Forum Topic

Mystery of disappearing & reappearing cars

I've parked my car in the same residents parking bays for years and recognise the other cars who use the same bays. From 23/3 these cars disappeared until last Monday when lockdown was relaxed, these cars have reappeared ! Although a couple did returned for short periods during lockdown.My question is were some Chiswick residents knowingly breaking lockdown ?I don't know the answer but perhaps others do.

Loraine Pemberton ● 2354d36 Comments

I know at least half a dozen local people  who drove to spend lockdown in their second homes.

Sean Wales ● 2354d

Known, I believe, as 'Doing a Dom'.

Ken Munn ● 2354d

The 'Cummings' defence! Not that they'd have known that at the time. To be really convincing they must now be seen ostentatiously carrying a child's bike and other paraphernalia in and out of the back of their car.

Peter Evans ● 2353d

Why don't you just mind your own business.

Michael Brown ● 2353d

For once, I agree with Michael.

Richard Greenhough ● 2353d

Second Homes

Bernard Allen ● 2353d

feels a tad 'stasi' this thread.

Matthew Swain ● 2353d

Maybe they'd started driving to work rather than using public transport? I assume you'd only been going out once a day to check up on them?

Rob Reynolds ● 2353d

Stasi, official name Ministerium für Staatsicherheit (German: “Ministry for State Security”), secret police agency of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). The Stasi was one of the most hated and feared institutions of the East German communist government.

Bernard Allen ● 2353d

Or just plain old nosey neighbour

Jayne Thorburn ● 2353d

The legislation restricting your freedom to leave where you came into force at 1pm on March 26th as far as I know. See http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/350/madeWhether the prime ministers 'instruction' on March 23rd had any legal status before March 26th I don't know.

Andrew Jones ● 2353d

Meant to say "to leave where you live came into force ...

Andrew Jones ● 2353d

I agree with you Michael. Nosey  busybodies.

Richard Kay ● 2353d

Pitchforks available from B&Q.

Gordon McDonald ● 2353d

This thread is horrible! Please don’t gang up on her.

Georgina Flint ● 2352d

Agree Georgina.

Janice Evans ● 2352d

It was much better when we all had paper tax discs and parking permits so we could report our neighbours when they expired (the permits, that is)!

Peter Evans ● 2352d

Good news Peter. It can now be done from the comfort of your armchair:https://vehicleenquiry.service.gov.uk/

Paul Scullion ● 2352d

Ha, don't think the intention was to report anyone, just pointing out what has been going on, everywhere.

Janice Evans ● 2352d

Agree Janice. It’s a simple observation.

Georgina Flint ● 2352d

I might well wonder if they’re my neighbours, but I think the mistake possibly is posting on here . Bound to end in tears. So many things do 😉

Maggie Dodge ● 2352d

Most people with a 2nd home or access to one - disappeared to it. New daily cases were high in London and almost zero where they have their homes. So duh?No,  new cases are effectviely zero in London but exploding in 2nd home land these people are returning.The reason they have 2nd homes in first place is becuase they are rich and successful. They didn't get rich and successful by working for the collective good so why should they start now?Everyone for themselves. Isn't that the goverment policy anyway?

Richard Potts ● 2352d

Loraine, it's all my fault.In future I will park my Rolls Royce Phantom elsewhere.👻My apologies.

Adrian Irving ● 2352d

Firstly, thank you so much Georgina and Janice, as you both rightly identified I made an 'observation' not a judgement and certainly wasn't being nosey or a busy body with any intention of reporting anyone! Secondly, Adrian wasn't you who started the nastiness but the Resident Conspiracy Theorist. Thirdly, to those who who've been unpleasant and insulting, may I request that you read my post again and perhaps enlighten me as where and why I've been a nosey busy body - I observed something over a period of time and commented about what I'd observed. Strange though that quite a few Forumers have pilloried Dominic Cummings for doing what quite possibly some Chiswick residents may have done, maybe I'm wrong about that, but who knows... Once again thank you Georgina and Janice, and I thank you Adrian for your humour 🤗

Loraine Pemberton ● 2352d

I don't suppose those forumers who have "pilloried" Cummings (to adopt your slightly exaggerated term) have themselves breached the lockdown regs. Hypocrisy is the prerogative of the political class!

Robert Fish ● 2352d

Robert,Thank you for your invaluable contribution 😉

Loraine Pemberton ● 2352d

Loraine,You asked originally "My question is were some Chiswick residents knowingly breaking lockdown?"Were you referring to those Chiswick residents whose cars mysteriously disappeared from your cark park or Chiswick residents in general?If it's the latter, then of course some Chiswick residents have knowingly broken lock down rules, if it's the former, then you are one of the best people placed to make this call surely (obviously the residents whose cars you mentioned could be in an even better place to answer the question you posed)?Or was it a rhetorical question?

