isn’t it

I trust that he will just be checking that his eyes are working OK.

[Gill W]

So they wished to remain as a family unit, which they could have done in London, isolating at their home.

If they had stayed in London and had both been poorly / hospitalised there wouldn't have been anybody to look after their little boy. There were however rellies in Durham who could take care of him .... obvious if one's name is Cummings.

According to Mary Wakefield's account, she wasn't that poorly. She said she looked after Cedd. (that's how she referred to the boy).

I can't believe for one moment that the rich and powerful Cummings/Wakefields do not have a support network in London that would help them. They are bound to have a nanny for when they are both working, and this unmarried brother could surely have stepped in for a few hours if needed, Being an unmarried man doesn't make him totally incapable. They could have got any help they wanted - they have the financial means to pay for it
if they really had no one. If all else failed, they'd have to do what all other parents would have had to do if they had no one else - they'd have had to contact social services. Nobody would want to have to do that, but some people don't have the choice. If its good enough for them, then it should be good enough for him. But it would never have happened like that, because, as I said he will have a support network and money. Going off to Durham was something they wanted to do, not needed to do.

[Stephen]

Another beautiful day down here.
I’ve just come back from a stroll along the beach and although busy, everyone seems to be using common sense and distancing.

My brother is coming for a bbq later so I’m going to start my marinades.
Live is good, isn’t it

Everyone is very welcome Stephen.
Just a bit of notice to get more wine chilled

Chicken thighs, fillet of pork kebabs plus numerous veggie bits for Mrs B.

It will be a three hour eating fest which should keep me going until supper.
It’s like being on a cruise but without the bad entertainment

I would come down barney but you know what the media are like

If you want more realism I'll see what I can do. ......Just getting the spoons out for a bit of practice.

[Gill W]

Au contraire ... the baying Mob were, and still are, an utter disgrace. Mass picketing was banned and so should mass harassment by the Press. Social Media Groups are also getting out of control.

The ' Cummingses ' wished to remain as a family unit in London but had to re-think that idea because of consideration for their four year old son. You seem to dismiss the importance of the child is this matter, why is that ?
.

So they wished to remain as a family unit, which they could have done in London, isolating at their home.

I’ve not dismissed the child at all - the poor kid is never going to live this down. However, he’s no more or less important than the children of anybody else - who’s parents observed the lockdown, sometimes in difficult or trying circumstances.

Apart that is, that Cummings is a far easier/ accessible/ high profile target than the hundred if not thousands who will have breached the rules....l did it on one occasion but they ain't been banging on my door and let's face it there are many on this forum who would argue l'm of a higher profile than that Cummings.

They came back on the 13th April from Durham - if they felt they were a target when they left on 27th March, I'm not really sure why they suddenly became less of a target by 13th April.

The scenes outside his house at the moment are dreadful and shouldn't be happening at all. But unfortunately these scenes are happening as a result of him flouting lockdown instructions

[Gill W]

25 miles to a local beauty spot.

Have you ever been to Barnard Castle ?
I've been dozens of times
I would'n't describe it as a beauty spot.
The main attraction for me is the Bowes Museum which as far as I am aware he did not visit

Unfortunately I haven't. I was actually due to visit the area this week. I was going to Beamish, Alnwick and Durham. This trip was obviously cancelled, but perhaps it could have gone ahead anyway, as we now know its fine to travel from the south east to the north east !!

I looked at pictures of Barnard Castle and thought it looked pleasant, but it doesn't really matter if it's a beauty spot or a rubbish tip, or anything in between. We were told not to drive to our place of 'exercise''. I know he was actually testing his eyes, and the lockdown guidelines didn't cover that point - but other laws are available to cover driving when vision is impaired

[Gill W]

how appropriate

https://metro.co.uk/2020/05/26/barnard- ... -12757215/

[Kendhni]

Everyone is very welcome Stephen.
Just a bit of notice to get more wine chilled

Chicken thighs, fillet of pork kebabs plus numerous veggie bits for Mrs B.

It will be a three hour eating fest which should keep me going until supper.
It’s like being on a cruise but without the bad entertainment

I would come down barney but you know what the media are like

If you want more realism I'll see what I can do. ......Just getting the spoons out for a bit of practice.

Would you be offended if I accompanied you on the washboard?

[Stephen]

If you want more realism I'll see what I can do. ......Just getting the spoons out for a bit of practice.

Would you be offended if I accompanied you on the washboard?

Not at all Ken, although we'll have to come to an agreement on our fees.

[Gill W]

The more you think about Cummings' story, the more it falls apart.

If they had gone up to Durham for childcare, why didn't their family take the boy to hospital when he was ill, instead of the wife taking him when she had COVID19.?

According to the wife's account this happened while Cummings was prostrate for 10 days with COVID 19, so how did he manage to drive to the hospital to pick them up? Why didn't a family member go to the hospital to pick them up?

[Manoverboard]

25 miles to a local beauty spot.

Have you ever been to Barnard Castle ?
I've been dozens of times
I would'n't describe it as a beauty spot.
The main attraction for me is the Bowes Museum which as far as I am aware he did not visit

Unfortunately I haven't. I was actually due to visit the area this week. I was going to Beamish, Alnwick and Durham. This trip was obviously cancelled ....

The route from Durham is nothing special but the Bishop's Palace in Bishop Auckland is worth a visit as are Beamish, Alnwick and Durham of course. Barnard Castle for me is nothing special but the exit route to the North West is a lovely journey. There are Hotels at Romalkirk and Greta Bridge that are worth an overnight stay, we have stayed three nights in both of them. I agree about Bowes Museum.

ps .... I would wish to draw your attention to my post #3709 regarding the Cummings saga.
.

[Mervyn and Trish]

I'm putting my head briefly over the parapet and then diving for cover again.

To be clear I do not like Dominic Cummings, but then I know nothing of him other than the media have portrayed. My impression is he is an arrogant, unelected, unpleasant bully. At the start of this I would have been happy to see him sacked. However I have listened to what he has to say. His story is mainly coherent, albeit it has holes in it. About as many holes as the original deceitful media reports. In going to Durham I believe he made a decision as a parent, not as a government employee. It was a spur of the moment decision which he believed was right for his family at the time. He may or not have been right. I don't get the Barnard Castle trip which seems to me to be misguided. However it is now clear the only danger he created was to his and his boss's job. No-one has become ill or died as a result of his decisions.

The media had the chance of a press conference with him which only ended when they ran out of questions. They then decided to ask the same questions again when Boris fronted the Covid update, instead of asking more valuable and relevant questions about the announcement of a timetable to re-open shops in three weeks time. In the bigger picture which is more significant to most people?

I remember another arrogant, unelected, unpleasant bully. He was called Alistair Campbell. He did not make a spur of the minute family decision. He made a calculated, considered decision to present his boss with his infamous dodgy dossier. As a result this country went into a war as a result of which thousands of innocent people died and from which we are still bearing the fallout today. Have the leftie lovies calling for Cumming blood forgotten him?

It is time to move on.

[towny44]

So far in the daily press briefings Matt Hancock has been one of the weaker front line govt ministers.
But tonight his brilliant put down of Robert Peston promoted him onto the coat tails of Rishi Sunak.
If you can find a clip somewhere do check it out.

[Gill W]

It was an awkward question (and quite succinct from Preston) and Hancock was a bit rattled. That’s what I saw anyway.