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Your support makes all the difference.Dominic Cummings is totally right to take his child to caring relatives and to go for a walk thereafter. We're all finding lockdown difficult but he's had an exceptionally heavy burden, with national responsibilities, a sick wife and a young child to care for whilst not being well himself. Critical journalists need a kick up the backside.
Betty Harris
London N1
Integrity
I have just seen a rare sign of integrity in government.
Douglas Ross has resigned his ministerial position in protest at the craven support of other ministers and the PM for the unelected adviser Dominic Cummings, who clearly feels he is so special that he can ignore the government advice he has helped create.
He refuses to resign or even apologise, merely excusing and justifying himself and is backed up by Boris Johnson, who is so in his thrall he won’t (or maybe can’t?) dismiss him.
While it will no doubt cost Ross politically under the current toxic regime, hopefully in future he will again be able to bring this unusual and scarce degree of honesty and integrity to the service of not only his constituents but the country as a whole again.
Mike Margetts
Kilsby
Ignored
I am 77, living on my own, deemed vulnerable by the NHS due to two previous mini strokes. My wife, who I’ve been married to for 56 years, is in a nursing home, understandably in lockdown with extreme Alzheimer's. She is immobile, unable to speak, read or write. She requires 100 per cent total care including feeding, changing, washing.
I have not seen her for eight weeks. Previously I visited and sat with her four or five times a week.
I am trapped within my four walls, not seeing anyone, not talking to anyone face to face. I am not receiving updates from the NHS on staying in, with no information on what happens at the end of my 12 weeks.
Like many people, not just the elderly, I feel neglected, ignored, lonely and cast to one side. The pressure on mental health must be a major issue for many as well as me.
We cannot drive to Durham and choose whether we follow instructions and advice. Grief, loss and depression are being dismissed by the authorities as unimportant.
Nigel Barnacle
Address supplied
Impressive efforts
A lot of people have expressed misgivings over the government’s handling of the Covid-19 outbreak, but I must say how impressed I’ve been with the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. It seems as though nothing was too much trouble for Boris Johnson and his ministers to protect the position of Dominic Cummings.
Julian Self
Milton Keynes
Getting away with it
Should I end up in court charged with driving under the influence I shall explain to the judge that I was just testing whether I was safe to drive. Bound to get off then!
Judy Marris
Bath
#NotGoodEnough
I am a big Louis Theroux fan, I have seen all his documentaries and have been really enjoying his new podcast. However, I think he should have handled the interview with Rose McGowan better. Throughout the interview, he did not let her fully explain her points on sexual assault and Harvey Weinstein. This became more and more frustrating as the interview went on. As this women recounted her story of rape and sexual assault, Theroux would reply with dictionary definitions, talking about Jimmy Savile (as though he wanted her to excuse his guilt rather than talking about her experiences), or trying to be the devil’s advocate.
I believe it is important to see both sides of the story and really delve into the motivations and feelings of the parties involved. However, when it comes to sexual assault and rape, this can never be justified. It felt like Theroux was doing what so many other men have done for years when women talk about sexual assault, which is talking down the seriousness of the problem, and not really hearing the women who have experienced serious trauma.
In the episode with Lenny Henry talking about racism he didn't do this, so why to McGowan? It felt like a broken record not taking sexual assault on women seriously.
Caroline Maggs
Address supplied
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