Been a while since I watched a daily presser, but this one is great. Watching Shapps flapping trying talk his way round the obvious conflict between Cummings doing one thing while the lockdown rules say the other is quite something. You can only imagine what must be going on behind the scenes right now. All these ministers will be seething that they're having to take flak from the media and made to look like idiots to defend Cummings' indefensible actions. They're not going to put up with it for much longer. I'm with TJ, he'll be gone by next week. This sort of storm is not going to blow itself out, and the longer it goes on the more it will damage Johnson.
Anyone watching todays government carcrash update? Grant Shapps must be gutted he draw the short straw today. Shame. 😁
Edit - oh Daz is. Shapps looks thrilled that someone just asked a question not about Cummings.
I’m genuinely shocked that Boris didn’t do the prezzer today. With him being his aide I thought he would have been keen to defend him publicly.
What a crock of shit that all was. The answer seems to be “Dominic Cummings can do whatever the hell he likes”
On a positive note, next time you break your bike, Grant Shapps Will pop round and fix it for you
So in order to back Cummings, Shapps, on behalf of the government, has basically just undermined the credibility of the lockdown message for the entire nation. A level of interpretation is now implied and you can’t see how people will abide by the rules to the same extent now.
The government is now essentially risking lives to save Cummings ass. Just disgraceful.
So in order to back Cummings, Shapps, on behalf of the government, has basically just undermined the credibility of the lockdown message for the entire nation. A level of interpretation is now implied and you can’t see how people will abide by the rules to the same extent now.
The government is now essentially risking lives to save Cummings ass. Just disgraceful.
but thats been implicit, (and probably by design) since they haven't sacked him
Pretty unimpressive.
He'll be gone as this story will never die. As loads of other people will have a story similar to mine
I wrestled for weeks whether to go and see my Dad and finally broke lockdown to see him, two days before he died. In the previous weeks he wasn't talkative as he'd mentally checked out so I had loads of wasted oppertunities to go and see him. Then he was buried with 10 people in attendance
**** Dominic Cummings
The response from my MP:
Dear fadda
Mr Cummings' journey was within the rules. The Labour Health Ministers' decision to sit in a park eating chips was not.
I am puzzled as to why nobody who has complained to be about Mr Cummings has felt the same way about Mr Gething.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/11608940/labour-mp-breaks-lockdown-rules-chips-picnic/
Seems like a reasoned response, entirely professional, as befits my representative, and this has made me think much more highly of him...
Shapps when asked whether Dom had been spoken to by the police "Mr Cummings statements says he wasn't", so the police are notbeing correct? Well Mr Cummings says.....
On "spoken to by police" Cummings states "No one was spoken to" Police say " made contact with"
Email? Post? Telephone?
I'm on leave for the coming week, I'd love to go and visit my mum, she's barely left her home in the last ~9 weeks for food... Nevermind anything else.
We both think we had very similar mild symptoms in mid to late March and both still have good and bad days now. Ironically, my mum dropped my sister back to Wirral from her home in Prestatyn (bought at the end of last summer) the day before lockdown began and my sis hasn't been able to work since because of post-op issues, on balance it would have done them both some good to have spent lockdown together. But my sis had obeyed the rules and not gone over the border, even for a day.
But this plonker can drive to Durham and Gove/Raab/Hancock defend his actions, at the cost of making the public at large metaphorically saying sod this lockdown for a game of soldiers? Alrighty then, wibble wobble, I'm a rusty paperclip!
This is a new low. It can't be sold as within the rules. That's like denying the existence of water while drowning. A government bereft of morals, they're Trumpian.
He even has the time to add a Brexit-related retort, to remind everyone what a prick he is.
Just written to Gove, my MP unfortunately, and asked him if, given the current government reponse, he is happy if we all follow Cummings wonderful example.
I eagerly await his bullshit response.
He even has the time to add a Brexit-related retort, to remind everyone what a prick he is.
He is superhuman, though.
I mean 260-odd miles whilst being too ill to look after his kid.
I'm imagining the scene as they finally pulled up at his parents house a house near to his parents.
