When will this shit end?

[funkychick2007]

So many things made me angry this weekend!! Excuses from politicians, Using safeguarding as an excuse to do what you want! They do not have a clue about safeguarding and what it means, people visiting the farm, hospitals closed, People putting others in danger! The minority thinking they can do what like! if I start ranting I don’t think I will stop!!! 😡🤬😱

[Brownie30]

Well I've received a catch-all reply from my Tory MP,  clearly trying to please everyone by saying that Cummings is welcome to interpret the rules, didn't break guidelines, yet he himself wouldn't have made the decisions Cummings would have made. No comments at all about resignation or sacking: 

Good evening

 

Thank you for your email.

 

Over the bank holiday weekend I have given considerable thought to the story involving Dominic Cummings that has been dominating the news.  I have also received an enormous number of emails from constituents with some absolutely heart breaking. 

 

I deliberately waited to write my thoughts on this until I had heard Mr Cummings speak directly on Monday, then slept on it.  The following, I am afraid rather long piece, sets out where I stand on this issue.

 

I totally understand the level of frustration and anger being felt right now.  From first principles, there simply cannot be one rule for some and another rule for others. 

 

Like the vast majority of people in our country, I have been at home since 19th March. My wife and I, along with our baby and three year old son, self isolated for 14 days from that point after my wife developed a mild cough, which I caught a couple of days later.  Personally I continued to isolate for a further week still, until all signs of that cough had gone.  Since then I have continued to work from home, save a few days where I have volunteered in the constituency, such as collecting donations for local food banks, doing the weekly family shop and permitted exercise (I say exercise, more like very gentle wander at toddler pace).  I have also been unable to see my father, who in his 70s has had to undergo an urgent medical procedure in the past week.  I know there are thousands of similar stories across the Buckingham constituency and our country.  Many people making much greater, more painful and difficult sacrifices.

 

I accept we were lucky.  At no point did my wife or I feel unable to look after our children.  I also confess that we did not make a plan for a scenario whereby we both became too ill to look after our sons.  

 

I know I would do anything to protect my own children. I do not know Dominic Cummings personally, but I have no doubt that like any other parent, he made his decisions - rightly or wrongly - about the Durham trip in what he perceived to be the best interests of his child.  He must not be condemned for the specific act of making a decision based on the interests of his child.

 

Likewise I am horrified at reports of the level of harassment, over a prolonged period, that the Cummings family have had to suffer at their family home. I understand this pre-dates the Covid-19 crisis, particularly from those who take a very hard line anti-Brexit outlook.  No matter what stance individuals take on the Brexit issue, or any other political issue, that level of harassment can not be deemed acceptable in our democracy.  Whilst not the same as having my house mobbed, I have been in receipt of a politically motivated threat to abduct my children and can assure you that it is the most unpleasant, scary and unbelievably horrible experience to go through.  The sight of the media outside the Cummings’ home over the weekend, huddled together, excited for a scalp, breaking every social distancing rule, equally can not be excused.

 

Nevertheless, Mr Cummings said himself in his press conference that he accepts reasonable people may not agree with all his decisions.  I personally cannot reconcile in my mind how driving to a property other than their primary residence to self isolate was within the spirit of the guidelines and would like to see those guidelines formally clarified.  I am certain I would not have chosen this path myself.  This is a subjective viewpoint though, as the advice given by Dr Harries on 24th March around “exceptional circumstances” with relation to looking after children, does seem to mean the rules have not technically been broken.

 

I take particular issue with the concept of driving a car in order to test eyesight.

 

Other allegations, such as a second trip from London to the north east are heavily disputed by Mr Cummings. I will maintain the age old British value of believing someone to be innocent until proven guilty on this particular point.

 

I have made the concerns I outlined above clearly known to the government on this.  I will also ensure everyone who has asked me to pass on their views will be individually replied to and sent on to government.

 

I will continue to do all I can to support my constituents that need my help.  There is no doubt in my mind that what is most important right now is to beat this disease, get the economy moving and return to ‘normal’ life.

