That took some balls

[Vornwend]

Whoever tweeted this on the UK Civil Service's official twitter account after the PM's embarrassing press conference certainly has some balls and will certainly lose their job as a result. Restored my faith in the decency of the British people to be honest.

It was up 12 minutes before it was taken down but not before it was retweeted thousands of times and the BBC read it out on the news. Can you imagine the frantic reaction in the higher echelons?

 

[Anonymous]

 

[ronk]

It speaks volumes!

 

[buzyg]

Heads are gong to roll with this one. As a government supporter, I think the whole affair stinks. :thumbsdown:

 

[TitanTim]

I can see why Cummings did what he did, but in his position he shouldn't have done what he did :|

Tim.

 

[Paul_S]

Haven't checked this but assume it is genuine (Edit, yep it's genuine)

From Stephen Reicher, Professor of Psychology and member of SAGE:

As one of those involved in SPI-B, the Government advisory group on behavioural science, I can say that in a few short minutes tonight, Boris Johnson has trashed all the advice we have given on how to build trust and secure adherence to the measures necessary to control COVID-19.

Be open and honest, we said. Trashed.
Respect the public, we said. Trashed
Ensure equity, so everyone is treated the same, we said. Trashed.
Be consistent we said. Trashed. Make clear 'we are all in it together'. Trashed.

It is very hard to provide scientific advice to a government which doesn't want to listen to science. I hope, however, that the public will read our papers (publicly available at https://gov.uk/government/groups/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies-sage-coronavirus-covid-19-response…) and continue to make up for this bad government with their own good sense.

 

[NickDE]

I can see why Cummings did what he did

I can't. Sit in a small enclosed space (a car) with an active COVID case ? You're supposed to keep apart as much as possible even if in your own home. The viral load plays a big part in whether and how severely you get the disease so piling in a car for a long journey is dumb. And put your young child in as well for good measure.
Drive for 3+ hours. Did they stop ? If yes, where and who did they infect ? If no, then that's dangerous and dumb.
This from the guy who sat in and manipulated SAGE meetings. So he knew what the rules were and why.

Boris was so uncomfortable this evening, it was obvious he was bluffing and lying his way through.

Time for the lying scum to go.

 

[TitanTim]

I can see why Cummings did what he did

I can't. Sit in a small enclosed space (a car) with an active COVID case ? You're supposed to keep apart as much as possible even if in your own home. The viral load plays a big part in whether and how severely you get the disease so piling in a car for a long journey is dumb. And put your young child in as well for good measure.
Drive for 3+ hours. Did they stop ? If yes, where and who did they infect ? If no, then that's dangerous and dumb.
This from the guy who sat in and manipulated SAGE meetings. So he knew what the rules were and why.

Boris was so uncomfortable this evening, it was obvious he was bluffing and lying his way through.

Time for the lying scum to go.

I only say from the stand point of worrying about ones family and thinking you are doing the right thing at the given time, however having said that yes he was potentially putting others at risk and why should he be different from anyone else up and down the country.

Tim.

 

[ronk]

He is not different from anyone else up and down the country - he is a rule maker who has broken the rules and in very public way, the very rules he himself crafted as a chief/senior advisor to the government.
Does anyone really believe he was coming up here because of his family?
The journey may very well have Infected people at coffee/fuel/pee stops.

He deserves all he gets and more - Johnson, another chancer, the same and I think he has shown a lack of judgement once again.

In the meanwhile we’ve all kept our heads down and avoided contact with family at a very difficult time. I hope that when this is all done, an detailed scrutiny will show where fault lies no matter where is.

 

[clarker63]

I hope that when this is all done, an detailed scrutiny will show where fault lies no matter where is.

+1

 

[blackabbot]

I can see why Cummings did what he did

I can't. Sit in a small enclosed space (a car) with an active COVID case ? You're supposed to keep apart as much as possible even if in your own home. The viral load plays a big part in whether and how severely you get the disease so piling in a car for a long journey is dumb. And put your young child in as well for good measure.
Drive for 3+ hours. Did they stop ? If yes, where and who did they infect ? If no, then that's dangerous and dumb.
This from the guy who sat in and manipulated SAGE meetings. So he knew what the rules were and why.

