So angry about this witch hunt

maddyone I'm amazed that you are not disgusted that the man who helped formulate the rules your doctor daughter and doctor son-in-law are abiding by, did not see fit to apply them to himself. The big issue here is do you think it is right for infected people to travel 260 miles to self isolate when we had been told we had to stay at home and isolate as a household unit as soon as the first person showed symptoms? The child care crisis we are being entertained with was an imagined one and not reality. The nieces who were to provide it if it became necessary could come to the infection rather than transfer the infection across country. Cummings could have no certainty that he would not suffer a vehicle breakdown or accident involving risk to other people. The fact that many others have broken lockdown does not in any way excuse the rule maker from doing the same. That the rules are now subject to wildly different interpretation to accommodate the Cummings story just exasperates people more. Do you think either of your family doctor members would approve of a 60 mile round trip to test whether ones impaired eyesight and health issues were up to the drive home, would they recommend that to any of their patients? Either Cummings and his family behaved irresponsibly or there are lies being given as reasons for this behaviour.

I think you're on diametrically opposite sides, Elegran

It's quite amazing seeing who supports the Rule of Law on here and who doesn't.

Grandad, I've often defended you in the past but this is ridiculous. Do you think that, if you want to complain about Starmer, you could start your own thread on it and leave this one to the coven? Pleeeeeeeeease....

I think if he had just said "I'm sorry, I did what I thought was best for my son" but his arrogance over the weekend when it was first raised (although it apparently been under investigation for some time) followed by turning up over 30 minutes late then reading out a very long statement that I didn't think that he had actually written it himself. You can bet that he had had advice both from family and a legal team.
To some extent, his mother should have not mentioned that his uncle had died so that was one of the reasons he was in Durham, however well intentioned and the bit about driving a distance to check on his eyesight was unbelievable!
I know at least two families that were in the same situation - both feeling ill and one with a young baby to care for, the other with 3 children . But they followed what they thought was the official instructions to stay at home - let's face it, if feeling ill, who really wants to bother with reading the fine print. Both families were lucky and are now recovering.
Don't forget that not everyone has the luxury of a 2nd home to move to either!
I was waiting for photos of Boris' baby to be published ! This story will go on and we will all wait to see what happens - will he jump or will he be pushed?

No one is remotely interested that many Gransnetters and no doubt others are breaking guidelines every day. No one cares that the photos of beaches and other areas show people thronged together and breaking guidelines. No one cares about breaking guidelines when packs of journalists throng together outside the house where Cummings lives. Interesting times we live in when even the older generation are hypocrites and care far more about getting the scalp of one person who is perceived to have broken the guidelines rather than the many who break the guidelines every day. So clearly no one is concerned even remotely about the R number and the continuance of the deaths. Government by journalist pack is what we’ve come to, and to hell with the many who break the guidelines every day.

And grandad get off your soapbox. Several people have told you this thread is NOT about Starmer. Start a new thread about Starmer if you want to.

I don’t accept it is a witch hunt. I do however accept that this has been going on for far too long.

It needn’t have, if Cummings had been entirely truthful from the start and thrown up his handsand said “fair cop, I apologise for my very poor lack of judgement, it won’t happen again, and please don’t do as I did”

We would be discussing covid or some other thing.

But he didn’t.

Instead he chose to compound his error by continually to lie in a Gardengate interview, where 71% if the British public understood that he was lying and think as a result he should resign.

By doing so, he has made the whole damned issue far more important than it needs be.

If you think about it, there is a government aid who has gained a level of limelight never before seen, who is apparently more important than government ministers and who is seen by a huge majority if the British public to have acted wrongly, to have lied and who has sent out the message “One law for the elite and one law for the rest of you”

It simply can’t stand. From my point of view I think it is a constitution outrage, but I understand that for most it is simply the fact that he lied and appears to be taking the British public for fools

I have just noticed that an Elliegran has joined us. I do hope that doesn't cause confusion!

NOT a witch hunt. Only a witch hunt if the witch isn't a witch/is innocent.

Cummings did what they said he did. IS a witch/guilty.

Warlocks!!

It is a witch hunt...

With Ggum, that is.

No grandad I wont. This is a thread about Cummings. I am interested in discussing that issue.

Wow! I agree!!

Galaxy in regard to your post @08:45 today, as you state that you are a member of the Labour Party I would believe that you wished for the new Labour leader to be seen as doing well for the British public, the Parliamentary Labour Party and himself as a leader in this crisis.

However, in the above many within the grassroots of the Labour movement believe that Starmer has failed totally.

So, Galaxy can you inform me why you believe that Starmer has performed so well throughout this whole Cummings crisis, as I am only aware of the Labour Leader in a written form making a request of the Cabinet Secretary for an "inquiry" into the matter which he has no chance whatsoever of getting.

