Monday, July 19, 2021
One rule for them, another for us - again
It is almost as if the Prime Minister had not learnt the lessons from Dominic Cummings breach of lockdown regulations last year. People will apparently tolerate a lot of nonsense from this government but they won't put up with being taken for fools, with rules designed for our protection, being ignored by those in power.
And so the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer are spending England's nonsensical 'freedom day' in isolation, because they were pinged by the Covid app after coming into contact with the health secretary, who is infected.
And so the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer are spending England's nonsensical 'freedom day' in isolation, because they were pinged by the Covid app after coming into contact with the health secretary, who is infected.
I suppose we have to be grateful that they had not already deleted the app, as so many others are doing in the face of rising cases of infection, at a time when the UK government are giving the clear impression they think it is all over.
The Mirror reports that Boris Johnson faces fresh pressure over his 'ping' farce after a top Tory was accused of "taking people for fools" in a car crash interview:
Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi was left reeling from the PM's announcement at 8am yesterday that he would avoid self-isolation, despite having contact with confirmed Covid sufferer Sajid Javid.
After public fury No10 U-turned in two hours and 38 minutes - saying the Prime Minister WILL self-isolate until July 26 at Chequers, the lavish 1,500-acre country estate where he just happened to be for the weekend.
Last night, the Prime Minister tried to claim he had only "looked briefly at the idea" of using a pilot scheme to dodge isolation.
That is despite the fact No10 issued a press release at 8am on Sunday which said, as fact, that he would definitely be doing it.
Yet today Mr Zahawi tried to keep up the fiction, bizarrely claiming the Prime Minister had only "talked about considering" staying out of isolation.
The Vaccines Minister told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The Prime Minister considered whether he would subscribe to the pilot scheme but actually rightly opted for self-isolation."
Presenter Justin Webb interrupted to point out No10 had issued a statement at 8am.
Mr Zahawi replied: "As I said, the PM considered it, and then…"
Mr Webb pressed on, pointing out that was not what the 8am statement said.
Mr Zahawi replied: "And then he quite rightly, er, er, wanted to make sure he sent a very clear message to the nation."
But Mr Webb shot back: "There is a problem here, isn’t there, of taking people for fools.
"Why not simply say look, we thought we could be in the pilot scheme and actually we realise now that a lot of people would be very angry about it so we’re not going to do it?"
Mr Zahawi replied: "Nobody’s taking anyone for fools. Every decision that the PM had to make throughout this pandemic has been a tough decision, there are no neat options here."
He added: "Er, the Prime Minister, yesterday, erm, talked about considering it, and then very quickly realised the right thing to do is to, erm, self-isolate as it sends a very powerful message to everybody."
The PM and Chancellor Rishi Sunak's initial decision to take part in a 'daily contact testing pilot' - available to just 20 organisations - would have seen them take daily rapid tests to allow them to work from Downing Street.
But their hypocrisy was branded 'one rule for them' and a 'Barnard Castle on steroids' amid fears it would have encouraged hundreds of thousands of 'pinged' Brits to ignore isolation rules.
What a mess.
The Mirror reports that Boris Johnson faces fresh pressure over his 'ping' farce after a top Tory was accused of "taking people for fools" in a car crash interview:
Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi was left reeling from the PM's announcement at 8am yesterday that he would avoid self-isolation, despite having contact with confirmed Covid sufferer Sajid Javid.
After public fury No10 U-turned in two hours and 38 minutes - saying the Prime Minister WILL self-isolate until July 26 at Chequers, the lavish 1,500-acre country estate where he just happened to be for the weekend.
Last night, the Prime Minister tried to claim he had only "looked briefly at the idea" of using a pilot scheme to dodge isolation.
That is despite the fact No10 issued a press release at 8am on Sunday which said, as fact, that he would definitely be doing it.
Yet today Mr Zahawi tried to keep up the fiction, bizarrely claiming the Prime Minister had only "talked about considering" staying out of isolation.
The Vaccines Minister told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The Prime Minister considered whether he would subscribe to the pilot scheme but actually rightly opted for self-isolation."
Presenter Justin Webb interrupted to point out No10 had issued a statement at 8am.
Mr Zahawi replied: "As I said, the PM considered it, and then…"
Mr Webb pressed on, pointing out that was not what the 8am statement said.
Mr Zahawi replied: "And then he quite rightly, er, er, wanted to make sure he sent a very clear message to the nation."
But Mr Webb shot back: "There is a problem here, isn’t there, of taking people for fools.
"Why not simply say look, we thought we could be in the pilot scheme and actually we realise now that a lot of people would be very angry about it so we’re not going to do it?"
Mr Zahawi replied: "Nobody’s taking anyone for fools. Every decision that the PM had to make throughout this pandemic has been a tough decision, there are no neat options here."
He added: "Er, the Prime Minister, yesterday, erm, talked about considering it, and then very quickly realised the right thing to do is to, erm, self-isolate as it sends a very powerful message to everybody."
The PM and Chancellor Rishi Sunak's initial decision to take part in a 'daily contact testing pilot' - available to just 20 organisations - would have seen them take daily rapid tests to allow them to work from Downing Street.
But their hypocrisy was branded 'one rule for them' and a 'Barnard Castle on steroids' amid fears it would have encouraged hundreds of thousands of 'pinged' Brits to ignore isolation rules.
What a mess.
