Coronavirus - political views - supporting or otherwise...

[Hacker Khan]

Sorry if this already been posted haven't read much today

May 25th 2020

Boris Johnson told today’s Downing Street press conference: ‘I’m finding that I have to wear spectacles for the first time in years – because I think of the likely effects of this thing – so I’m inclined to think there’s some … I think that’s very, very plausible that eyesight can be a problem associated with coronavirus.’ (defending Cummings and his eye sight drive claims)

October 20th 2014

Boris Johnson claimed yesterday that he suffers from extremely poor eyesight and can barely see anything around the house without his glasses on.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...ondon-mayor-admits-needing-glasses-house.html

He gets more like trump every day

Will be shouting fake news next

I fear that is where we are heading. The attacks on the media as diversion tactics when they unearth a story that is not favourable to them. The brazening out of something that in places stretches the limits of credibility to breaking point (didn't tell Boris he was doing this at the time when it was clear if it got out it would be a massive story, 4 year old kid manages to go for 260 miles without wanting a pee, the eyesight story) and arguably legally against it if the excuses we have heard is all he's got. He created a story based around all the times he was actually spotted, after his wife was writing articles about lockdown where she conveniently forgot to say anything about going to Durham.

All of which would have meant that in times past he would have had to go as it was the right and proper thing for a government to do, no matter what flavour they were. But now it doesn't seem that way, indeed the PM seems to be colluding with him with the BS glasses comments you noted. And UK politics will be all the poorer for this as you can guarantee that if he gets away with keeping his job then it has set a precedent for how much BS the public will take and how much they, and any other future governments on either side, will think they can get away with. So yes I agree it does get more like Trump politics every day and it seems like in this country if you do it with a posh accent it suddenly is OK. It might be worth some just looking around the world and seeing which countries are going down this path of popolularist leaders spouting crap to essentially support their own personal political position, and which ones seem to be acting with more integrity. Then perhaps correlate that with how they are dealing with the Covid crisis. And ask ourselves if we really want to go there.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Can you provide a reference to that please, as I'm not seeing it in the two relevant pieces of legislation I've looked up. Is there the possibility that we are looking at different bits of legislation, given our respective locations?

I seem to recall Dr Calderwood using the expression ' eg for children in abusive situations'.
She also mentioned that 'you should not examine the guidelines for loopholes', just accept them as a general instruction for all.
I obviously accept that advice may not have been heard in England and Wales although they did have a chance to because at that point all CMO's were singing from the same hymn book.

 

[rulefan]

Wasnt he taken I'll on the 28th of March?

I'll ????
I don't know who was I'll nor when but someone was probably ill.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

And much as I have admired Nicola Sturgeon's handling of things so far it seems a bit rich for her to claim that Boris has chosen "political interest ahead of public interest" by refusing to sack Cummings after she tried to avoid sacking her own adviser for breaking lock down rules.

She was sacked after admitting to a second unknown trip, so virtually sacked herself.
BTW She was not claiming to be infected with Covid 19 at the times of the visits.

 

[Wolf]

I'll ????
I don't know who was I'll nor when but someone was probably ill.

Really any need for the grammar police comments, everybody knows what SR meant, people that sit and point out errors like this need to stop being so petty.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

one thing i did notice was when some of the journalists were hard on him he wrote stuff down... not all of them just the ones he was flustered by.
put me in mind of Dads army sketch....

I like the idea of a black book hitlist but I also wonder if that is a technique to buy some time, compose himself whilst he works out his answer. I have seen people take off their glasses, clean them, put them back on in a similar fashion. It is quite effective at buying those extra few seconds without looking like your brain is whirring. Of course, your answer is far more fun so we will run with that

 

[Jimaroid]

All of which would have meant that in times past he would have had to go as it was the right and proper thing for a government to do, no matter what flavour they were.

Let's not forget this remains true in times current, as with Calderwood and Ferguson.

I'm not disagreeing by the way, I know you know my position on this, I still believe that resignation has become an all-too frequent and populist method to brush aside a moment of controversy at the greater expense of losing the skills and intelligence offered in those roles. Cummings also falls into the bracket, he is clearly good at his job whether we agree with it or not, and it is the double standard that many of us find more outrageous than the offence itself.

 

[rudebhoy]

Somewhere inside Number 10 is a whiteboard with the list of possible excuses for Barnard Castle which were rejected as being too ridiculous, in favour of the eye-test story.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

No, of course not. As discussed previously he said in the briefing they decided to take a short drive as his wife was concerned about his eye sight and he wanted to check he was well enough. If he felt at any time he wasnt fit enough then I assume (similar to your suggestion) his wife would take over.

There are only two possibilities, either he did what he said or they went out for a jolly in the country. Without any contrary proof I feel I should take his word for it.

The problem with this is that as much as I might wish to take his word for it - there is always going to be '...£350million for the NHS...'.

We know that Cummings is a wordsmith who aims to manipulate the views of the reader or listener into thinking what he and his employer wants them to think. That's just a bit of unhelpful historical fact.

 

[rulefan]

Somewhere inside Number 10 is a whiteboard with the list of possible excuses for Barnard Castle which were rejected as being too ridiculous, in favour of the eye-test story.

Mention of No 10 prompts me to ask, which is Boris's primary residence and which his second home? Downing Street or Chequers?