 

Yours sincerely,

[Ayrshire Chris]

5 minutes ago, funkychick2007 said:

So many things made me angry this weekend!! Excuses from politicians, Using safeguarding as an excuse to do what you want! They do not have a clue about safeguarding and what it means, people visiting the farm, hospitals closed, People putting others in danger! The minority thinking they can do what like! if I start ranting I don’t think I will stop!!! 😡🤬😱

There’s always sense and sanctuary on here! 

[Homer]

https://truepublica.org.uk/united-kingdom/dominic-cummings-a-cover-story-obscuring-something-far-darker/?fbclid=IwAR2GsVcqnHr2F8brVaNj89VQ9dSiqfuezfR-DBp_QVCa9zQKywGhnaTpMw4

[steviewevie]

Guardian podcast about how they and the mirror got the story.

https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2020/may/26/cummings-and-not-goings

[steviewevie]

[basicminds]

26 minutes ago, Homer said:

https://truepublica.org.uk/united-kingdom/dominic-cummings-a-cover-story-obscuring-something-far-darker/?fbclid=IwAR2GsVcqnHr2F8brVaNj89VQ9dSiqfuezfR-DBp_QVCa9zQKywGhnaTpMw4

Interesting article, another one on there saying big office of GlaxoSmithKline at Barnard Castle,  don't know what that would mean if that was the reason he was in the area but interesting thing to note.....if I am honest I am starting to doubt the eye sight story!

[Zoo Music Girl]

This story gets worse by the hour. Downing Street source called Douglas Ross "Mr Nobody". He was a minister in Johnson's government! And way to slag off all his constituents and Scotland.

Also seems like Hancock misspoke about those fines...

[Cream Soda]

7 hours ago, Toilet Duck said:

 Occam's razor suggests that the simplest explanation, i.e. they are random, is most likely to be true). 

 

5 hours ago, gizmoman said:

 "Occam's razor suggests that the simplest explanation  is most likely to be true", I agree and the simplest explanation for the emergence of this virus in Wuhan is an escape from the local lab. 

I guess that's the issue with Occam's razor in a situation with two uncommon events, you get to decide yourself which of those you think is most likely and therefore it only serves to confirm what you initially thought.  Hence both using the same tool and coming to two opposite conclusions.  The problem for me is I have no idea which of these two situations is the most likely to occur.  If the virus had originated in the middle of nowhere somewhere with only animals in the vicinity then obviously you would lean towards the natural theory.  Build a science lab a few feet away and that tips the balance of likelihood a bit more in that direction.  Or does it?  I don't have any idea really because I don't know how likely either event is.  Which is when I then turn to the experts but then there are conflicting views even between them so as a layman it is sometimes had to know what on earth to think about it all sometimes 😕

Edited May 26, 2020 by Cream Soda

[steviewevie]

[Crazyfool01]

Just now, steviewevie said:

toot for the tosser might be more effective !!

[steviewevie]

come for cummings.

[jparx]

4 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

come for cummings.

You just slayed me 😂

[Homer]

3 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

come for cummings.

Bit short notice now.

[Cream Soda]

That didn't take long 

 

[steviewevie]

Bit of Jonathan Pie for you.

 

[Toilet Duck]

14 minutes ago, Cream Soda said:

 

I guess that's the issue with Occam's razor in a situation with two uncommon events, you get to decide yourself which of those you think is most likely and therefore it only serves to confirm what you initially thought.  Hence both using the same tool and coming to two opposite conclusions.  The problem for me is I have no idea which of these two situations is the most likely to occur.  If the virus had originated in the middle of nowhere somewhere with only animals in the vicinity then obviously you would lean towards the natural theory.  Build a science lab a few feet away and that tips the balance of likelihood a bit more in that direction.  Or does it?  I don't have any idea really because I don't know how likely either event is.  Which is when I then turn to the experts but then there are conflicting views even between them so as a layman it is sometimes had to know what on earth to think about it all sometimes 😕

To be honest, both would be rare occurrences. At best estimates, there are over 300,000 viruses in animal reservoirs that we know very little about. But they don’t jump species all that often or we would be constantly getting infected with emerging pathogens. Similarly, there are thousands of virology labs studying various viruses and people aren’t constantly getting infected by them. When trying to judge if an expert is being honest, make sure their work is available for public scrutiny, is meticulously referenced and independent experts can verify their opinion by testing it for themselves. That’s pretty much how scientific consensus is formed.

