So many of us have made huge sacrifices in following the lockdown rules over the last couple of months. We have missed seeing loved ones, missed saying good bye to those we cared about at funerals, missed celebrating birthdays, anniversaries and even new births with those we love and missed caring for those who needed it. It is right therefore that we feel angry and let down when we hear that those involved with setting the rules and communicating them may have broken those rules themselves.
I’ve never met Mr Cummings or even ever been in the same room as him. I’ve just seen some of the same news reports that you have. There are question marks over the facts and accuracies of some of the reporting but it’s clear he did travel up to Durham for childcare reasons. There’s plenty of discussion about whether that was allowed in the letter or the spirit of the restrictions.
There are some people who will just take this as another opportunity to attack Mr Cummings no matter what whilst others will always jump to his defence. It’s clear that some people are just sadly using this episode to attack the Prime Minister and the Government they have never backed.
These past few months have been a very challenging and emotional time for all of us and I really do think we need to show compassion, understanding and kindness for others, particularly those we disagree with, as we all try and come together as a community to recover from this deadly Covid Pandemic.
Finally, I fully acknowledge that the perceived hypocrisy of the rule makers potentially threatens the success of any future measures we may need to introduce if there is a second wave of Coronoavirus here in the UK. We must have confidence that we are doing the right things for the right reasons and that we are all truly in it together. For that reason I believe Mr Cummings’ position is now untenable.
Take care and stay safe.
Jason
