Criminally Negligent: What Jacob Rees Mogg Said! ?

I wonder if those supporting “freedom of choice” would also abolish the laws on wearing seat belts and drink driving? Surely people should have freedom of choice not to wear a seat belt in a car? Some people drive perfectly safely after having a few drinks - so they should have the freedom to do so shouldn’t they ? if people don’t want to get in a car accident they have the choice to stay at home. Mandatory mask wearing is the same - it’s to protect others and the NHS. We shouldn’t have choices which end up affecting others or our public services.

Putting each other plus contacts at risk is hardly an action of "convivial good friends". As for the stock reply "following the science" what science? And the evidence is...?

Callistemon

growstuff

Scones

And that's the problem isn't it Growstuff. We have to live with this system which won't change.

Indeed! The problem the UK has at the moment is that a small majority of voters in certain constituencies has resulted in a huge majority in the HoC, which is not representative of the electorate. People like JRM can get away with saying what he does because he can't be challenged in a meaningful way. His persona hides some real nastiness. A smaller majority would result in some compromises and MPs' being more accountable.

Jacob Rees-Mogg did get a big majority, albeit reduced last time.
His majority was 14,729 and he did get over 50% of the vote, with a 76% turnout.

As I said, I believe he is a good constituency MP whatever anyone thinks of him.

It's great that he is good for the constituents Callistemon I just wonder if you think that those who voted for him really support the views which resulting in his voting history. I say this with no agenda, I grew up, lived and worked in his constituency and still have many friends and family in the area.

People in the area seem very caring, kind and concerned for others and I find it hard to tally the two.

I'm not criticising, just interested. I'm far from in a position to criticise as I'm now in West Somerset and we have Ian Liddell-Grainger I am sorry to say. The people of West Somerset seem better than that...as in your constituency, I just can't understand how people persuade themselves that these candidates reflect their views. Any thoughts would be welcome.

Scones I don't know Somerset at all, but I think there are good, bad and indifferent people in every constituency. Over half of the electorate didn't vote for him, so I think it's not possible to say that his views are relevant to the way people in the constituency generally live their lives.

PS. I have a horrendous Conservative MP, who has a bigger majority than JRM has and I can honestly say that I know many people in the area who don't share her values. She's not a reflection of us.

It's just amazing to me how these people with their views that are not representative represent us.

At the risk of going off at a tangent, do come to Somerset for a nosy around if you can growstuff It's lovely here in the mild, mild, west.

growstuff

Callistemon

growstuff

Scones

And that's the problem isn't it Growstuff. We have to live with this system which won't change.

Indeed! The problem the UK has at the moment is that a small majority of voters in certain constituencies has resulted in a huge majority in the HoC, which is not representative of the electorate. People like JRM can get away with saying what he does because he can't be challenged in a meaningful way. His persona hides some real nastiness. A smaller majority would result in some compromises and MPs' being more accountable.

Jacob Rees-Mogg did get a big majority, albeit reduced last time.
His majority was 14,729 and he did get over 50% of the vote, with a 76% turnout.

As I said, I believe he is a good constituency MP whatever anyone thinks of him.

Yes, just over 50%, so nearly 50% of those who voted aren't being represented.

The rest of those who voted did so for several different candidates so had many differing views.
Those who didn't bother to vote can make no complaint.

Anyway, he's not my MP and my vote wouldn't have gone to him anyway - but facts are facts. He got a huge majority.

Interestingly, although the boundaries differ, there is a Lib Dem Council and Labour Mayor in the area - perhaps the voters there like to hedge their bets.

I don't live there, Scones!

But I have friends who do, no idea how they voted.

growstuff

PS. I have a horrendous Conservative MP, who has a bigger majority than JRM has and I can honestly say that I know many people in the area who don't share her values. She's not a reflection of us.

same here.

Callistemon JRM's majority isn't huge compared with some other MPs. I agree that people vote for a whole package and not always for the MP. The LibDems increased their vote share in JRM's constituency in the last election, so maybe people are moving away from what he represents.

I don't think for one moment that the majority of people in the UK have similar views to JRM or the current government. It's the voting system and ineffective opposition which has allowed them to have a huge majority of seats and to foist their views on us all.

The BBC News site says:

"Tory MPs have largely ditched masks in recent months, but are being urged by opposition parties to wear them.

"On Thursday, Labour's shadow Commons leader Thangam Debbonaire said MPs should wear face coverings to set the "best example to the public".

