Hypocrite?

[Lamparilla]

Government minister Robert Jenrick visited his parents during lockdown:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...id-19-lockdown

The local community are delivering food to his parents, but he said he was also delivering medication. Don't they have a pharmacy nearby?

[Ceam]

Not sure he's actually done anything wrong?



Don't forget this is a new paper, Not exactly what I'd call a reliable source.

Certainly not the same as going to a second home or on a joy at a lake etc.

[Lamparilla]

Well I guess the government needs to clarify what is an essential journey.

[Styx]

Not sure he's actually done anything wrong?

Spot-on.

The government’s instructions could not be clearer:

Regarding relatives, the instructions say:

If they are elderly or vulnerable you may leave your house to help them, for example, by dropping shopping or medication at their door.

[Lamparilla]

Perhaps someone could explain what was essential about his trip.

As far as I know he's not a doctor or a dispensing pharmacist, so the medication he delivered was presumably off-the-shelf, and could have been locally obtained by those currently supporting his parents.

[Toodles McGinty]

If there is a single good thing about this whole situation, it is the community spirit and general decency shown to vulnerable people in local areas.

There is a veritable army of volunteers willing to deliver food and meds to folk in virtually every single area of the UK.

So in this respect, yes, I'd say Jenrick driving 40 miles is against government guidelines. And against everything he's said publicly. I assume his parents can be contacted by phone or online, so unless it was an emergency, his journey was unnecessary. Even if it was an emergency, we can't just pop round to our elderly parents, much as it would be our first reaction. My Dad lives half mile away, and I'm dreading him having an emergency, because I can't just go round there. That does make Jenrick a hypocrite.

As much as the Scots CMO just nipping off to her second home when the point about not leaving home has been hammered and hammered into us.

It's an awful situation, and the temptation is there to 'just' nip round to check on our loved ones. It feels so cruel that we can't. But that is no excuse for 'do as I say, not do as I do'.

[said]

If there is a single good thing about this whole situation, it is the community spirit and general decency shown to vulnerable people in local areas.

There is a veritable army of volunteers willing to deliver food and meds to folk in virtually every single area of the UK.

So in this respect, yes, I'd say Jenrick driving 40 miles is against government guidelines. And against everything he's said publicly. I assume his parents can be contacted by phone or online, so unless it was an emergency, his journey was unnecessary. Even if it was an emergency, we can't just pop round to our elderly parents, much as it would be our first reaction. My Dad lives half mile away, and I'm dreading him having an emergency, because I can't just go round there. That does make Jenrick a hypocrite.

As much as the Scots CMO just nipping off to her second home when the point about not leaving home has been hammered and hammered into us.

It's an awful situation, and the temptation is there to 'just' nip round to check on our loved ones. It feels so cruel that we can't. But that is no excuse for 'do as I say, not do as I do'.

An elderly, vulnerable person near us has her daughter or son visit her every day - they are both with the NHS - and if the woman did not get any help she would not eat. On the other hand - a religious woman also in the same neighbourhood has her family visit her every day - for no apparent reason. Since the hire of private charter airflights has increased - it would appear that many are travelling even further afield. You cannot guarantee human behaviour.

[Alikado]

Perhaps someone could explain what was essential about his trip.

As far as I know he's not a doctor or a dispensing pharmacist, so the medication he delivered was presumably off-the-shelf, and could have been locally obtained by those currently supporting his parents.

It's a desparate 'Newspaper Story', they are trying to create something out of nothing.

It occurred before the Lockdown.

The 'Second Home' is his home as opposed to a London Flat.

He was delivering Medicine and Groceries to his elderly parents.

[Lamparilla]

It's a desparate 'Newspaper Story', they are trying to create something out of nothing.

It occurred before the Lockdown.

The 'Second Home' is his home as opposed to a London Flat.

He was delivering Medicine and Groceries to his elderly parents.

Well, the Daily Mail must also be desparate:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-lockdown.html.

It's certainly not nothing - this is a government minister who should be leading by example. His 'second home' in Herefordshire is 40 miles away from where his parents live. As we have already been told on another thread, what if his car had broken down? (By the way, he also has a 3rd home in Newark funded by the taxpayer at £2000 a month, but even the trip to his second home contravened the lockdown).

It occurred during the lockdown on April 4th/5th. The lockdown started on March 23rd.

The local community was already delivering groceries to his parents. What was so special about this medicine? He's not a doctor or a dispensing pharmacist.