Durham

[Derek Hardballs]

Perfectly acceptable....

Expect Olympic standard gymnastic excuses  

As expected, the dim remain left is all over this non-story.

Firstly, I suggest you read the emergency Regulations both as they were and the current version in force. Here's the old version, which is relevant for our discussion here: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/350/made

Secondly, I will refer you to Regulation 6(2)(d) and Regulation 6(2)(m). The former says (inter alia) that leaving home "to provide care or assistance" is 'reasonable excuse' for the purposes of Reg 6(1). The latter says that leaving home "to avoid injury or illness" is 'reasonable excuse' within Reg 6(1). Both of these apply to the transporting of the Cummings children to be minded by grandparents whilst the parents are ill.

So they could travel two hundreds miles with one or more ill was ok. 
Your suggesting that grand parents should be looking after possibly ill children is ok. Was this not against the rules set out? 

Doesn’t it also state that if both parents are ill they should get in touch with their local authority Hub for support?

Thirdly, the examples in Reg 6(2)(a) to (m) are not exhaustive and they are merely that - examples. There are myriad other situations which could have been deemed 'reasonable excuse'. Therefore, even if the Cummings's behaviour was not reasonable as per Reg 6(2)(d) and (m) I think it is reasonable excuse to take your children to be looked after when both parents have an illness that could prevent them discharging their obligations as parents.

Excuses excuses, millions have abided by the rules set out.

Fourthly, Jenny Harries is on film at one of the briefings saying that if you have adults unable to look after small children, 'That is an exceptional circumstance' such that action to obviate this will be 'reasonable excuse'. 

And Boris Johnson said you should not use your Grandparents for childcare 

Fifthly, guidance issued by the National Police Chiefs' Council and the College of Policing in April said that moving 'between households' is permitted. However, to caveat this, the links to the document are all now dead links so whether this is still seen as permissible is not certain. Even if it isn't, Cummings is still exonerated by all of the foregoing.

This was March and you can’t back your excuses up.

There's really nothing to see here apart from the remain media and the remain left attacking again because they can't get over the fact we've left the EU.

What is to see is you trying to make excuses.

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No this is replying to another reporters story with anonymous quotes from sources close to No10 without any scrutiny whether they are factual or not. The story from No10 has changed since. Your refusal to accept that client journalism exists is up to you but it’s certainly not Trumpian to ask a journalist to not simply become a spokesperson.

No. It is Trumpian 'fake news media' cries when  they report what you don't like and praise media you do. LK is going to report what no 10 sources say as its her job - she isn't saying she believes them but she has to report it as she had to also report the attacks on Cummings. If you are concerned about bias media you would attack the Guardian more often than the Beeb but you complain selectively and attack unbias media. It detracts from the debate and just appears like Trumpish propaganda. If it turns out there are inaccuracies in the Guardian report, will you condemn them as client journalist / fake news? I know you won't. 
I don't just expect the media to report my views and I prefer to hear all sides of the debate including government and opposition sources etc. Saying the Beeb or LK is a government spokesperson when they quote the government sources is typical Trumpishness. If the story from No 10 has changed since and you've seen that it is because that has been reported which is again what you want reporters to do. The inconsistency shows no 10 in a bad light not the 'fake news media'.

Fyi - from Kay Burley on Twitter also Sky News etc also reporting no 10 sources...

No 10: ‘At no stage was he (Cummings) or his family spoken to by the police about this matter, as is being reported.’ https://t.co/u44ddZYUNY

Reporters doing their jobs. What no 10 says may be wrong or what the Guardian says may be wrong but they are reporting both. Not their fault if no10 or the Guardian are wrong/lying.

I don’t think it’s correct to pigeonhole me as an avid Guardian reader who only posts stories from that media outlet. I’ve linked to Telegraph, Mail, Reuter’s, ffs the BBC yesterday (and numerous times previously and not in a negative way), Sky etc over the last six months. Heck I’ve even listened to the Farage show on LBC when working late. 

I don’t rate Kuensberg as a journalist whether she worked for BBC, Sky, ITV etc because she is far too accepting of ‘sources close to’ and repeats their message without scrutiny she has done this numerous times and it’s actually undermining trust in her and the BBC for many people. The point about the screen shot is she is directly replying to another journalists story with what can be read as a rebuttal. Why? By all means repeat what sources say on the BBC to the nation alongside a balanced news article  but it seems very odd to be replying directly to another journalist with a quote from those mysterious sources we have become very familiar with. If a reporters job is just to regurgitate what someone tells them without question then I am mistaken.

Journalist A gets a 'scoop'.

Journalist B then gets a scoop on the scoop by getting a denial.

It's how journalism works and stories unfold. This isn't difficult. It doesn't make LK a 'Tory stooge'. Anyone thinking otherwise is an idiot.

I think I am done with here. There's no football to talk about and the levels of idiocy and bitterness from the usual suspects is on Level 10.

I wish you all well (because I am not bitter or twisted), hope you all stay safe and away from the virus and that we will be celebrating our promotion soon.

The football will be back soon and the main board has music, recipes and nature talk as well. You could just ignore the politics board as many do...

This I side of the board has never been busier for the last three years.