 

[AmandaJR]

I wish he'd go and then we can get back on with defeating this virus and focussing on the important stuff. His trip to Durham seems plausible but the Barnard Castle (sat by the river?), the stop on the way back from there (wife got out with son who needed a pee and then he got out and they "played a while") is all bs. I get he wanted to test his driving ability for the trip home so just drive an hour's loop without stop and assess from there. His wife may well not be a confident driver so he normally takes on the role on long trips. That's fine and if he proved not to be 100% fit then they could have stayed a couple more days for him to recuperate.

The man is clearly very arrogant and cannot find it in himself to apologise...reminds me of The Fonz

Get rid Boris and move on.

 

[rulefan]

I seem to recall Dr Calderwood using the expression ' eg for children in abusive situations'.
She also mentioned that 'you should not examine the guidelines for loopholes', just accept them as a general instruction for all.
I obviously accept that advice may not have been heard in England and Wales although they did have a chance to because at that point all CMO's were singing from the same hymn book.

Huffpost

"Deputy chief medical officer Dr Jenny Harries had said at a daily Downing Street press briefing on March 24 that a small child could be considered “vulnerable” and therefore provide exemptions from the stringent rules if their carers became ill.

Harries said: “Although we are encouraging everybody to stay in their own households…clearly if you have adults who are unable to look after a small child, that is an exceptional circumstance.”

For those who were listening intently – and Cummings seems to have been among those who were – a loosening of the restrictions was seemingly confirmed."

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Huffpost

"Deputy chief medical officer Dr Jenny Harries had said at a daily Downing Street press briefing on March 24 that a small child could be considered “vulnerable” and therefore provide exemptions from the stringent rules if their carers became ill.

Harries said: “Although we are encouraging everybody to stay in their own households…clearly if you have adults who are unable to look after a small child, that is an exceptional circumstance.”

For those who were listening intently – and Cummings seems to have been among those who were – a loosening of the restrictions was seemingly confirmed."

At the time Cummings was deciding what to do, this was not the case. He simply projected what might come about and acted according to what he felt was best for his family, despite everything we knew about how the illness generally doesn't badly affect younger, fitter people (like him and his wife) and children.

 

[rulefan]

At the time Cummings was deciding what to do, this was not the case.

Dr Jenny Harries had said at a daily Downing Street press briefing on March 24

Cummings developed symptoms over the weekend of March 28-29.
On Friday, a statement issued by Durham Constabulary suggested Cummings’ father had confirmed his son was self-isolating in the North East as of March 31.

 

[Blue in Munich]

The problem with this is that as much as I might wish to take his word for it - there is always going to be '...£350million for the NHS...'.

We know that Cummings is a wordsmith who aims to manipulate the views of the reader into thinking what he and his employer wants them to think. That's just a bit of unhelpful historical fact.

Got a picture of the bus with your text actually plastered down the side of it; that actual text saying the NHS was getting £350 million a week? The one I saw said we gove the EU £50 million a day, let’s fund the NHS instead. It didn’t say to what level.

 

[road2ruin]

Away from the present Cummings argument (and I do appreciate this includes a fair amount of 'whataboutery') this does (in my mind) raise serious questions for the Government in the future should a strict lockdown be required again. Should that happen then you will almost certainly find that a lot of people will use 'instinct' and 'fear for their family' as an excuse to travel around the country as why should they suffer through no childcare etc when there is somewhere else that they could travel to. The Government will struggle to enforce another lockdown, many people who followed the rules to the letter will not be so quick to do so again if other options exist.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

Dr Jenny Harries had said at a daily Downing Street press briefing on March 24

Cummings developed symptoms over the weekend of March 28-29.
On Friday, a statement issued by Durham Constabulary suggested Cummings’ father had confirmed his son was self-isolating in the North East as of March 31.

But as much as I see why he drove to Durham, this makes it worse because he admitted returning to No10 when he suspected his wife had Covid-19, therefore not following the 7 day isolation rule and then risking the Drive knowing his wife was ill and he was at risk.

He can’t play the rules both ways.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Somewhere inside Number 10 is a whiteboard with the list of possible excuses for Barnard Castle which were rejected as being too ridiculous, in favour of the eye-test story.

I would have gone with 'a funny noise coming from the car engine' one.

 

[drdel]

Dr Jenny Harries had said at a daily Downing Street press briefing on March 24

Cummings developed symptoms over the weekend of March 28-29.
On Friday, a statement issued by Durham Constabulary suggested Cummings’ father had confirmed his son was self-isolating in the North East as of March 31.

Yes but I fear your reasonable points are not being considered: the 'Lynchers' have decided; mitigating circumstances will be ignored.

You are right Durham cops did NOT call (see their latest brief). Cummings senior called and explained the situation that his son was using an entirely separate cottage on the farm. The farm is jointly owned by DC and his farther. The Police were not concerned with the isolation implications and did not lecture the family but discussed the security matters related to the threats DC and his family had experienced at their London property.

Many years ago my wife experienced severe problems at childbirth and with family living over 200 miles made the trip. I'm fully aware that Covid19 was not around then but at the time Governments advice of any type would not have prevented me making the journey and so I'm prepared to cut DC some slack.

Those who suggest that others will now feel free to do as they wish are surely forgetting the idea is to protect yourself by isolating as far as it is possible. If you want to catch the virus by " me to" actions on the basis of what someone else has done just shows their own fundamental stupidity and willingness to expose themselves.

 

[rudebhoy]

'Michael Gove told LBC he had driven to check his eyesight, but he was "not an authority of driving" as it had taken him seven times to pass his test.'

This is getting totally absurd!