Not civil!!11

You're supposed to cherish our holy and selfless leader Dominic Cummings Boris Johnson!

To be fair, Boris may not even be isolating either, as no one knows where he is. It's like a Where's Wally book without the humorous illustrations or fun.

I think he really needs to explain himself to the public. Not via Twatter or whatever but in a broadcast.
Just like the Scottish lassie.

I think by explaining himself in public will expose his actions and he will start digging himself into a hole.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-52782913
I think it already started.

Can see this being moved soon

Conveniently "forgetting" all the rules prepared for the rest of us, how about ;-

i) "He wasn't spoken to by the police" - "they went to a house near to, but separate from, his extended family" i.e they spoke to the owners.

ii) It hasn't been reported how they travelled to Durham (?), did they travel by car when they were ill? Not just up the road then. He developed symptoms on the 30th March and was seen in Durham on the 31st before becoming bed-ridden for 10 days. Therefore, he would have self-isolated in Durham. Did they conveniently travel on, er, the 29th or a previous date? Government advice was issued on the 31st March - a coincidence???

As Phil said in his original post...……...

It's a big story so seems fine to observe and comment but not overly aggressive arguement.
Some like him and others don't, we are not in the Westminister bubble.
Let's see how it plays out.

Personally I think YouTube Facebook and Twitter should be renamed.
Fallopian Tube, Arsebook and Twatter.

You're forgetting that is the Boris Appreciation Society.

I must agree that he is a chode and his excuse is bullshit, his wife was showing symptons so they drove their son up, who may also have the virus, to stay with his elderly parents

He has compromised himself and he should have known better. He will know better than anyone that this is a gift to the tabloid press. I don’t think it’s a massive drama in itself but he is part of the government machine so the criticism is to be expected.

Tories don't get fired like other people , partly because they are utterly shameless.
And partly because you don't reach positions of power and influence without knowing where the bones are buried.
In the case of Cummings they simply can't. He IS the Johnson government.

Every hashtag, every carefully orchestrated 'blunder', every Trumpesque cry of 'fake news' to shut down debate, is Dominic Cummings. Johnson is just a willing puppet whose ambition is greater than his talent and shame.
Even if he was fired, or 'resigned', he would simply be promoted.
Look at Priti Patel. Forced out in November 2017 after 'misleading' Theresa May and apparently going off-grid to talk arms with Israel?She is now Home Secretary.

Gavin Williamson , only last year he was sacked for apparently leaking confidential information from a National Security Council meeting to the press? He is now the Secretary Of State for Education.

And of course Johnson himself. Accused as Foreign Secretary of endangering the life of a British citizen he refused to resign, only eventually deciding to when he thought his letter would be the catalyst to removing Theresa May and installing....you guessed it....himself, as Prime Minister.He, of course, now is.So in the case of Cummings it's definitely be careful what you wish for. Even if they do force him out, they'll likely knight him and make him King Of The World.

Had to laugh at the BBC reporter saying he'd spent a day out at 'Barnards Castle'

hope we do not get too hypocritical about this issue. hand on heart has anyone and their close family members followed every single guideline the government has set out right from the outset. has anyone pushed the boundaries that were set out even a little bit just for their own personal wishes. for me he has done wrong but i,ll not be in a queue for casting a stone at the guy.

Thing is Accrington , we are not in the position he is , of issuing lockdown guidance. He broke his own guidance and IMO should swing for it.

It's obvious to me that mr Cummings doesn't believe that the rules that govern mere mortals do not apply to him, just look at the way he dresses when he turns up for work at downing street, everybody else is reasonably smartly dressed he turns up looking like he slept under a bush on Westminster square with the worlds press looking on what message does this send out.

Did he know the press had this story weeks ago?
Then we has the relaxation of the rules to allow nationwide travel which was an absolutely bizarre decision.

whilst i agree that he should go and the reason being is that people in the news should be setting a good example to the rest of us. however do we always want our leaders and advisors to be totally whiter than white without any human characteristics whatsoever.

So...........having said all that why do Tories keep getting elected and why is there no obvious alternative for the electorate to get behind? Why did thousands 0f traditional Labour supporters vote against their own party? These are serious questions and when you start giving them serious consideration, you just might be starting out on a road to seriously answering those questions. Don't keep telling us how nasty you think these people are, we know your opinion on them, we read it ad nauseam. Instead tell us what the electable alternative is and how you think we can achieve that alternative. The SNP are a better opposition than the Labour Party at the moment, which is probably why the Scots have abandoned Labour. The English have started to do the same.

The problem for the Government in this is that it damages their moral authority - which is actually at the core of how the lockdown has held as well as it has done so far. They are asking people to accept all sorts of restrictions that would normally cause uproar, and they've been accepted as the majority see it as the right thing to do - if there had been serious mass disobedience (ie more than just the normal idiots) it wouldn't have carried on as there just aren't enough police in the country to enforce it.

