Quote of the day 11th April 2020
Nick Herbert on his visit to flood hit areas of Cumbria
Please note that the post below was published more than ten year ago on 21st November 2009 Nick Herbert MP, shadow cabinet member for the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, was in Cumbria this morning to see the areas affected by the flooding. He writes on Conservative Home about his visit. Here is an extract. I’ve been in Cumbria today to see the areas affected by the floods. I arrived early in Keswick where I met officials from the Environment Agency. Although the river levels had fallen considerably and homes were no longer flooded, the damage to homes had been done. And the water which had got into houses wasn’t just from the river – it was foul water which had risen from the drains. I talked to fire crews who were pumping flood water back into the river, and discovered that they were from Tyne & Wear and Lancashire. They had been called in at an hours’ notice and had been working on the scene ever since, staying at a local hotel. You cannot fail to be impressed by the
Comments
I don't think any travel is entirely free from risk, but there are some categories of travel which it would be extremely difficult to manage without and which are therefore permitted. In the real world some of the potential trips which fall within those categories are more essential than others but at the end of the day you have to run a country on rules and if someone's behaviour is within the rules then it is, frankly a bit out of order to jump all over them as though they had done something which wasn't.
Robert Jenrick's actions in taken essential medicines to his elderly parents and returning from his place of work to his main family home were well within the published travel rules.
We do all have to apply a bit of common sense, which the great majority of the population have been in their behaviour and the great majority of the police have in how they have encouraged oeople to stay safe, which has mostly been done by persuasion - a thousand fines in a country of 60 million people over nearly three weeks is a very small number and does not suggest a lot of heavy-handed policing.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1241649087784591360
The government went down that route almost as soon as he had moved his family from his home in London to his second (or is it his third) home near Ludlow and visited his parents near Telford. Ok, so it was not possible for the medical supply needs of his self isolating parents to be met by any more local family members, their friends, neighbours, employees or the pharmacy delivery service in Shropshire. How lucky we are to be here in friendly and caring West Cumbria at any time but especially now.
But we both do know that getting medicine for people is one of the legitimate reasons to leave your home which has been given in government advice.
The only other thing I have to say about your posts on this subject is that I very much agree with your comment,
"How lucky we are to be here in friendly and caring West Cumbria at any time but especially now.".