Other than the above the Labour Leader has been Mr invisible to all and sundry it would seem.

Anyway, the time I began work as they are reopening our main Somerset office today with all those who have been working from home returning tomorrow.

Something akin to normality returning at last. ??

I hate the press witch-hunt and the way GN members have grasped the opportunity to attack one another on the forum yet again.

However, I do now think that the government - not just Cummings - should be held to account. Not because of innuendo and outright lies in the press but because, while he explained his reasons for travel - child-care issues - the government has refused to look into any cases where people were fined for doing the same thing.

Whitewave caught this information yesterday but I didn't hear until this morning. There may not be any such cases but the government is now blatantly saying there is one rule for those in high places and another for the people.

I am sure there will be a commission looking into this period of time after the event but if the government is now going rogue I think we should be talking about getting this in place asap. This is wider than Cummings and the whole government should be held to account.

I think the virus must affect memory, because he can't remember if he stopped to fill up..

Amazing car he's got - does 580 miles on a single tankful and driving while your eyesight is impaired is an offence under the Road Traffic Act, - sure his wife can drive? Apart from that he's got immunity because he's "one of the boys" unlike us - who will be fined if we travel anywhere (child or no child). Anyone mention that some of his family live in London? It was just a jolly and he's a liar comparable with "the dog ate my homework" excuse. He broke his own rules and put other people at risk - he should be sacked (no doubt with a Golden handshake that we will pay for)

Have just seen the clip of Emily Maitlis from the the first few minutes of newsnight, really enjoyable.

Right to reply ? Starmer has not been mentioned in the
daily broadcasts, so no right to reply.

Lucca, in regard to your post @07:58 today, you state " I just don’t know what you expect Starmer to do?"

In the above, I have previously stated on this forum that Johnson has used the daily Covid briefings to defend Cummings actions, and allowed Downing Street to be utilized for Cummings himself to make a statement in the defence of those actions.

In the above, Starmer at any time throughout this crisis could have demand as opposition leader the "right of reply to those broadcasts" which then would have been relayed on all the main television channels simultaneously in the same manner as Johnson has been given the authorization to carry out several times over the course of this Covid-19 crisis.

In the above broadcast, Kier Starmer could have articulated all the criticisms and outrage that have been coming from the press and public in general in regard to Cummings behaviour to create a centre for those critiques within the Parliamentary Labour Party leadership.

However, no such action has been taken by Starmer, and through that Cummings and Johnson may well now emerge from this credibility crisis with their political careers still intact.

Starmer = Mr invisible in this Crisis.

Dont worry furret, it's just the final railing against the dying of the light.

Paddy McGuinness (@PaddyMcGuinness) Tweeted: I’ve finally lost it in lockdown! ? #isthisthewaytobarnardcastle t.co/QHuuxirL63 twitter.com/PaddyMcGuinness/status/1265314862491631617?s=20

I bow to your superior knowledge grandad and I’m not being sarcastic as I’m not an expert on LP politics at all.

just don’t know what you expect Starmer to do ? He has said what he thinks and possibly now thinks his energies would be better used trying to help the virus crisis

Look Granddad I admired Corbyn and was sad that people believed the hatchet job laid on him by the likes of DC and supporters of Israel’s murderous regime. And it was this that led to the ‘anybody but Jeremy’ attitude in the gullible.

But also, and you are in danger of perpetuating this. There were those on GN who ad nauseam posted pure poison about him almost to the point of mania. Pure hatred.

It was people like these who led to this buffoon sweeping to power. This idiot who hasn’t a clue and is, IMO, guilty of corporate manslaughter.

If you want a Labour government rather than just cling to your own Socialist beliefs, look to the wider picture. There are many on here who probably regret putting that moron in charge and look to Starmer as a potential future PM that they would vote for.

The spin doctors will try everything in their power to discredit him. Do not start rot from the inside. Please.

Lucca, in regard to your post @07:27, as a Labour movement subscriber for the last fifty-seven years I shall continue to post in regard to the failure of Starmer throughout this crisis as I see fit to do so.

There has been no centre for the criticism of the obvious public outrage in this matter, and that centre should have been seen to be around the Labour leadership.

However, that has not come about, and through that Cummings and Johnson have survived in their political careers up to this point, and now in all probability many days beyond

Sir Keir said: "This was a test of the Prime Minister and he has failed it.

"It is an insult to sacrifices made by the British people that Boris Johnson has chosen to take no action against Dominic Cummings.

"The public will be forgiven for thinking there is one rule for the Prime Minister's closest adviser and another for the British people.

"The Prime Minister's actions have undermined confidence in his own public health message at this crucial time.

"Millions were watching for answers and they got nothing. That's why the Cabinet Secretary must now launch an urgent inquiry."