However as soon as it starts looking like some people (ie Cummings) are happy to go down the "Do as I say, not as I do" route then a lot of other people will start to ask the question "what gives you the right to say that" - which is why at least a couple of high-profile scientific advisors have been forced to resign for breaching lockdown. If Cummings doesn't go (either resigning or being sacked) then it really does look like the Government regarding the general population (including many who voted for them!) as "The Great Unwashed".

There's even an editorial from The Spectator today arguing he's got to go - if they keep him on after that they really are showing their contempt for any sort of scrutiny....

On Cummings. I've never been a fan of his, nor have I ever been a fan of these political aides having too much influence on an elected government.
However, by doing what he did, he has proved to me that he puts his son above all else and that he is human after all. The demonizing of him by the press and others has now been watered down somewhat which could be the reason that they didn't jump on his actions until now.
Cummings knew he was taking a big risk to his career by doing what he did. Nevertheless he took that risk and the press and the opposition have lambasted him for it but most of the dads (myself included) say we would have done the same.
Should he go or should he stay??
Personally I am not bothered one way or another. If he officially goes he will be replaced by another and unofficially he will still have influence.
When the Scottish Medical officer was forced to resign I remember thinking are we cutting our nose off to spite our face. What if keeping her in her professional job saved lives, even just one life, would that not far outweigh a badly chosen trip.
We all cry common sense at times but it's a pity when the cry is influenced by our political beliefs.

A great article there I couldn't agree more.

what is he Billy no mates? surley, they could have sorted something out down there, I can't think of a worse place to put a kid, basically in a tin box drive 260 miles , and you are both ill ! Bizarre

He won’t be sacked and he won’t resign. At least I hope not.

Correction Phil. His wife had symptoms but he didn't have. He was allegedly taking his so called precautions in case he caught it.
You need to remember that the three elements of this are The Police, The Press and Dominic Cummings.
Three pillars of the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Not.
Another thing that strikes me is that in all these so called "sightings" that are emerging, nobody had the presence of mind to pull out their mobile and take a picture. I wonder why.
PS. Thanks for keeping everyone aware about the need for civility. It is much appreciated.

Just wondering if any of the Boris fanboys who have been defending Cummings on the grounds that he was looking after his kid and applying common sense would like to change their minds now that it turns out he also breached the lockdown for his lying other half's birthday? Her Spectator article where she doesn't mention Durham but somehow emerges "from quarantine into the almost comical uncertainty of London lockdown” without having to drive anywhere is a great read.

If he has broken the rules on numerous occasions then there are no mitigating circumstances to defend that.
If those calling for his head get their way and he goes, then so be it. He has asked for it and is naive to think he would not be spotted trotting around the Durham countryside.
However at the moment he is in the limelight and everybody knows where he is and what he is doing. If he resigns or is sacked but is still used as an aid in an unofficial capacity might he not be more dangerous than he is perceived to be now. And as me dad used to say. Be careful who you get rid of because the replacement you get could be ten times worse.
He has made a lot of enemies has the bold Dominic and they are gathering.

Drum roll for 5 pm PM announcement!

Bizzarly I am listing to virgin radio and the song is "should I stay or should I go" the clash.

The PM has tried to draw a line under this but i heard there might be somemore revelations to come out. The press tends to drop this stuff out gradually.

You went to Durham?

Good to see the media holding Dom to account on social distancing rules this morning.

Looks like Chip.

the hypocrats all out inforce again. which ones are the worst.

It does.
Has Chip been to Barnard Castle with a lady teacher. He has an eye for the Ladies does our Chip and he likes the intelligent ones.

.

Yes. We have. And it has been gutwrenching.

So that disingenuous little sprig of arrogant twattery needs to go.

I'd even wonder because Cummings is a Master Of Deception - that this wasn't all part of the plan.

Now herd immunity is nailed on because lockdown is over in most people's heads.

If I was totally unsure about my ability to drive I most definitely wouldn’t test drive with my kids in the car. Never known anything like that tonight , absolute bonkers , the lying b*stard.

This is where I was going as well.

He’s not going anywhere despite the witch trials. These Hypocritical labour activists disguised as poor journalists will not get their own way And will be rightly ignored by Boris.

Ah, I didn’t realise you were such a follower of the daily mail. Nice to see you’ve converted.

He's just made it worse today. Such a far fetched and engineered story. Poor judgement and a lousy attitude. A real insult to those who've made sacrifices to abide by lockdown rules. This isn't your usual pro-Labour/anti Tory rant, people are genuinely angry about this hypocrisy.

Apart from Mr.I and Derwent the card carrying Labour member.

that about sums the whole thing up really. labour or tory no one likes a hypocrite especially one who is telling you what to do. if his next door neighbor had done the same it would not have been as bad as they are not advising the nation.

