It's 530 in the morning so it's time for a hot take while you're mostly all still in bed.

There's a lot of anger about Cummings, and rightly so. There's also, though, a sense of 'he broke the rules and I *didn't* - it's not fair!' and I just want to remind you of something:

The reason you didn't break the rules, and continue not to break the rules, is *not* because they are the rules, and you love rules, not in most cases I don't think anyway.

It's because you want to keep yourself, families, and even strangers, safe.

The reason you've made these awful, difficult, even heartbreaking decisions, isn't, in most cases, because you're scared of breaking the rules.

It's to keep yourself and others safe.

And I don't want you to forget that.

Compare yourself to Dominic Cummings, a man who doesn't care one jot about his four-year-old child, actually, else why would he bundle them into an enclosed space like a car for several hours with an infectious person?

A man who doesn't care two hoots about his parents, else why would he bring them a child who at least acted as a fomite, and was probably even infected themselves, to look after? Or his sister or whoever it actually was in that impossible-to-make head or tail of story.

A man who doesn't give a fig for the people of Durham, or the people filling their cars at the petrol stations whose pumps he or his infectious wife touched on the way up.

A man who doesn't even care for his own family, let alone the families of others.

But you?

You've followed the rules (or even gone beyond the rules) even when it was difficult, even when it was heartbreaking, because you believed, and still believe, it's dangerous not to, for you and for others.

I see you. I see you wearing a mask NOT to protect yourself but to protect other people. I see you not leaving your tiny flat even for a walk because you don't want to bring a virus back to the elderly parents with whom you live.

I see you fighting against schools reopening when you don't even have children yourself because you know it's unsafe. I see you avoiding a small gathering you really want to attend because you have no way of knowing if 'social distancing' really works indoors.

I see you not even going to the supermarket as you can't be sure it's safe and you're a single parent and if you died, who would have your kids? I see you disinfecting parcels and wondering if it's over the top, but also worrying what would happen if your toddler touched them.

So I just want to remind you, and I hope you don't mind but I think it's important, that you're not 'obeying the rules' because you're a 'mug', as I've seen bandied about today.

It's because you're a far better person than Dominic Cummings ever could be.

Bloody hell, I’ve never had a tweet have this much response before. I’m a very small account so I’m nervous of ‘pile ons’ and so on. But you’ve all been nice.

I don’t feel it would be appropriate to promote a soundcloud or anything but I do have a few little things to say.

1. Please consider writing to your MP. Not so much about Cummings, though I understand the anger and wanting him gone (I do too fwiw). But about #TestTraceIsolate. Until we have a vaccine it’s the only way to make things a bit safer. (See @devisridhar’s feed, she’s an expert.)

2. Off-topic but hugely important to me. Content warning for cancer.

You can still get womb cancer even if you are still having periods. Any unexplained or heavy bleeding PLEASE remember these five words: “could it be womb cancer?” It probably isn’t, but ask anyway. Please.

I’m struggling to keep up with replies so please don’t feel offended if I don’t like or reply to yours, I do really appreciate all the kind comments.

xox

I do wonder — was I unfair to say Cummings didn’t care about his kid (as he put them in a car with someone infectious)? I think, oh maybe he didn’t know at that point how easily it spread in close quarters.

Except — he was on SAGE.

(Who knows. Besides the point anyway.)