Like the last bit of Memphis Belle. One engine left, shot to bits, but heroically just getting there...
What a guy.
What a ****.
Just reading through the BBC live commentary and had to stop because it was making my blood boil.
My MP is that utter, utter cock rees-mogg, I wonder what response he would give if I email him?
What a crock of shit that all was. The answer seems to be “Dominic Cummings can do whatever the hell he likes”
Yep, watching that has made me incredibly angry. The vast majority of us have made massive sacrifices following the rules that Cummings and co have told us to follow. Personally I've had to be alone at Easter, miss my nephew's 7th birthday where he was given a new bike that I helped buy him, not seen my parents since lockdown started despite them both being ill and most likely not here for much longer (fully understand your decision mehr, I've been close to doing the same a few times), missed a mate's 40th birthday when he was back in the country for 5 days (he's in the MOD) and limited my riding to local only and no driving to do so. Why should I have bothered doing that if the very person who makes the rules can go swanning up and down the country while he is infected without punishment? If I was to jump in the car now, drive to see my parents then come home I would be rightfully fined and told to go home if I was stopped.
If my path crosses with Cummings or Boris at any time in the future I will quite happily take one for the team and demand an apology out of them, by whatever means I can muster. They are both complete and utter ****s.
Interesting to watch this whole circus; his apologists know he was wrong, know he and his wife lied.
They have no sense of shame, no honour.
It's like watching people sell their souls.
If my path crosses with Cummings or Boris at any time in the future I will quite happily take one for the team and demand an apology out of them, by whatever means I can muster. They are both complete and utter ****.
Milkshake works well.
So I hear...
It’s like watching people sell their souls.
Like watching, because you would have to have a soul in order to sell it.
When you look at how they're all falling over themselves to back him, you do have to wonder exactly what kind of dirt he has on them all?
I reckon he could bring down the government in a heartbeat if he started blabbing, and they all know it.
I'm particularly enjoying his Brexit comment too - what a classy soul. He thinks he is untouchable. Although Boris has given him 'full backing' which doesn't always bode well 🙂
And to think I was genuinely conflicted about exercising for longer than an hour!
Line them up against a wall, shoot the lot of them.
We could kickstart the economy by selling tickets as pay per view event. I'll chuck in £50 to see it, I'll pay £5k to participate.
Anyone else?
Wouldn't really surprise me if they'll start spinning this out in the direction of fast tracking a reopen of everything and let's see what happens.
All of a sudden you'll see a massive increase in people flouting lock down completely and Bojo and the **** wit party will announce that due to the increase in numbers doing what they want they'll just lift all restrictions and see what happens. Not like they really give much of a shit what happens to people when the economy is starting to suffer.
Did make me laugh though shen I saw that video of Dominic cum face shouting at reporters to social distance..... That might actually be the height of c***yness
Is that the clip where he was carrying a few “look how good a father I am” props?
Still a smart cookie. He’ll get away with this in the end, I’m pretty sure.
And to think I was genuinely conflicted about exercising for longer than an hour!
I think that's what we're all thinking variations on this, right now.
Like most people I've not seen my parents for nearly two months. Mrs Binners mum is in the hospital with a fractured hip after a fall last week. Neither she or her dad can go and visit her which is causing a lot of upset for everyone
And Dominic Cummings thinks he can do what he likes, can he?
Apparently so.
What makes me feel particularly murderous towards him is the arrogant manner in which he dismisses it, as if nobody should dare have the audacity to question anything he does.
Line them up against a wall, shoot the lot of them. We could kickstart the economy by selling tickets as pay per view event. I’ll chuck in £50 to see it, I’ll pay £5k to participate.
Anyone else?
Right now, I'd quite happily go full Tarantino on him with a blowtorch and a pair of pliers
The Labour Health Ministers’ decision to sit in a park eating chips was not
Jesus wept.
The state of this.
