Will Cummings go?

[Baker lite]

P127893T Ark Royal & Lowestoft. (Sea)
Raleigh & Mercury (Training)
Warrior (3 months waiting for Lowestoft to finish refit)

Cor blimey! Is that a Ganges number?..
Watching sailor as a kid is what inspired Me to join, My old man was RAF, he wanted me to join the crabs, once I’d seen sailor there was only one choice for Me, absolutely loved my time in.

 

[Dick Swiveller]

I agree with this. I let my membership of the LibDems lapse 25 years ago because I felt uncomfortable canvassing for a position I didn't 100 percent agree with. Five years ago, at the height of the first swathe of Brexit mayhem, I rejoined - I still didn't agree with chunks of their policy but I did agree with their general approach to the issue that was eclipsing all others. Perhaps I will stay this time, possibly I won't. What is certain is that I will restrict my blind support for anything to the Albion.

Much as I disagree with Brexit, their decision to campaign on reversing the decision was political suicide. That is one of the reasons I can't vote for them - with that decision and the various Lib Dem interferences with the Albion, they really don;t know what the word Democrat means. But there must be loads of people who thought it was a stupid idea but tried sticking up for it anyway. I really don't get it. They are the party that should probably get my vote but keep doing stupid things.

 

[SeagullinExile]

Political point scoring ,your MP must be bored to tears
Regards
DF

Me? Nah. Like alot of folks, things like this don't usually wind me up. This however, has.

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

Me? Nah. Like alot of folks, things like this don't usually wind me up. This however, has.

Although I can understand your frustration have a look around at people blatantly ignoring social distancing on a far greater scale and put it into perspective , stay alert !
Regards
DF

 

[SeagullinExile]

Although I can understand your frustration have a look around at people blatantly ignoring social distancing on a far greater scale and put it into perspective , stay alert !
Regards
D%

I totally agree. But this sutuation hasn't helped really has it.

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

My Tory MP has sent me a very balanced and sympathetic reply, much to my surprise.

Many thanks for your email.

I know people are very disappointed by the actions of Mr Cummings as while he has not broken the letter of the law, they feel he has done untold damage to the spirit of the law. I have been working this weekend as a nurse in the NHS so I have not seen or heard much of the media around this and I did not watch the press briefing last night but I do know the many sacrifices people have made to try and fight this disease, from not seeing loved ones in weeks to financially suffering because of the inability to work due to lockdown.

I would say two things to you. Firstly be reassured that I have fed the anger about the whole situation to the PMs team as it is not just what Mr Cummings did that has been so difficult for everyone to deal with but also the manner in the which it has been handled.

Secondly while the temptation is for everyone now to break lockdown, lockdown is actually there for you and your family’s protection. The strict socially distancing measures are working and we are now seeing the lowest levels of infections and deaths for nearly eight weeks. This does not mean the virus has gone and the only way to protect yourself and your family is to still follow these rules, set by the leading medics in the country. We have no cure yet for this virus and you have done the right things by following the scientific guidelines which have been proven in other countries to work too. Having looked after many patients with the virus during this crisis, lockdown rules also protect those of us in the NHS and social care who are putting our lives on the line trying to save as many people as possible.

I understand your anger and your frustration . Having looked after dying patients whose families could not be with them at the end, there are experiences in the last eight weeks that I never want to witness again but don’t let your anger or frustration over events of the last 48 hours put you or your loved ones at any further risk.

Please be reassured that I will be crystal clear with the powers that be about the anger and frustration from constituents over what has happened.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.

Best Wishes,

Maria

Maria Caulfield MP

Stirring the cauldron
Regards
DF

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

I totally agree. But this sutuation hasn't helped really has it.

Not for certain people, me ?well life goes on, just waiting for the next political scandal
Regards
DF

 

[daveinplzen]

Not for certain people, me ?well life goes on, just waiting for the next political scandal
Regards
DF

Doubt you will need to wait long with this shower of shit in power. Getting what you voted for.

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

Doubt you will need to wait long with this shower of shit in power. Getting what you voted for.