[Ozanne]

23 minutes ago, Zoo Music Girl said:

This story gets worse by the hour. Downing Street source called Douglas Ross "Mr Nobody". He was a minister in Johnson's government! And way to slag off all his constituents and Scotland.

Also seems like Hancock misspoke about those fines...

Fuck me. They have a real nerve don't they. I wonder what the reaction from other Scottish Tories will be.

[Crazyfool01]

This is just not sitting right ... normally things orchestrated by Cummings are slick ... this is about as far from that as possible ... what I’m not sure about is why they are doing such extreme damage to themselves ... timing maybe ... 

[Homer]

Well, this is juicy. I'd suggest clicking it ASAP before it gets deleted!

https://twitter.com/TheTweetOfGod/status/1265347622660739072

[gizmoman]

1 minute ago, crazyfool1 said:

This is just not sitting right ... normally things orchestrated by Cummings are slick ... this is about as far from that as possible ... what I’m not sure about is why they are doing such extreme damage to themselves ... timing maybe ... 

There is something about this that doesn't smell right, Cummings isn't so stupid to think the public would swallow the "eye test" story so there must be something else behind all this, one possibility I suppose is that the "stay at home" message has so paralysed the public that they now don't want to go back to any form of normal life so they are trying to undermine that initial message to try to get people to return to work etc. I know it's far-fetched but why would the government self-destruct like this?

[Ozanne]

Or maybe they aren't as slick as we thought they were. Cummings made the wrong play with prorogation, it was too heavy handed for our political system and this defence seems too heavy handed too. Yes he had made some good moves in election campaigns but in the middle of a crises like this maybe he isn't as good. I could be wrong but getting a stinking majority has meant that he has overplayed his hand here thinking the British public would let him off when he's drastically miss-played it.

[Crazyfool01]

1 minute ago, gizmoman said:

There is something about this that doesn't smell right, Cummings isn't so stupid to think the public would swallow the "eye test" story so there must be something else behind all this, one possibility I suppose is that the "stay at home" message has so paralysed the public that they now don't want to go back to any form of normal life so they are trying to undermine that initial message to try to get people to return to work etc. I know it's far-fetched but why would the government self-destruct like this?

They are the party for business for starters   supposedly ... not really worrying about the huge numbers of deaths so far and happy to go for herd immunity for starters ... late locking down ... early opening up ... lack of blame and accountability now because we are making our own decisions ... I’m not usually one for conspiracy’s but somethings not right 

[Homer]

4 minutes ago, gizmoman said:

There is something about this that doesn't smell right, Cummings isn't so stupid to think the public would swallow the "eye test" story so there must be something else behind all this, one possibility I suppose is that the "stay at home" message has so paralysed the public that they now don't want to go back to any form of normal life so they are trying to undermine that initial message to try to get people to return to work etc. I know it's far-fetched but why would the government self-destruct like this?

It's all distraction tactics (Like in the US) to get us past the 30th June Brexit extension deadline that has been paid for and onto a hard Brexit. That's their main priority - they're going to be minted from the UK/US trade deal.

[jparx]

4 minutes ago, gizmoman said:

There is something about this that doesn't smell right, Cummings isn't so stupid to think the public would swallow the "eye test" story so there must be something else behind all this, one possibility I suppose is that the "stay at home" message has so paralysed the public that they now don't want to go back to any form of normal life so they are trying to undermine that initial message to try to get people to return to work etc. I know it's far-fetched but why would the government self-destruct like this?

Because they're not as smart as they think they are? Cummings has had a good run recently but his success is more down to being c**ty enough to stoop to dirty tricks, rather than genius level intelligence. I think he's just fucked up, and they've failed to grasp how much it's pissed off the public. He's tried all the usual tricks - blame the media, make it a Brexit/remain issue, gaslight the public, but it's not worked. He was bound to make a big error at some point, and this is it.