Covid 19 and the Media

[mistaram]

[QUOTE=Geoff Parkstone;39497363]

I am currently re reading the Brexit thread and up to page 32. Long way to go yet.
Under current reading, RA's opinion of Brits and mine are poles apart. I suggest everyone re reads it,{QUOTE]

Some of us have lives!

RA opinions and yours are miles apart on everything 😀

[mistaram]

It seems that some of the media and other parties are out to get the 'antichrist' Cummings.

My family anticipated this scenario a few weeks ago, as we have children, 5 out of 6 still at work, and a grandchild, spread around the country. We decided that should any of them start to feel ill, they should come home and isolate in our caravan on the front drive and we would look after our baby grand daughter in the house, whilst keeping an eye on them.

The distance involved is immaterial, only in as much as you need to do the journey before you become too ill.

Ed Davey even said that they should have considered the care services with regards to their child's care. Can you imagine any grandparents willingly let their grandchild go into care, rather than risk looking after them their selves?

To compare this with the Scottish medical adviser who took her family on a weekend jolly to their holiday home is a joke.

Ram that's very noble of you and I would probably do the same but don't you realise either yourself or your wife could be carrying Covid symptom free . Then having a new baby in your house very dangerous

[ramAnag]

As a grandparent RA, what would have done in the same situation?

It’s a ‘heart v head’ moment Ram. Probably the same as you, a position I respect, but only as a last resort and assuming there were no other younger family members who could take responsibility.

As regards Cummings, we don’t know if there was an alternative. Putting in another hypothetical, had this situation been around thirty years ago when my children needed looking after but my mother would have been approaching seventy, she wouldn’t have been my first port of call out of concern for her safety.

They’re truly horrible dilemmas but again...those who make the rules can’t be those who break them.

Government advice throughout has been that children should not be left in the care of elderly grandparents.

[Ram59]

It’s a ‘heart v head’ moment Ram. Probably the same as you, a position I respect, but only as a last resort and assuming there were no other younger family members who could take responsibility.

As regards Cummings, we don’t know if there was an alternative. Putting in another hypothetical, had this situation been around thirty years ago when my children needed looking after but my mother would have been approaching seventy, she wouldn’t have been my first port of call out of concern for her safety.

They’re truly horrible dilemmas but again...those who make the rules can’t be those who break them.

Government advice throughout has been that children should not be left in the care of elderly grandparents.

Are they rules or are they guidelines that should be followed except in exceptional circumstances? I believe that his sister was involved and it would have made sense if she had looked after the child.

You imagine that you're suddenly start to feel unwell and suspect that you are coming down with the virus and you've got a young child to consider. I think you'll be thinking *******s to guidelines, let's get back to the comfort and safety of your own family. Leave it a few hours and that option would have gone.

It wasn't a nice situation to be in and I think that it was wrong for the media, the SNP and liberals, to politicise it.

[ramAnag]

Are they rules or are they guidelines that should be followed except in exceptional circumstances? I believe that his sister was involved and it would have made sense if she had looked after the child.

You imagine that you're suddenly start to feel unwell and suspect that you are coming down with the virus and you've got a young child to consider. I think you'll be thinking *******s to guidelines, let's get back to the comfort and safety of your own family. Leave it a few hours and that option would have gone.

It wasn't a nice situation to be in and I think that it was wrong for the media, the SNP and liberals, to politicise it.

Fine lines Ram. I think there have been at least five examples of high profile politicians or other officials who’ve ‘broken’ the rules.
As far as I can recall the three politicians have survived...the two officials haven’t.
Can you expect people to abide by the rules if our ‘rulers’ don’t?

Supposing under the same circumstances, Cummings - or any other official - had been driving up the M-way at over 100mph and been stopped by the police whereupon he’d explained the ‘urgency’ of the situation. Would you have let him off?

[Trickytreesreds]

Well it was never going to be in the Express or Daily Fail now was it

Actually it was/is.

My point about leading a joint investigation is valid. It's like the Gaurdian running a head line story based on Johnsons neighbour phoning them to grass him up, for having a row with the Mrs.

