UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Chief Adviser has been facing heat this week after he was caught repeatedly flouting lockdown. However, even more criticism has been heaped on the UK’s press, after several videos emerged of huge swarms of paparazzi photographers defying social distancing guidelines after they clustered together, each attempting to get the best shot.
The photographers have been gathering outside Chief Adviser Dominic Cummings’ home while media coverage of the scandal has been underway. It’s alleged Cummings repeatedly left home and drove hundreds of miles to visit family during the same period he and his political party were telling the public it’s imperative they stay home. At one point, his wife was ill with coronavirus when the family traveled.
https://twitter.com/JasonManford/status/1264836348655042567
https://twitter.com/Jamin2g/status/1264178017867304962
https://twitter.com/DanielJonKnight/status/1264612107452063746
As he faces increasing pressure to resign, Cummings has lashed out at the UK press for their handling of the coverage. Returning to his home one night earlier this week, he told the journalists and photographers they should "stick to the rules." Given the attention that the situation is drawing, there have been numerous occasions in which photographers gathered outside the home have defied guidelines in regards to COVID-19, with many calling out their actions as hypocritical, given what it is they’re reporting on.
Whilst Cummings is a prize prat, it certainly didn’t go unnoticed that the very people trying so hard to stitch him up were breaking the exact same rules he was accused of.
Oh and it’s nice to see one of my favourite photo spots getting in the news at least, just hope it doesn’t attract the ‘gram’ crowd and ruin the place.
Firstly, my newsfeed on my tablet is mainly based around things I’m interested in, not Political bullshit or scandals so I’m well within my rights to say what I want about those rats. Secondly I have zero sympathy for Cummings and I never actually said he was stitched up, I said these people were trying to stitch him up, by the fact they are crowded outside his house jostling for position to try and ask their loaded questions to get him to slip.
I can’t stand conservatives and even less so privileged tossers from upper class farming communities like Dominic Cummings. You completely misread my comment.
I also don’t break rules, or haven’t broke any rules during lockdown, I’m a key worker who has had to go to work in a busy environment each day and so far I’ve managed to avoid catching this virus so I don’t really need a lecture on what the rules are and how to maintain them.
His behaviour was disgraceful; the police say that he did flout the lockdown laws which he helped devise; he put other lives at risk; he lied to the world's media; he won't offer the slightest of apologies. Yup, 'disgraced' just about sums it up.
Mr. Bros I see you make comments on pages and then you never respond to questions. And then you use angry words all the time.
It is very rude And strange. I wonder.. are you here just to throw out youre opinions and not be in a community? Like a spoiled kiddo looking for attention? Or maybe you are a coward? Either way you are lost and I hope you find love and strength! I will pray for you to not be so sad of a person!
With kindness,
Alfie
I've noticed a lot of people's speech patterns change since a certain special someone took office. Seems they're dumbing themselves down (or perhaps not) to ape his Twitter style musings. Always signing off with "sad" or "pathetic". It's a real cult of personality.
Welcome to being part of the MSM witch hunt (also colloquially known as the Cummings Derangement Syndrome), I'd expect a photographic website to steer clear of what's essentially volatile political situation driven by those that hate Cummings and also those who wish to remain in the EU.
The police have vindicated his actions and if you're going to vilify someone please ensure you drag the five labour MPs, 2 SNP members and the 4 Lib Dems some of which breached the guidelines on a far more severe level. Such as some names I can pull off the top of my head:
Frederick Herron
Stephen Kinnock
Vaughan Getting
Tali Ali
Ian Blackford
Then you have Neil Gaiman who flew from NZ.
Add the dozens of reporters/camera crews actually harassing his family and the public protesting outside his house. If you want his scalp you'd better be prepared to take all those, otherwise you'd be as guilty of the same hypocrisy as you're accusing Cumming's of being. From the polls 30% of the population in the UK has breached the guidelines at some point.
Oh and Cummings was cleared by the police, the only breach was a minor transgression for travelling to Barnham Castle. So stop being the judge and jury, that's a very slippery slope. You may hate him but don't trying act as you're the law. He put family first, which was in the Government guidelines pre-dating his journey.
Frankly the naked hatred and biased reporting has been an embarrassment especially when there has been far more important stories this week.
He was talking absolute shit about what he was doing though and surely you aren’t naive enough to believe he was ‘putting family first’? He is just another arrogant privileged tosser who thinks he doesn’t have to live by the same conditions as the rest of the nation.
You can call out whoever you like from the different political parties but let’s not start trying to excuse his actions.
And for the record it’s Barnard Castle, and it’s a great place for photography (I assume that’s why you are on this site)
Just to add the article above is largely sticking up for Cummings and highlighting the hypocrisy of the journalists so not sure you should be ranting at fstoppers for playing judge and jury, read the last paragraph
It reminds me of the TV journalist who recently asked a YouTuber if he thought it was appropriate to be out filming about the impact of lockdown on central London for his YouTube channel. The irony that the TV journalist was doing exactly the same thing was completely lost on them.
Unfortunately, the only thing more hypocritical and self-serving than British politicians are British journalists.
This is true, phone hacking being the major case, and the huge case involving Liverpool fans.
Last line of last paragraph.
"Given the attention that the situation is drawing, there have been numerous occasions in which photographers gathered outside the home have defied guidelines in regards to COVID-19, with many calling out their actions as hypocritical, given what it is they’re reporting on."
The thing I don't understand about paparazzi is how many damned pictures of some guy getting out of a car do you need? What story are you trying to tell? Are you just hoping to get lucky and catch him with an odd expression or something. Maybe you enjoy scrolling through hundreds of almost identical photos of the same subject?
It’s not really a skill is it, being ignorant and aggressive to your peers in order to get some poorly exposured, poorly composed photo to flog to a tacky tabloid.
People love getting sucked into whichever side happens to be currently serving their interests. The Conservative Party are scum, the mainstream media who vilified Corbyn and printed lies about him are scum, and the rest of the Labour Party who'd rather not actually change anything significant about UK politics are scum. And they'll all flip flop and change places like some perverse game of musical chairs, because none of them actually care about politics. The only people really invested in politics are the public, who have no actual control over it.