My kids haven’t seen any grandparents this year. Zoom and FaceTime only. We’re only the “little people” though. Different rules for some. Still… Cummings will have people ranting about the “elites”, and using that when getting us falling in behind the common folk like Johnson and Mogg before you know it…
And now I really want chip shop chips again…
I don’t have anything to add to what’s already been said, but this has made me more angry than all the other cock ups from this government. I’m speechless
WWSTW do - Cummings in an elevator
Cummings went to Durham school, from their website;
Our unofficial motto at Durham School is ‘Confidence for Life’. We believe this confidence grows from having a clear set of guiding principles: - Moral Integrity, Ambition, Respect and Kindness.
I think he missed that lesson...
The reason they can't lose Cummings is twofold
Johnson is a walking policy vacuum, he's barely coping with a weekly PMQs session , without Cummings to the his shoes he'd be stuffed.
the other problem is that the minute Cummings goes, the next question Johnson is asked is when he knew & why he didn't sack him sooner & Johnson has no plausible excuse, Starmer will mail him on it.
The cabinet & the rest of his MPs all know this, Johnson & Cummings were ill for 2 weeks & the government were paralysed with indecision
It wouldn't bring down the government or even Johnson immediately, but it would be a serious blow
With brexit talk collapse.just weeks away & attempts to reopen country already looking desperately behind schedule
WWSTW do – Cummings in an elevator
A tad messy but ultimately fair. Personally a 9mm to the back of the head - I’d not waste that much energy.
Looking at the mood on here, beginning to think that this is one of of those occasions where the government has totally misread the public’s strength of opinion.
Suspect it will linger, even if Dom doesn’t go.
Won’t play well in the marginals where the ‘them and us’ perception of the Tories was briefly overlooked in December.
Maybe a bit of an Iraq moment for the Tories...
Linked to my post above...
Also find it amusing to think of the situation where Dom’s mega-pollsters and analysts have to report back to him that the appalling opinion polls in marginals and key demographics are a result of the person instigating those very polls 😉
The spectator has gone in hard Spectator
That's actually quite a well articulated piece.
And the Spectator... Wow.
Looking at the mood on here, beginning to think that this is one of of those occasions where the government has totally misread the public’s strength of opinion.
Out of curiosity, I read the comments in The Sun earlier (who initially pushed the story out of sight). It was not going down well even there. People are furious and rightly so.
mehr - thanks for link to Spectator article - that is quite something!
@mehr Which is interesting, as Cummings’ wife is the commissioning editor.
The suspicion remains that somewhere, deep in their hearts, the cabinet’s collective reaction to this scandal – for such it is – is predicated on a still darker appreciation of an unwelcome political reality. Namely that the Prime Minister, whatever his other talents, is not actually up to the job of running the country in a moment such as this. I suspect they know this too and this leads them to a situation in which they decline to concede anything for fear that a single concession might topple the entire rickety edifice.
😮
The reason they can’t lose Cummings is twofoldJohnson is a walking policy vacuum, he’s barely coping with a weekly PMQs session , without Cummings to the his shoes he’d be stuffed.
This. Asking Boris to sack DC is like asking Emu to sack Rod Hull.
It might linger on a bit, there'll be some distraction politics but in many respects this might just work out OK for the Government. Asking things about death rates in care homes, lack of PPE for NHS staff, why lockdown was late in coming and any of the other numerous ways the Government have ****ed this up right from the start has now been replaced by
"will you ask DC to resign?" (No)
"will DC be fired?" (No)
and similar questions. It's bought them soem breathing space from the rest of the lorry crash that's summed up everything so far by pointing out the car crash happening a junction up the motorway.
My MP is that utter, utter cock rees-mogg, I wonder what response he would give if I email him?
Posted 1 hour ago
From the look of him, auto reply telling you to send any correspondence on parchment, written by quill, sealed with wax and delivered by your valet. Nanny will read it to him during bath time.
The next PMQs are certainly going to be interesting.
Suspect it will linger, even if Dom doesn’t go.
I hope he doesn't. He's become the symbol of everything that's wrong with this arrogant and incompetent government. The longer he's around the more they'll be damanged. It's a simple equation that he's not immune to though, and he'll be gone the moment the balance tips from being an asset to a liability.