Have you heard me complaing ,I dont do bed wetting
Regards
DF

 

[GT49er]

Nor me. First letter ever to an MP. I don’t expect a fanfare, but some form of acknowledgement would be a courtesy.

No response from my MP yet either. Maybe drowning in e-mails, or perhaps waiting for Boris' response to this afternoon's grilling (hoping it will be a grilling!)

 

[Si Gull]

Why does the Prime Minister continue to defend Cummings on the basis that what he did was legal? Even if you accept his preposterous excuse for driving to Durham his subsequent trip to Barnard Castle clearly contravened the law as written in The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020. Why isn't this being challenged more forcibly?

 

[Acker79]

I also ask who hasn't technically broken some of the lock down rules? No one done more than one exercise a day when the restriction was one?

Nope, only one exercise a day, six days a week, with a day off each week.

No one made a trip to click and collect something that wasn't essential?

Nope.

No one collected from a takeaway five miles away just because it's nicer than the one down the road?

Nope.

And I don't think I am being particularly heroic, or pure or better than other people. I suspect many other people will answer no to all of those (especially if it is restricted to before the architect of the rules just ignored them without apologising)

We really shouldn't be giving this one man's actions the attention when the other issues effecting us are massive by comparison.

But it's not just this one man's actions. It's his wife's. It's the prime ministers, it's the members' of the cabinet. It's some of the Tory MPs. It has long gone beyond being about what he did, and is more about how he and the government have responded to this one man's actions - actions that fly in the face of the rules he had a major part in designing and putting in place.

I think the distinction that a LOT of people are missing is that Cummins is not a leader. He is not elected. Those we chose to be elected have decided his advice is good for the country. That is it. In the same way a footballer who broke lockdown (and there have been plenty of them!) are not sacked, there is no reason for him to be judged worse. And he has behaved far better and far more admirably than a lot of those.

No one is missing that.

If he was a leader, we'd be able to hold him account and vote him out at the next election. This isn't just some random low level advisor. This is the man believed by many to be be doing the majority of the work that should be done by the Prime Minister. He has more power than you seem to acknowledge.

Footballers did not design the rules, they have not got the authority that comes with the government putting the rules in place. A footballer's job is to train and play football. Their breaking lockdown does not undermine their ability to do that. They are not undermining the rules they themselves put in place by ignoring them.

People don't look at footballers breaking lockdown and think 'well if it's ok for them'. Footballers put out apologies, and face repercussions. Their employers hold them to account. None of this is happening with Dominic Cummings.

Footballers -
gone for a hair cut locally
trained with fellow footballers in a park locally
went to a party locally, (possibly) tried to drive him and collided with parked cars. Left details for insurance purposes and went home

Cummings
Went to work when wife showed covid symptons rather than self-isolating in line with the rules (noting his work involved meeting with key people in the middle of a pandemic)
Shut his 4 year old son in a car with himself and his wife when both showing symptoms of covid and travelled 260 miles.
Put his four year old in a car and went for a 30 mile drive when he wasn't sure if it was safe for him to drive (taking him at his word, of course)

Grealish appears to be the worst behaved of footballers. Is crashing into empty parked cars worse than putting your child at risk of covid-19 by shutting him a car with someone who was showing symptoms, then shutting in a car and going for 30 mile drive when you are potentially unfit to do so? The difference seems to be minimal - both drove when they shouldn't, risked crashing, one was unable to avoid those risks, the other got lucky.

It is preposterous to say he has "behaved better and far more admirably" than footballers. At best it's 'arguable' and only if you include the (alleged) intoxicated driving of one player.

 

[daveinplzen]

Have you heard me complaing ,I dont do bed wetting
Regards
DF

Thats because you're what makes the bed wet.

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

The PM is at the Commons' Liaison Committee this afternoon. this will be interesting as

a) he's avoided appearing hitherto - implying that he doesn't fancy it;

b) this fomat should be much more forensic than either PMQs or the press briefings

A big test too for its chairman, Brexit fanboy Bernard Jenkin. He needs to cut Johnson's blustering replies and general evasiveness.

