Coronavirus

[Filo]

It's almost as bad as if they'd found out he owns a field.

Shapps said this morning don’t believe everything you read in the papers, perhaps he should have briefed Hancock on that before last weeks PMQ’s when he was slapped down by the Speaker when he was heckling Keir Starmer about a certain field

[Glyn_Wigley]

I can't help wondering...if parents to refuse to send their kids back to school because they believe it's not safe for them to do so whether they'll get Cabinet Ministers tweeting defending them on the basis of it being OK to ignore government rules on the basis of it being 'good parenting'.

[IDM]

ITV’s Robert Peston says ministers have told him Cummings’ resignation or sacking is only “only a matter of time”.

Probably to be times to deflect attention from another negative story.?

[BillyStubbsTears]

Surely shoplifting is now acceptable if you just do it to feed your kids?

How else can you interpret the Attorney General's tweet?

[SydneyRover]

BBC

''Today a couple travelled six hours to spend a few days at a holiday let in Stow. Unfortunately they were greeted by PCSO Symes who told them to travel six hours back. Holiday homes are not open for business. You can travel as far as you want for exercise but must return home.''

[SydneyRover]

Joe Pike the Guardian, apologies if it's already been posted

''I am fascinated at Labour's strategy throughout the Cummings crisis: to hold back.

They've NOT called for DC to be sacked (although do want investigation).@Keir_Starmer hasn't said a word.

Heeding Napoleon's advice to avoid interrupting your enemy when he's making a mistake?''

[Glyn_Wigley]

Joe Pike the Guardian, apologies if it's already been posted

''I am fascinated at Labour's strategy throughout the Cummings crisis: to hold back.

They've NOT called for DC to be sacked (although do want investigation).@Keir_Starmer hasn't said a word.

Heeding Napoleon's advice to avoid interrupting your enemy when he's making a mistake?''

Why fight the enemy when they're fighting amongst themselves, in public?

[Bentley Bullet]

.....Or maybe it's a case of people in glass houses?

[IDM]

Why is Cummings going to Downing Street today.?

I thought the rule was if you can, you should still work from home, but only go into the workplace if it is Covid secure and if you can’t work from home.?

He is an advisor, why can’t he advise over the phone or internet, like everyone else who works from home has to do.?

So even today, he is going against the government advice/directive.?

[Filo]

Why is Cummings going to Downing Street today.?

I thought the rule was if you can, you should still work from home, but only go into the workplace if it is Covid secure and if you can’t work from home.?

He is an advisor, why can’t he advise over the phone or internet, like everyone else who works from home has to do.?

So even today, he is going against the government advice/directive.?

To clear his desk?

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

Talking about senior Govt members burning political capital, get this.

https://mobile.twitter.com/SuellaBraverman/status/1264174355975671810

That is the Attorney General. Telling us it is OK to break the law if you're doing it for the kids.

I mean it is to be fair but that's not the point is it?

I don't have necessarily a huge issue with him travelling as he has, lots of people have and he should be treated as they all are.

I have a big issue in trying to cover it up though, it sums his approach up.

BFYP

The Govt said then and says now that if you have CV-19 you MUST stay at home.

But you don't have any problems with the PM's chief adviser deciding that didn't apply to him?

Don't you see the problem inherent in that, if the message now becomes "Use lockdown rules as a general guide and make your own minds up"?

I absolutely do with the exception of if the kids really needed it.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

Surely shoplifting is now acceptable if you just do it to feed your kids?

How else can you interpret the Attorney General's tweet?

Well I would if my kids were starving as would you.....

[Filo]

All animals are equal, some are more equal than others

[Jonathan]

Surely shoplifting is now acceptable if you just do it to feed your kids?

How else can you interpret the Attorney General's tweet?

Well I would if my kids were starving as would you.....

I think that’s exactly the crux of the matter. Of course anyone would if their child’s life depended on it. What you wouldn’t do is go shoplifting just in case you might, at some point, struggle to afford it and you didn’t want to contemplate borrowing money. That’s much closer to the analogy here.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Christ, I've just seen Shapps on Andrew Marr.

It was like Ben Swain and Paxman in The Thick of It.

0:45 here.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DALNjevGdB5g&ved=2ahUKEwjQ-vucwszpAhWTQEEAHeVYATsQo7QBMAB6BAgCEAE&usg=AOvVaw3ACp7STdL4agFp_0uRQnDC

[BillyStubbsTears]

Surely shoplifting is now acceptable if you just do it to feed your kids?