"But Mr Rees-Mogg responded that many Labour MPs had been pictured maskless at the the party's recent annual conference in Brighton.

"And he claimed they were more likely to cover up "when there are television cameras around".

............... "Mr Rees-Mogg joked that the SNP MP might not like "mixing with his own side" but the Conservatives "have a more convivial, fraternal spirit and therefore are following the guidance of Her Majesty's government".

I am no fan of Rees Mogg and his stupid comments regarding food banks, etc, but I think he does have a point if he says other people, such as Labour Party conference attendees, were not visibly wearing masks. There does seem to be a lot of "posturing" and finger pointing regarding observance of regulations and if it can be shown that others are engaging in this when they too are not practicing what they preach I think that is a valid comment.

However, I think it would be more honestof Rees Mogg to say he doesn't agree with wearing face masks, rather than concoct some convoluted reason as to why he doesn't wear them.

At the end of the day, I don't think he much cares what anybody thinks because he is wealthy and has powerful connections so whatever the ordinary person thinks of his words and behaviour it will not materially affect his life.

Labour's shadow Commons leader Thangam Debbonaire

Oh my word what a marvellous name !

Nezumi65

The evidence for mask wearing cutting transmission is really clear. Cummings (dreadful man, but he definitely has been close enough to the PM to know what drives him) has said that Johnson (or trolley as he calls him) doesn’t care what voters think, not even Tory ones. He only cares what Tory MPs think. And unfortunately the Tory faction with the power now are the particularly unpleasant Libertarian side of the Party who see wearing a mask as an issue of rights. I suspect much as I thought May was useless if she was still PM mask wearing rules would be similar uo the rest of Europe & we’d have lower rates of transmission.

Amalgera one of the best ways to protect access to healthcare for people with cancer etc is to reduce community transmission & number of people needing hospital treatment. Covid knocks out more hospital space than conditions such as flu & staff (PPE changes slow staff down). If staff need to be redeployed then that impacts other areas of the NHS.

So if you really care about cancer treatment wear a bloody mask. It also means you’re less likely to kill any people you stand next up in the shop who happen to be undergoing treatment at the moment. Win win.

Hear hear Nezumi65!! Very well said.

It’s beyond me why we’re still having to debate the importance of mask wearing in the fight against covid! It’s a no brainier.

Lucca

*Labour's shadow Commons leader Thangam Debbonaire*

Oh my word what a marvellous name !

You’re not wrong! I admit that I’d never heard of her. This is Ms Debonnaire, doesn’t she look lovely? (I bet she wears a mask)

A friend recently visited her daughter and family for her GS’s birthday. Unfortunately her Daughter and SiL were incubating Covid, which showed just after my friend had gone home. Sadly my friend tested positive a few days later and is currently trying to isolate upstairs to protect her husband downstairs who has Parkinson’s. So it doesn’t matter how closely you are related, or know someone, you can catch Covid (as we all knew) so JRM and co need to wear masks when they are all sitting in the Houses of Parliament or socialising afterwards or anywhere else.

We wear seat belts in a car and an aeroplane, many sports people wear protective clothing such as cricketers or rugby players, many, many people wear protective items in order to do their jobs, surgeons have always worn masks when operating, so just what the objections are to wearing a mask I don’t understand. Some people say they’re uncomfortable but since other people wear masks or other protective items that undoubtedly are not totally comfortable, I can’t understand their objections. I think it’s part of the me, me, me society that we live in today, along with the same frankly stupid objections to having the vaccine. My daughter had to have the Hep B vaccine when she was at medical school, and since she’s moved to New Zealand, she’s had to have the Pfizer vaccine in order to practice as a GP. No argument, she had to have it in order to practice.
I understand that a few people can’t have the vaccine for medical reasons, but they would be better protected by everyone else having it.

Good post ,Maddy one , full of sensible accurate points.
The problem with the laissez-faire stance of this government is that people just ignore it .I was talking to the the station manager and mentioned that quite a few were not wearing masks. He told me there was nothing they could do as the wearing of masks was not mandatory,( I live in Greater London )

FannyCornforth: Maybe Boris' buffoonery is the real virus and it's highly infectious and passing around the Commons.

effalump

FannyCornforth: Maybe Boris' buffoonery is the real virus and it's highly infectious and passing around the Commons.

You mean, eg telling young schoolchildren that one of the solutions to world problems might be if humans were fed to animals…..