Or the lack of coverage of the French/British border patrols being a taxi service and not being bothered to run any stories on it, until exposed.

The Mirror made it a front page shocker as did the Guardian

It was was right up there, with "WW2 bomber found on the moon."

[Andy_Faber]

Are they rules or are they guidelines that should be followed except in exceptional circumstances? I believe that his sister was involved and it would have made sense if she had looked after the child.

You imagine that you're suddenly start to feel unwell and suspect that you are coming down with the virus and you've got a young child to consider. I think you'll be thinking *******s to guidelines, let's get back to the comfort and safety of your own family. Leave it a few hours and that option would have gone.

It wasn't a nice situation to be in and I think that it was wrong for the media, the SNP and liberals, to politicise it.

Provided Cummings is telling the truth, I agree with this Ram. Folk shouldn’t underestimate the personal impact of the coppers calling round even just for a ‘word’. Also agreeing with the last sentence - what all those organisations should be asking themselves is ‘has any of the noise we’ve made actually saved a life?’ Note for Ramanag I’d be saying the same if the situation was reversed and the conservatives were baying for blood.

One thing the news footage did reveal was what an impolite person Cummings is, What was the ****er Doing leaning into #10s doorway, highly ignorant, if I opened the door to someone doing that I’d tell them to **** off, just personal choice

[Ram59]

Fine lines Ram. I think there have been at least five examples of high profile politicians or other officials who’ve ‘broken’ the rules.
As far as I can recall the three politicians have survived...the two officials haven’t.
Can you expect people to abide by the rules if our ‘rulers’ don’t?

Supposing under the same circumstances, Cummings - or any other official - had been driving up the M-way at over 100mph and been stopped by the police whereupon he’d explained the ‘urgency’ of the situation. Would you have let him off?

Of course not, that would be breaking the LAW. But I don't see how this compares with taking the whole family on a weekend jolly for 2 consecutive weekends.

As we have discussed, it's an unfortunate situation that he's found himself in and has made a decision which he's felt right for his family and is by no means clearly wrong.

Just because he's an odious man, doesn't mean that he should be hammered for making an understandable decision at a time of great stress, which shouldn't have had any detrimental effect on anyone else.

That saying, he may have strolled into KFC at the services for a take away, it wouldn't surprise me.

[ramAnag]

Of course not, that would be breaking the LAW. But I don't see how this compares with taking the whole family on a weekend jolly for 2 consecutive weekends.

As we have discussed, it's an unfortunate situation that he's found himself in and has made a decision which he's felt right for his family and is by no means clearly wrong.

Just because he's an odious man, doesn't mean that he should be hammered for making an understandable decision at a time of great stress, which shouldn't have had any detrimental effect on anyone else.

That saying, he may have strolled into KFC at the services for a take away, it wouldn't surprise me.

...and if he had done that, would that have changed your view?

Think there are two differences between the ‘weekend jolly’ and the Cummings case imo. The former was completely inessential, in the latter the 265 mile journey was made by two certain carriers.

Andy...I haven’t passed comment on whether he should be sacked, but...it will be very hard for some who haven’t attended the funerals of loved ones, haven’t visited dying relatives, haven’t been within two metres of their children/grandchildren/parents to accept that Cummings is not entirely in the wrong.

P.S. Where the hell is the PM? Do we actually have one other than at PMQ’s? Those are perhaps two bigger questions.

[Ram59]

[QUOTE=ramAnag;39499806]...and if he had done that, would that have changed your view?

Think there are two differences between the ‘weekend jolly’ and the Cummings case imo. The former was completely inessential, in the latter the 265 mile journey was made by two certain carriers.

If he had been shown to put other people at risk, then that is not acceptable, so yes, it would change my view. But non of the media or critical parties have mentioned this.

There wasn't 2 certain carriers, Cummings, suspected he had it, but his wife never actually got the virus and with hindsight, they could have stayed in London. Apparently, the only family they had contact with, was his sister and niece.