How else can you interpret the Attorney General's tweet?

Well I would if my kids were starving as would you.....

And both you and I would expect to be prosecuted.

[BillyStubbsTears]

And I assume you know this Tory Govt has deported fathers to Jamaica for minor crimes committed years earlier leaving their kids here in the UK, fatherless? Seems the kids' welfare wasn't uppermost in those decisions.

Do you not see the rank hypocrisy here?

[Filo]

Christ, I've just seen Shapps on Andrew Marr.

It was like Ben Swain and Paxman in The Thick of It.

0:45 here.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DALNjevGdB5g&ved=2ahUKEwjQ-vucwszpAhWTQEEAHeVYATsQo7QBMAB6BAgCEAE&usg=AOvVaw3ACp7STdL4agFp_0uRQnDC

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Thats almost a carbon copy 😂😂😂


How pissed off would you be if you were Shapps and Cumming got the sack after he’d been rinsed on national tv for two days 😀

[Filo]

Theres something  happening behind the scenes The daily briefing has been put back an hour

[IDM]

How pissed off would you be if you were Shapps and were shoved in front of the media when this broke yesterday.?

We had the story of someone in a senior position on the PM’s staff being accused of breaking the government’s rules, leading to all sorts of questions of one rule for some and a different one for others.

Where the f**k was the PM last night.?  Something of this magnitude which could if escalated break the lockdown and the government, and the PM sends the transport minister.?

Where’s the leadership here.?

I hope this lot know how to run for a bus, because they are making a total goatf**k of running the country.!

[BillyStubbsTears]

This one has no public evidence. But...

https://mobile.twitter.com/walla81/status/1259470770750849026

[Jonathan]

Theres something  happening behind the scenes The daily briefing has been put back an hour

Perhaps the Prime Minister is doing it, in which case they’ll need to record it before it goes out.

[Copps is Magic]

I keep thinking of the deeper problems this saga is highlighting

1. The major gaps in the Government's advice.
2. The close relationship between the BBC political editors and the government.
3. Shapps - I mean, is it funny, or is it tragic? For me it's tragic - a minister of the state that has the intelligence of a box of digestive biscuits. Another major symptom of government ill-equiped to deal with complex problems.
4. A government beholden to its backbenchers (above the public).

[Glyn_Wigley]

I can imagine other Cabinet Ministers, having watched the train wrecks Shapps has had to endure, completely refusing to put themselves through that as well for someone like Cummings.

[albie]

Simple enough for Cummings to step down officially, to take pressure off the PM and his shambles.

After a break, he will re-emerge as an employee of some "think tank", and unofficially resume his role as Svengali to the useless Johnson. He would need to be more discreet, which is not in his nature, and stay out of camera.

Johnson to speak at the briefing at 5 ish!

[Filo]

Johnson working on a Sunday, this is serious 😀

[Glyn_Wigley]

Simple enough for Cummings to step down officially, to take pressure off the PM and his shambles.

After a break, he will re-emerge as an employee of some "think tank", and unofficially resume his role as Svengali to the useless Johnson. He would need to be more discreet, which is not in his nature, and stay out of camera.

Johnson to speak at the briefing at 5 ish!

Or they'll stick two fingers up to the public (again) and give Cummings a peerage like they did with Morgan and Goldsmith.

[Jonathan]

Some suggestions he may announce an inquiry / investigation and refuse to take questions. That doesn’t really add up to me as the issue is too clear cut to warrant a drawn out investigation.

Were the rules broken? Yes.

Were the rules broken more than once? Prove your whereabouts on said dates to determine.

It really is that black and white.

Conclusion. Well that’s up to the Prime Minister. Or at least it would be if his strings weren’t being pulled by the subject.

[Filo]

Some suggestions he may announce an inquiry / investigation and refuse to take questions. That doesn’t really add up to me as the issue is too clear cut to warrant a drawn out investigation.

Were the rules broken? Yes.

Were the rules broken more than once? Prove your whereabouts on said dates to determine.

It really is that black and white.

Conclusion. Well that’s up to the Prime Minister. Or at least it would be if his strings weren’t being pulled by the subject.

I think all that will do is fuel the growing public anger and undermine his own position even more

[Glyn_Wigley]

The longer Cummings remains in post the more the matter will fester.