Dominic Cummings

I think most of us tried to obtain as much information on the pandemic as possible and made our minds up accordingly. And most people felt that the country should have been locked down sooner. I dread to think how many lives have been lost due to people going out and having last hurrahs because the government told them lockdown was going to be ‘after the weekend’. Even the PM’s own father said he was still going to go to the pub even though his son had done his usual ‘well, you can still go to the pub but I’d rather you didn’t’ waffle. We’ve had nothing but mixed messages throughout the pandemic and it’s still happening now.

We weren’t all in our armchairs.
Acknowledged, Casdon.

Only if you are spending all your time in pubs, being an armchair expert, Mollygo: it isn't everyone's way of life.

You seem to have misunderstood the post PippaZ
No-one has been sitting in pubs, as we all know.
It was an analogy.

Callistemon

^Only if you are spending all your time in pubs, being an armchair expert, Mollygo: it isn't everyone's way of life.^

You seem to have misunderstood the post PippaZ
No-one has been sitting in pubs, as we all know.
It was an analogy.

Thank you, Callistemon, but I understood that it was analogous to some people's lives but by no means all. Perhaps you too spend all your time in pubs being an armchair expert too. Who knew Obviously people will tend to go for the situation they know best.

Perhaps you too spend all your time in pubs being an armchair expert too.

No, I observed the lockdown as did the local publican.

The government followed scientific advise, nothing was his sole decision. DC was part of this. I didn't notice him so waking out about not going along with that advice. He is a proven liar and although helped put policies in place did not abide by them. Who will employ him. There again he's will most likely pen a best seller, telling all, his version anyway.

Johnson is a proven liar too. No, scientific advice wasn't always followed - wake up at the back!

Mmm, seems just a little too bitter, spiteful and out to exact revenge to be taken seriously. The government have made serious and sometimes avoidable mistakes but with the benefit of hindsight it's easier to see what should have been done.

But PippaZ that’s exactly how you seem to me-a person with a narrow view, yours.
I’m quite sure it’s not how you see yourself, but GN is a tiny world, populated by lots of anonymous, individual points of view, yours and mine among them, with which you may or may not agree.
It’s a place where posters can and do criticise others for not agreeing with them.

It has no impact on the real world, and some, realistically and sensibly, are able to recognise that.

Brainwashed, completely brainwashed. How has the government managed to completely brainwash most of the UK population?

No, the government did not follow scientific advice. They ignored it. Three late lockdowns, estimated to have cost tens of thousands of extra lives, all contrary to documented scientific advice.

I know they keep on claiming that they've 'followed the science' but all they've done is prove Goebbel's thesis that if you repeat the lie often enough people will believe it.

I don't think it is most of the population Maizie; I expect it's less than half - the usual less than half in fact.

Maisie you are right about the late lockdowns.
Many of us (who were able) had already "locked down" at least a couple of weeks before we were told to lock down the first time.
If we could look at Italy and see what was coming, so could Boris Johnson and his crew.

Mollygo

But PippaZ that’s exactly how you seem to me-a person with a narrow view, yours.
I’m quite sure it’s not how you see yourself, but GN is a tiny world, populated by lots of anonymous, individual points of view, yours and mine among them, with which you may or may not agree.
It’s a place where posters can and do criticise others for not agreeing with them.

It has no impact on the real world, and some, realistically and sensibly, are able to recognise that.

Maybe GN doesn't have a direct impact on the real world, but some of the posters do. In my own small way, I know I've had an impact in my local community and I expect others could claim the same. Occasionally, there's a good discussion on GN which has influenced my thinking.

Unless everybody wants to behave like a sheep, any forum for discussion is good. Historically, it's how political opinion has been formed.

I wonder why you bother with GN, if you honestly think it makes no difference.

NotSpaghetti

Maisie you are right about the late lockdowns.
Many of us (who were able) had already "locked down" at least a couple of weeks before we were told to lock down the first time.
If we could look at Italy and see what was coming, so could Boris Johnson and his crew.

I agree. I had locked myself down days before any official announcement. It wasn't a difficult decision.

Obviously, it was a more difficult decision at national level because it involved businesses and various support schemes, but there should have been planning for those. We were a couple of weeks behind other countries, so we had prior warning.

Spoilt baby Cummings thrown his rattle out of his pram ?

Cummings seems to be the only person in government who knows ANYTHING about science !!!

And actually I dont think its particularly true. MN the site where GN originated has completely changed the narrative on womans rights for example and numerous political campaigns have sprung from that sone of which have led to a change in legislation. So I think it's quite short sighted to think that. As long as people dont think talking on social media is activism in itself then it's fine. I am not sure what purpose saying armchair warriors etc serves except to try and shut debate down.

The language used to suggest that the discussions on public forums is akin to going down to the pub for a natter, is a form of gaslighting

The poster is trying to sow the seeds of doubt in people’s minds as to the value of such discussion and debate.

But that concept is as wrong as it can be. Public forums, whatever form they take (including the pub) are undoubtedly part of the vehicle of change. Have been since humans could talk.

Maybe GN doesn’t have a direct impact on the real world, but some posters do.
Exactly! When people are not sitting here typing, they might, for all we know, be doing great things in the real world. I too am actually having an impact on the lives of others in my local and not so local community, when I’m not posting on here.

If you learn something on GN that you can apply in the real world, that’s even better. Posters do learn things over the course of a discussion, some even without denigrating the behaviour of those who disagree with them.

NotSpaghetti

Maisie you are right about the late lockdowns.
Many of us (who were able) had already "locked down" at least a couple of weeks before we were told to lock down the first time.
If we could look at Italy and see what was coming, so could Boris Johnson and his crew.

Exactly!

Lucca

NotSpaghetti

Maisie you are right about the late lockdowns.
Many of us (who were able) had already "locked down" at least a couple of weeks before we were told to lock down the first time.
If we could look at Italy and see what was coming, so could Boris Johnson and his crew.

Exactly!

Ditto

I seemed to have touched a nerve here! ?
Some posters just don’t get analogies it seems, and now we have our old friend ‘gaslighting’ getting a mention yet again.
Forums and venting therein, are much the same as people sitting around in pubs, if that offends your sensibilities (because you imagine you inhabit a loftier intellectual place) then too bad. It doesn’t mean that the venting has no value, but it is at much the same level.
Everyone is an expert with Google as their friend as well, plus acres of copying and pasting.
We should all take forums with a big pinch of salt and enjoy the ride, but seriously, when it comes to rants about the government of the day, nobody is changing anything, although it may feel good to get it off your chest.Nobody ever changed things by yakking in the pub or on threads.
When it comes to local matters close to home, of course you can help to change something, even protest marches can influence thinking.
Still, if you like thinking that what you bang out on the keyboard here influences anything politically in any meaningful way, then carry on thinking it, it doesn’t hurt anyone.

NotSpaghetti

Maisie you are right about the late lockdowns.
Many of us (who were able) had already "locked down" at least a couple of weeks before we were told to lock down the first time.
If we could look at Italy and see what was coming, so could Boris Johnson and his crew.

Exactly!

I think the truth is, and confirmation is becoming evident, that the plan A of herd immunity was one of the most disastrous plans nearly inflicted upon the U.K. population.

Lemongrove I don’t quite get what point you are making ?
That we should not have political discussions ? Not feel strongly about issues and express ourselves here ? Of course people use google, just like they would have used reference books in the past.