Boris was so uncomfortable this evening, it was obvious he was bluffing and lying his way through.

Time for the lying scum to go.

+1

 

[ben g]

I can see why Cummings did what he did, but in his position he shouldn't have done what he did :|

Tim.

The man did what he thought what morally right. That's the difference between someone who knows what's right and someone who just follows the rules that they think are right.

The press aren't any better, hounding the bloke on his doorstep and crowding around him. Absolutely disgusting behaviour.

I was hoping he would've started swinging punches tbh.

 

[ben g]

I can see why Cummings did what he did

I can't. Sit in a small enclosed space (a car) with an active COVID case ? You're supposed to keep apart as much as possible even if in your own home. The viral load plays a big part in whether and how severely you get the disease so piling in a car for a long journey is dumb. And put your young child in as well for good measure.
Drive for 3+ hours. Did they stop ? If yes, where and who did they infect ? If no, then that's dangerous and dumb.
This from the guy who sat in and manipulated SAGE meetings. So he knew what the rules were and why.

Boris was so uncomfortable this evening, it was obvious he was bluffing and lying his way through.

Time for the lying scum to go.

Yet you're happy for the press to stand outside his front garden, all crowded with no social distancing whatsoever? Going by your thought process, they should all lose their jobs aswell?

Stop crying and get on with life. You think I care about the rules anymore? If I'm forced to go to work (returned to work last Monday) then I shall be making my own mind up on what I can and can't do.

 

[TitanTim]

I can see why Cummings did what he did

I can't. Sit in a small enclosed space (a car) with an active COVID case ? You're supposed to keep apart as much as possible even if in your own home. The viral load plays a big part in whether and how severely you get the disease so piling in a car for a long journey is dumb. And put your young child in as well for good measure.
Drive for 3+ hours. Did they stop ? If yes, where and who did they infect ? If no, then that's dangerous and dumb.
This from the guy who sat in and manipulated SAGE meetings. So he knew what the rules were and why.

Boris was so uncomfortable this evening, it was obvious he was bluffing and lying his way through.

Time for the lying scum to go.

But unfortunately life isn't always that straight forward no matter what rules are at play, my only bones with it is if it had been you or me and had been caught out then we would suffer the consequences however his standing in life dictates differently, which simply put isn't cricket.

Tim.

 

[Vornwend]

I can see why Cummings did what he did

I can't. Sit in a small enclosed space (a car) with an active COVID case ? You're supposed to keep apart as much as possible even if in your own home. The viral load plays a big part in whether and how severely you get the disease so piling in a car for a long journey is dumb. And put your young child in as well for good measure.
Drive for 3+ hours. Did they stop ? If yes, where and who did they infect ? If no, then that's dangerous and dumb.
This from the guy who sat in and manipulated SAGE meetings. So he knew what the rules were and why.

Boris was so uncomfortable this evening, it was obvious he was bluffing and lying his way through.

Time for the lying scum to go.

Yet you're happy for the press to stand outside his front garden, all crowded with no social distancing whatsoever? Going by your thought process, they should all lose their jobs aswell?

Stop crying and get on with life. You think I care about the rules anymore? If I'm forced to go to work (returned to work last Monday) then I shall be making my own mind up on what I can and can't do.

The behaviour of the press is, as you rightly say, unacceptable but it does not excuse his rule breaking.

I don't believe he did what he thought was morally right. I think he decided that he was too important to adhere to the rules he helped craft. It shows contempt for the millions of people who have adhered to the rules.

The reason its so important is illustrated by your response - namely that some people will now decide that the rules and instructions that we are given are optional. That will cost lives and that is why he should go. Imagine if there was another spike in infections and we are asked to stay at home again - do you think the level of adherence will be anything like as good as it was?

Boris Johnson's support of him is very ill judged in my opinion and I think it will mark a turning point in his premiership just as Iraq did with Tony Blair. Millions of people are angry and they have long memories.

