No Cummings didn’t cause the lockdown breakdown directly. Cummings is the fly in the ointment for those trying to extend the Brexit transition period. It would appear likely that he stamped on a plan to push for an extension while the PM was in hospital so a private members bill was tabled to do just this and the media have been orchestrated to stir it up and divert attention a few days before the first reading. The second reading is a week Friday and it is ramping up again with accusations over the validity of the planning on the cottage he stayed in no doubt it will be the headline topic next week to divert the goings on in parliament. Only 7% cited Cummings action as motivation the other 93% are just stir crazy and looking for something to do while the shops are shut. Cummings gets things done and his attempts to rid No10 and Whitehall of it’s torpor has trodden on a lot of toes at high levels.
Thank goodness you were paying attention to the real issue! I for one am still in a state of catatonic shock over this C19 fiasco, and was not, (inexcusably) aware of these shenanigans ! Thank you.
The quickly deleted ‘Truth twisters’ tweet from the Civil Service was very revealing. At least one of the permanent members of Government is panicking.
DW
David Waring
3 years ago
The Press appeared eager to entrap DC whilst they in turn flaunted their willingness too breach lock down and also to breach separation rules whilst appearing to threaten the family of someone working at No10.
MD
Michael Dawson
3 years ago
I wonder how many of the 7% who cited Cummings as a reason thought “choosing the Dom Cummings option helps to justify what I did and also embarrasses the government, what’s not to like?”. This is the sort of polling question where no sensible person would believe the answers – I’m only surprised the 7% figure is not higher.
KB
bowkers
3 years ago
Nonsense … let’s start with Durdle Door, move on to Hyde Park,Bournemouth, Southsea and Clacton, stopping at Brighton on the way; don’t try to tell me that the moronic cohorts of society are obeying the government’s requests. Admittedly it would be good if these ‘requests’ were a lot clearer but we are talking of morons.
I think you’ve missed the point. The question should be ‘Did Dominic Cummings _intend_ to cause a lockdown breakdown?’ Did he deliberately release information about a road trip which took place a whole two months before anyone thought to make a fuss about it, and, if so, did he do so in order to use public anger against itself, at a time when teachers were refusing to go back to school and other workers were refusing to leave the house?
Did he, in other words, turn ‘I’m not going back to work, to spite Boris’ into ‘I’m jolly well going back to work, to spite Cummings’?
RS
Roger Stephenson
3 years ago
An interesting article and more generally a timely reminder not to take poll results at face value, but to look carefully at the questions and just as importantly the number of people questioned and the analysis of the data. In regard to the Cummings issue specifically, despite the efforts of the media to keep it going, I predict it will be forgotten and seen as irrelevant within 6 months, let alone by the next election.
NC
Nigel Clarke
3 years ago
The Poll was by yougov too, a left-ish organisation.
It doesn’t matter anymore, the damage was done.
Another interesting point is that 90% reported that they think other people are either not taking the crisis seriously enough, or are taking it appropriately seriously. Only 7% say they think others are taking it too seriously. Again, that doesn’t say to me “lockdown is collapsing”, although it does rather suggest that people are getting the impression that it’s collapsing.
I wonder, where would they get that impression…let me think….oh yes, the media.
I’m not one as I have problems in believing – perhaps because of a long science/engineering background. Having aphantasia probably helps my lack of belief, but has the advantage I can never suffer from PTSD Conspiracy theories are pure BS as far as I’m concerned..
I don’t care what Cummings does and it won’t affect what I do. The rules are hardly logical anyway, but that’s politics. I could drive my car 100 miles and that won’t affect my catching Covid as it’s people that carry Covid not cars. Years ago I used to go fishing which is not only outside but marked by a distinct lack of other people. Banning individual fishing made no sense.
Politics and scienceat at opposite poles of the spectrum. BS gets you nowhere in science, but is very useful in politics
AM
Adrian Maxwell
3 years ago
Old Domo may not be the sharpest tool in the box of life but the desperate attempts of the press to keep the issue front and centre (thankfully waning) are a joke. Down here in the SW most people took not a blind bit of notice of the lock down rules/guidance/good idea etc. D and C’s finest were only interested when the sun shone and they could use ANPR on the M5 southbound.
JB
John Broomfield
3 years ago
Revenge of the Remainers has yet to be sated.