This is an example of the arrogance of the tories , not just their government but even their supporters , they genuinely believe they are beyond reproach . This gives you an insight into what they would be like if there was no opposition , we would be transported back to the 1850s in a heartbeat.

I don't suppose you can back up your statement about hypocritical labour activists with any evidence?.

Ridiculous post Mr I , sounding just like a clone of Johnson yourself.

Give poor old Dominic a break he's had a hard year guiding Boris through a general election, then masterminding Brexit and now this terrible virus he needed a little holiday so went to his second home in glorious county Durham, then on his wife's birthday they had a run out for a picnic to Barnard Castle, we've all done it. Right just off to Whitby just to test my eyesight is ok for driving.

I have not backed Cummings to stay and I have not backed Cummings to go.
I haven't backed Kinnock to go either. The reason for not calling for their heads is quite simple and it is because I haven't always abided by the lockdown rules either. So if they are guilty then so am I. I suspect I'm not the only one. I'm not going to get on the outrage bus over someone allegedly doing what I am also guilty of. Hope that clears that up for you Mutters.
On your point of political membership. I can prove that to you if you want to be fair, on condition that you pledge £1000 to a charity of my choice and I'll do the same if I fail to produce my membership card.

For all it was a feeding frenzy, it's important to recognise what just happened in the wider context.
The Cummings Affair was basically a power struggle between the government and the media as to who had the ultimate say; and the government, using the Trump template of deny and deflect, has just won.

Of COURSE it was a sackable offence. A senior adviser deliberately flouted clearly stated rules and regulations and in doing so risked the lives of others. Despite his wriggling and writhing on the hook, the line and the sinker were present throughout; and yet, because he is too shameless and arrogant to resign, and Johnson too weak and under his influence to sack, on he goes, and the story is yesterday's news.
Over the weekend, the government radically changed. It has now placed itself beyond reproach, beyond scrutiny, and has killed off whatever confidence the press had left in its old role of holding power to account.

What just happened is dangerous.

It's worth noting.

What has become painfully obvious to me is that since covid 19 reared it's ugly head, the press have become seriously second division. On a daily basis they are played like puppets by the government and the boffins. They are allowed a question or two and a follow up, without their usual interrupting and bully boy tactics and they can't handle it. Which is why ITV never put Piers Morgan up, cos he can't swim in those conditions. neither could Andrew Neil.
They've finally got a titbit and your description of a feeding frenzy is spot on. They hold themselves up as the official opposition to government but then expose themselves as unable to handle that position by their holier than thou stance on the spirit of lockdown whilst flaunting the spirit of lockdown in front of their own cameras.
What has happened is dangerous, I agree but the media have to take some responsibility for the part they play.
The number of times people saying "yes i watch the daily bulletins but i switch off when the media arrive" is growing. I've got to admit I have been tempted to do that when every question from every source is virtually the same, drawing the same answer. A total waste of time and opportunity. The best questions come from the public. The media are more obsessed with nailing somebody, blaming somebody and sensationalism at the expense of all else.
It's a bloody joke but, unfortunately, it's not supposed to be.

Obviously, they have had to work backwards and weave a story which explained the facts and those yet to be revealed but I think they have left a lot of loose ends. You can hear them now, "Let's make your son the focal point of the exercise and hope that it all blows over. There's evidence that you were seen in a bluebell wood in Barnard Castle so let's say that your son needed a 'Zorba'". However, he wanted to strain the potatoes after half an hour plus yet managed to travel for five hours quite comfortably, apparently.

He repeatedly emphasized things like, "Our home was 50 metres from our parents", "I didn't stop on the journey up", the minute details of the Barnard Castle trip etc. to demonstrate how he had obeyed the rules but, bizarrely, wasn't certain whether he had stopped for petrol on the return journey.

This behaviour of providing precise but sometimes excessive detail is akin to guilty criminals who have a tendency to offer information in exactly this manner when questioned. Considering that this story had been doing the rounds for several weeks, the piss-poor performance of Johnson's flunkies who were wheeled out in support of Cummings and continually said "I understand" or "It's my understanding" demonstrated a complete lack of togetherness. They stumbled in providing any meaningful reply to questions put to them and it had to be seen to be believed. Abysmal. This was an appalling display of ignorance considering the volume of briefing they would have undertaken to get their story correct and stay "on-message".

Now, here's one for you locals. When Cummings read out his prepared statement [and I said to the missus that I thought he would wear a 'proper' white shirt (the good guy) minus tie], apart from the odd stumble, he delivered it in a measured, 'neutral' voice. When he fended off the questions, however, his replies were hesitant, ponderous and repetitive and as the session progressed, his North-East accent became more and more pronounced!

No doubt this has been voiced elsewhere but if Cummings needed to travel all the way up to Durham to seek help, he might just consider that he could be a bit of a 'grumble and grunt'.