 

[ben g]

I can't. Sit in a small enclosed space (a car) with an active COVID case ? You're supposed to keep apart as much as possible even if in your own home. The viral load plays a big part in whether and how severely you get the disease so piling in a car for a long journey is dumb. And put your young child in as well for good measure.
Drive for 3+ hours. Did they stop ? If yes, where and who did they infect ? If no, then that's dangerous and dumb.
This from the guy who sat in and manipulated SAGE meetings. So he knew what the rules were and why.

Boris was so uncomfortable this evening, it was obvious he was bluffing and lying his way through.

Time for the lying scum to go.

Yet you're happy for the press to stand outside his front garden, all crowded with no social distancing whatsoever? Going by your thought process, they should all lose their jobs aswell?

Stop crying and get on with life. You think I care about the rules anymore? If I'm forced to go to work (returned to work last Monday) then I shall be making my own mind up on what I can and can't do.

The behaviour of the press is, as you rightly say, unacceptable but it does not excuse his rule breaking.

I don't believe he did what he thought was morally right. I think he decided that he was too important to adhere to the rules he helped craft. It shows contempt for the millions of people who have adhered to the rules.

The reason its so important is illustrated by your response - namely that some people will now decide that the rules and instructions that we are given are optional. That will cost lives and that is why he should go. Imagine if there was another spike in infections and we are asked to stay at home again - do you think the level of adherence will be anything like as good as it was?

Boris Johnson's support of him is very ill judged in my opinion and I think it will mark a turning point in his premiership just as Iraq did with Tony Blair. Millions of people are angry and they have long memories.

The level of adherence was never good anyway. Only people who locked themselves away in their houses think that. Life carried on even during the first stage of lockdown.

As said, if I'm deemed capable of going to work, surrounding myself with hundreds of other people, building non essential engines for cars that no one's buying, then that just shows the farce that is the guidance the government is giving out.

They don't care if people die, they only care about saving face and not allowing the NHS to become over run.

Anyway, if you want to hide away then that's fine, but let others make their own choices without prejudice. If there's never a vaccine, do you think the government will tell people to hide away forever?

I was scared at one point. Then I went back to the real world and you realise that the media are scaremongering and all the old fogies are buying into it, my grandparents included.

 

[TitanTim]

Scaremongering or not, try telling that to all poor soles who have passed away in care homes.

Tim.

 

[Tommo61]

This is all about Boris Johnson as a PM and leader, not what his lackey gets up to on the weekend.

 

[ben g]

Scaremongering or not, try telling that to all poor soles who have passed away in care homes.

Tim.

People die everyday. People didn't murder them, they died due to a disease which affects the older generation and people with underlying health issues.

Let's lock all old people up and let the younger generation carry on with life.

From the figures I saw yesterday, I have approximately a 0.1% chance of dying from covid-19. Even a healthy 70+ year old was only 10% I think I'll take my chances

 

[NickDE]

I can see why Cummings did what he did

I can't. Sit in a small enclosed space (a car) with an active COVID case ? You're supposed to keep apart as much as possible even if in your own home. The viral load plays a big part in whether and how severely you get the disease so piling in a car for a long journey is dumb. And put your young child in as well for good measure.
Drive for 3+ hours. Did they stop ? If yes, where and who did they infect ? If no, then that's dangerous and dumb.
This from the guy who sat in and manipulated SAGE meetings. So he knew what the rules were and why.

Boris was so uncomfortable this evening, it was obvious he was bluffing and lying his way through.

Time for the lying scum to go.

Yet you're happy for the press to stand outside his front garden, all crowded with no social distancing whatsoever? Going by your thought process, they should all lose their jobs aswell?

I never said anything about the press. But as you raised the topic of his house, I have to admit to laughing when I saw the video of his own neighbours heckling him from their windows. Popular guy.

So he doesn't know where he stopped for petrol. He looked so uncomfortable lying about not stopping on the way up. And claims he stopped to refuel on the way back but can't remember where. Bull - he's had all weekend, just check your online banking for exact time and location.

And a weekend 60 mile round trip to a well known beauty spot. Because wifey thinks you might not be fit to drive. So put the sick 4 year old in the car to also endure the potential crash. Then drive for over an hour on public roads to check you can see again and drive safely. Even outside a pandemic that's stupid and reckless.