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Scott Begbie: Astonishing reaction to Cummings’ breach underlines problems

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's senior aide Dominic Cummings leaves his north London home
Prime Minister Boris Johnson's senior aide Dominic Cummings leaves his north London home

OK boys, forget the Stay At Home message and trust your own instincts instead.

No need to listen to the guidelines drawn up by the people at the top – I mean, they don’t.

Nope, just do as you will, break the lockdown rules, go to your family hundreds of miles away and when you get caught bonnie just say “I don’t care how it looks”.

And if anyone has the temerity to question your actions further, play the card about caring for your kids overriding any need to protect society from Covid-19.

https://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/fp/news/opinion/columnists/scottbegbie/scott-begbie-caution-is-key-in-the-road-to-normality/

If the going gets really hot and heavy, don’t worry. Boris Johnson will say you did nothing wrong and you were being a good parent.

Unlike every other parent in the country who has struggled through the crisis and had nightmares over childcare. They followed the rules and are, therefore, bad parents.

Oh, and let’s not forget the tens of thousands of people who lost loved ones to coronavirus and couldn’t see or hold them before they passed. Couldn’t be at their graveside.

But their needs are less than Dominic Cummings.

The PM’s top advisor was jaw-droppingly reckless in his actions. Driving hundreds of miles suspecting he and his wife had the virus to see elderly parents for childcare broke so many rules it is staggering.

But his arrogant contempt when called to account was nauseating. No regrets, no need to apologise.

This is a man who unflinchingly believes the rules he helped draw up don’t apply to him. They are for the cattle, the herd.

https://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/fp/news/opinion/columnists/scottbegbie/scott-begbie-make-some-noise-for-better-wages/

Astonishingly the prime minister agrees with him. His briefing on Sunday left a very clear message. We’ll do what we like, you do what you’re told.

And with that any faith in his premiership, any notion his government is working in all our best interests, melted away.

It raises other questions too, such as where are the Scottish Tories?

They, rightly, said Catherine Calderwood’s position was untenable when she broke her own lockdown rules. They unleashed a tsunami of anger before Dr Calderwood did the right thing and fell on her sword.

Now their silence over Dominic Cummings is deafening.

This nasty affair underlines the facile, deceitful and self-serving nature of the Tory cabal running Westminster. They will do what they want, free of any sense of what is right and decent, refusing to be held to account by the likes of us plebs.

What more need they do to show Westminster is broken?

 

This article originally appeared on the Evening Express website. For more information, read about our new combined website.