 

[Lincoln Imp]

Much as I disagree with Brexit, their decision to campaign on reversing the decision was political suicide. That is one of the reasons I can't vote for them - with that decision and the various Lib Dem interferences with the Albion, they really don;t know what the word Democrat means. But there must be loads of people who thought it was a stupid idea but tried sticking up for it anyway. I really don't get it. They are the party that should probably get my vote but keep doing stupid things.

I agree with what you say about simply revoking the decision, and have criticised it on here. I disagree with you about allowing the sometimes-dreadful behaviour of a group of local LibDems influence ones voting habits for all time.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

Why does the Prime Minister continue to defend Cummings on the basis that what he did was legal? Even if you accept his preposterous excuse for driving to Durham his subsequent trip to Barnard Castle clearly contravened the law as written in The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020. Why isn't this being challenged more forcibly?

There is just so much to challenge on this whole matter that it's difficult to get a coherent line of questioning, other than. "This is obviously all a pile of shit. Why haven't you sacked him".

Th government's line is that they have answered all the questions and that's it. Like it or lump it, they are moving on.
It's the only strategy they can adopt, once they've decided Cummings is safe.

It's a high risk strategy. If public opinion isn't ready to move on, it will intensify the issue.

 

[Jimmy Grimble]

Has Chris Whitty given his opinion yet? Or is he being hidden away?

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

Has Chris Whitty given his opinion yet? Or is he being hidden away?

The latter I believe. Apparently he was spotted in the vicinity of No 10 on the day Johnson gave his dreadful Cummings defence, but Whitty didn't appear at the podium. Suspicious?

 

[Deportivo Seagull]

Have you heard me complaing ,I dont do bed wetting
Regards
DF

A nappy?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[GT49er]

Nope, only one exercise a day, six days a week, with a day off each week.



Nope.



Nope.

And I don't think I am being particularly heroic, or pure or better than other people. I suspect many other people will answer no to all of those (especially if it is restricted to before the architect of the rules just ignored them without apologising)



But it's not just this one man's actions. It's his wife's. It's the prime ministers, it's the members' of the cabinet. It's some of the Tory MPs. It has long gone beyond being about what he did, and is more about how he and the government have responded to this one man's actions - actions that fly in the face of the rules he had a major part in designing and putting in place.



No one is missing that.

If he was a leader, we'd be able to hold him account and vote him out at the next election. This isn't just some random low level advisor. This is the man believed by many to be be doing the majority of the work that should be done by the Prime Minister. He has more power than you seem to acknowledge.

Footballers did not design the rules, they have not got the authority that comes with the government putting the rules in place. A footballer's job is to train and play football. Their breaking lockdown does not undermine their ability to do that. They are not undermining the rules they themselves put in place by ignoring them.

People don't look at footballers breaking lockdown and think 'well if it's ok for them'. Footballers put out apologies, and face repercussions. Their employers hold them to account. None of this is happening with Dominic Cummings.

Footballers -
gone for a hair cut locally
trained with fellow footballers in a park locally
went to a party locally, (possibly) tried to drive him and collided with parked cars. Left details for insurance purposes and went home

Cummings
Went to work when wife showed covid symptons rather than self-isolating in line with the rules (noting his work involved meeting with key people in the middle of a pandemic)
Shut his 4 year old son in a car with himself and his wife when both showing symptoms of covid and travelled 260 miles.
Put his four year old in a car and went for a 30 mile drive when he wasn't sure if it was safe for him to drive (taking him at his word, of course)

Grealish appears to be the worst behaved of footballers. Is crashing into empty parked cars worse than putting your child at risk of covid-19 by shutting him a car with someone who was showing symptoms, then shutting in a car and going for 30 mile drive when you are potentially unfit to do so? The difference seems to be minimal - both drove when they shouldn't, risked crashing, one was unable to avoid those risks, the other got lucky.

It is preposterous to say he has "behaved better and far more admirably" than footballers. At best it's 'arguable' and only if you include the (alleged) intoxicated driving of one player.

Well said. With a user name like that, his head must be able to get a long way down in the sand!