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No Cummings didn’t cause the lockdown breakdown directly. Cummings is the fly in the ointment for those trying to extend the Brexit transition period.
It would appear likely that he stamped on a plan to push for an extension while the PM was in hospital so a private members bill was tabled to do just this and the media have been orchestrated to stir it up and divert attention a few days before the first reading. The second reading is a week Friday and it is ramping up again with accusations over the validity of the planning on the cottage he stayed in no doubt it will be the headline topic next week to divert the goings on in parliament. Only 7% cited Cummings action as motivation the other 93% are just stir crazy and looking for something to do while the shops are shut.
Cummings gets things done and his attempts to rid No10 and Whitehall of it’s torpor has trodden on a lot of toes at high levels.
Thank goodness you were paying attention to the real issue!
I for one am still in a state of catatonic shock over this C19 fiasco, and was not, (inexcusably) aware of these shenanigans !
Thank you.
The quickly deleted ‘Truth twisters’ tweet from the Civil Service was very revealing. At least one of the permanent members of Government is panicking.
The Press appeared eager to entrap DC whilst they in turn flaunted their willingness too breach lock down and also to breach separation rules whilst appearing to threaten the family of someone working at No10.
I wonder how many of the 7% who cited Cummings as a reason thought “choosing the Dom Cummings option helps to justify what I did and also embarrasses the government, what’s not to like?”. This is the sort of polling question where no sensible person would believe the answers – I’m only surprised the 7% figure is not higher.
Nonsense … let’s start with Durdle Door, move on to Hyde Park,Bournemouth, Southsea and Clacton, stopping at Brighton on the way; don’t try to tell me that the moronic cohorts of society are obeying the government’s requests. Admittedly it would be good if these ‘requests’ were a lot clearer but we are talking of morons.
are we talking about the moronic masses, the moronic government or the even more moronic opposition? There seems to be quite a bit to chose from.
You say there was no Dakota Crash. Well, who did I see supporting Half Man, Half Biscuit at Dingwall’s then, eh?
Dave – get yer hedge cut…………
I think you’ve missed the point. The question should be ‘Did Dominic Cummings _intend_ to cause a lockdown breakdown?’ Did he deliberately release information about a road trip which took place a whole two months before anyone thought to make a fuss about it, and, if so, did he do so in order to use public anger against itself, at a time when teachers were refusing to go back to school and other workers were refusing to leave the house?
Did he, in other words, turn ‘I’m not going back to work, to spite Boris’ into ‘I’m jolly well going back to work, to spite Cummings’?
An interesting article and more generally a timely reminder not to take poll results at face value, but to look carefully at the questions and just as importantly the number of people questioned and the analysis of the data. In regard to the Cummings issue specifically, despite the efforts of the media to keep it going, I predict it will be forgotten and seen as irrelevant within 6 months, let alone by the next election.
The Poll was by yougov too, a left-ish organisation.
It doesn’t matter anymore, the damage was done.
Another interesting point is that 90% reported that they think other people are either not taking the crisis seriously enough, or are taking it appropriately seriously. Only 7% say they think others are taking it too seriously. Again, that doesn’t say to me “lockdown is collapsing”, although it does rather suggest that people are getting the impression that it’s collapsing.
I wonder, where would they get that impression…let me think….oh yes, the media.
Surprisingly 60% believe conspiracy theories in the UK
https://www.theguardian.com…
I’m not one as I have problems in believing – perhaps because of a long
science/engineering background. Having aphantasia probably helps my
lack of belief, but has the advantage I can never suffer from PTSD
Conspiracy theories are pure BS as far as I’m concerned..
I don’t care what Cummings does and it won’t affect what I do. The rules are hardly logical anyway, but that’s politics. I could drive my car 100
miles and that won’t affect my catching Covid as it’s people that
carry Covid not cars. Years ago I used to go fishing which is not
only outside but marked by a distinct lack of other people. Banning
individual fishing made no sense.
Politics and scienceat at opposite poles of the spectrum. BS gets you nowhere in science, but is very useful in politics
Old Domo may not be the sharpest tool in the box of life but the desperate attempts of the press to keep the issue front and centre (thankfully waning) are a joke. Down here in the SW most people took not a blind bit of notice of the lock down rules/guidance/good idea etc. D and C’s finest were only interested when the sun shone and they could use ANPR on the M5 southbound.
Revenge of the Remainers has yet to be sated.