Dominic Cummings

lemongrove

Forums are the modern equivalent of people moaning about the government of the day...in pubs.
On a comfy seat with a pint in front of them ( cup of tea on GN) whilst they pontificate on how things should be done and how much better they should have been done.Even though in reality they don’t have a clue what should have been done or when.Good job that they really don’t have to make those hard decisions themselves. Armchair experts is the phrase.

Very true lemongrove

Everyone knows what should or shouldn't be done with a or a and a keyboard in front of them.

However, locking down as they did in, for example China, would result in protests in this country (and did) and the British public is a lot more opinionated and bolshie than citizens of some other countries.

It's debatable what is right as life in China is, in the main, back to normal now and their economy is doing well.

I wouldn't like to balance it all.

growstuff

Maybe the next question to Cummings should be "Do you watch Blackadder?"

Or - who is Edmund?

Missed words above Jobs . . . affected by COVID

Growstuff
Where did I mention Dominic Cummings in relation to my question about how many on GN had their jobs (not their children’s or those of other family members)?

Where did I say BJ isn’t aware of public opinion?

In reality I’m sure a lot of people on social media, in families and over a pint in a pub garden, can say what they think should have been done, but fortunately for them, they can say it:

-without the knowledge or power to put their plans into place.
-without the responsibility of having to enforce it on a sometimes recalcitrant public.
without their decision affecting life and death, loss of livelihood, or mental health of the population.
-without the danger of being slated if their plans don’t have the desired impact.

Maybe social media can offer advice on how to recoup some of the furlough and welfare money fraudulently claimed during Covid.

bmacca

He did indeed tell us what we already knew. It's not just Boris Johnson who takes the blame. It includes Cummings as he went along with it until he lost the power struggle inside no 10. It's those of his cabinet who went along with it. It is the MPs sitting behind him in the Commons who would rather keep the status quo. It is those sitting opposite who turned their attention on Jeremy Corbyn instead of aiming it where it should have gone. It is the opposition lead by Keir Starmer frightened to move unless popular opinion forces it in that direction. It's the media and others who used their time and efforts to draw attention away from Johnson. It is the voting public which still backed Boris Johnson no matter what. If any one of those groups had stepped up it might have been a different scenario played out.

Absolutely bloody right.

In reality, many people on social media do have a clue what should have been done. There are many people who could do a much better job than this crew have done.

I believe you're wrong Mollygo. Johnson is acutely aware of public opinion and his image, so the public does influence decision making.

Mollygo

Absolutely, Lemongrove.

On a different point, how many on here had their jobs (not their children’s or those of other family members) affected by lockdown?
My job was, my DH is retired.

Did Cummings have anything to say about this?

Very good ??

Can I offer this by way of light relief?

youtu.be/I4fABe9Y_dQ

Absolutely, Lemongrove.

On a different point, how many on here had their jobs (not their children’s or those of other family members) affected by lockdown?
My job was, my DH is retired.

Well said Lemongrove.

Forums are the modern equivalent of people moaning about the government of the day...in pubs.
On a comfy seat with a pint in front of them ( cup of tea on GN) whilst they pontificate on how things should be done and how much better they should have been done.Even though in reality they don’t have a clue what should have been done or when.Good job that they really don’t have to make those hard decisions themselves. Armchair experts is the phrase.

Anyone counted up how many times the word “hindsight” has appeared in the last month on GN?

Lollipop1

Vindictive little devil isn't he.
Do I believe it, maybe some truth but do I care.... not a jot....who else could have done what the Conservatives have done. I don't care if it was by design or accident, they've done a grand job.

A grand job ?? Do you include the shambles over schools closing not closing closing ? Exam results ?

The delay in locking down ?

Our vaccine programme is going well i grant you, mainly due to it being rolled out by the nhs and a host of volunteers.

Well yes but if you sign up for the job of government that's part of the deal. I ran a residential home it's a little bit like me bring surprised when Ofsted, the local authority, social workers had things to say about my provision.

I have as much power over the government as any other poster on here, i.e. none.

We have all the power. We live in a democracy.

And in a democracy we are allowed to, in fact encouraged to, criticise the government. Anybody who just sits there and goes, "ah, they did their best" is abdicating responsibility for choosing this bunch and is letting them off the hook for all their many failings.

growstuff

The evidence for what needed to be done was in front of their eyes. It's not just hindsight. It was blindingly obvious what needed to be done.

Exactly. This hindsight thing is nonsense.
A friend of mine in Italy was texting me daily saying why isn’t your PM locking down? Can’t he see what is happening ?

Of course I can use that argument. There is as much truth in it as in any of the claims made on here. I have as much power over the government as any other poster on here, i.e. none.

None of the posters on GN to my knowledge ever had to make decisions for the country, about whether everyone should lock down and how to make it happen when people were, even on GN were saying, “I can go out if I want. I know what is right for me.” “I don’t believe masks work so I’m not wearing one.”
No one on here had to juggle between having lives ruined financially, by lockdown and health of the country. No one one here has claimed they could have got that right.

The one thing that GN shares with the government is the constant stream of criticism.
e.g. I remember the criticism over creation of emergency Covid hospitals and the criticism by many of the same people when they weren’t needed.

I’m not convinced the government got it right, I’ve already said that.
However, we can sit here on GN and say ‘this should have been done’, or ‘that shouldn’t have been done’ with complete impunity, and I guess we still will.

Lollipop1

Vindictive little devil isn't he.
Do I believe it, maybe some truth but do I care.... not a jot....who else could have done what the Conservatives have done. I don't care if it was by design or accident, they've done a grand job.

And this is why the Conservatives are still in the lead!

The Conservatives haven't done a "grand job", unless the "job" was about piling up bodies.

It's interesting to see that some people "don't care" about the bodies.

Lollipop1

Vindictive little devil isn't he.
Do I believe it, maybe some truth but do I care.... not a jot....who else could have done what the Conservatives have done. I don't care if it was by design or accident, they've done a grand job.

Really?

This is why we're stuck with this bunch of chancers in government for goodness know how much longer.

Maybe they got lucky and "only" 127,000 died.

I'm reasonably convinced that Cummings was telling the truth. The main difference will be on emphasis or spin as we like to call. He has offered corroboration to MPs, he would look pretty stupid if his claims could be easily discredited. I think that it's possible he has a conscience and he is keen to make sure that history gets his version of events. Don't forget thus isn't over, cases are rising just as restrictions are lifting. It's starting to feel like Groundhog Day. Thus is why we really must listen and act accordingly. Wasn't it Einstein who said that the definition of stupidity is to do the same thing over again and expect a different result?

I don't have Sky either.

Vindictive little devil isn't he.
Do I believe it, maybe some truth but do I care.... not a jot....who else could have done what the Conservatives have done. I don't care if it was by design or accident, they've done a grand job.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202105/medium-301305-3500.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202105/medium-997337-pjimage-3-1-owh2xl.jpeg

Just for you, growstuff
Drama called This Sceptred Isle on first Covid wave will air next year on Sky Atlantic and Now TV
We don't have Sky (thank goodness)