Andrew Jones ● 2352d

Loraine, I now realise that you don't necessarily use a car park as you mentioned residential parking bays in your post, which could mean on street parking rather than off street parking as I'd assumed, but essentially my questions in my previous post remain the same. Sorry that I've muddied the waters slightly.

Andrew Jones ● 2352d

AHA

Julian Pavey ● 2352d

AndrewI park in a Residents Parking bay in CC area 95% in the same road. I started my thread because from the position of seeing the regular cars being parked just pre lockdown and subsequently noticing they had disappeared after lockdown, then reappeared after the relaxation, although 2/3 cars reappeared then disappeared over the c.7 week lockdown period. Whilst I don't support Dominic Cummings actions, I'm not sure I can condemn them either, especially if Chiswick residents have also broken lockdown rules. I was making an observation and asking for feedback, but certainly didn't expect some of the nasty comments I received. I hope that answers your questions.

Loraine Pemberton ● 2352d

Devon and Cornwall said quite categorically that they didn't want second home owners driving down to stay.  The police were checking.However I too reckon a lot of people disappeared before the Easter hols.There's a Somerset hospital closed now because of the virus.  Just because it is better here doesn't mean it is in the rest of the UK.

Philippa Bond ● 2352d

I feel a lot of this griping about people going to their 2nd homes for lockdown is driven more by envy than anything else.In fact, we should be thanking all these people who shot off to holiday homes in UK and abroad at the start of the lockdown. If you think it through, we all (at least in Chiswick) benefitted.Why?Positives:1. In March the virus was rampant in London. Super-spreaders back from their ski trips & frequent flyer business trips were importing Covid with gay abandon. It is likely that a large % of these people own 2nd homes & are the type of people to think they couldn't possibilly have it & would get out of London so they couldn't get it. So getting rid of them to the provinces meant less super-spreaders in Chiswick and London - so less risk for us and less pressure on the NHS here.2. Less rich people in Chiswick also meant there was less queuing for shops like Mackens etc. Yes, I know the queues were large but imagine getting things like.. houmus had they stayed?3. Less people - especially these people - made London a nicer placer to be. Anyone not think it was nicer?4. These people are above rules as we have seen. Can you imagine them staying in London and not having parties/gatherings and not going out when it suited them? This would have meant the R number staying up and it taking much longer to be where we are today. (not the deaths but the lower infection rate)Negatives:None for us.For the provinces, who had little to no Covid in March, the infection rates exploded. Mainly due to people bring the virus in and sadly thousands died. So, if I was a 2nd home owner I'd be feeling pretty pleased with how clever I was to leave London when the virus was shooting up and then leaving the Provinces when it started shooting up there.And we should thank them for helping keep us safe.

Richard Potts ● 2352d

Hi Loraine, thanks for the reply.I thought there was something else behind your original post ... I thought there was a little bit of "let him who is without sin cast the first stone" about it.Overall, over the years I probably find myself disagreeing with you more than I find myself agreeing with you, but this time round I broadly find myself thinking similarly to you. I don't support his actions, but, taking what he said at face value, understand them, and (giving him the benefit of the doubt) don't see them as meriting the sanction that some people are asking for. My caveat is that I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt - the whole trip to Barnard Castle seems a little bit far fetched but maybe it's true.I think he did break the rules and made a misjudgement but if you're worried about your child I suspect you're not always able to make the best possible decision. That's just me - in this case there doesn't seem to be a right and a wrong answer, just different shades of grey.

Andrew Jones ● 2352d

“Maybe it’s true”. That is funny. But you are right. Every scenario however tenuous has some positive degree of probability. Just a very small one in this case. As evidenced by Gove bursting out laughing on LBC this morning when he tried to lie that he goes driving with his wife to check his eyesight.But the most laughable thing about this whole thread is the implied premise  that if some unknown neighbours of Loraine from the flat above Subway did it then it is totally fine for the Special Advisor to the PM to do it. He should have included that in his address to the nation from the “rose garden”. That would have called off the wolves. “I’d also like to point out that Loraine from up above the Subway in Chiswick has noticed that some of her neighbours’ cars have been mysteriously missing since just before the lockdown only to suddenly reappear just after the lockdown with a few coming and going in between which rather proves that I am a man of the people after all.”If only Mr Ferguson had sought the expert advice of the PR society of Chiswick.

Paul Campbell ● 2352d

Hope DC is sure he didn’t get done for speeding on the way back from Durham. If he did, he’ll have to take the points himself.By the way, I’m no fan of DC, I just don’t think he’s so arrogant he believed/believes the rules didn’t apply to him. I think he should have offered to resign, but I’m not upset that he didn’t. Plenty of managers in the world don’t admit when they’re wrong even when they realise or know they are. It stinks, but that’s how things can be I think. None of this means I’m right of course, and I totally understand the anger of a lot of people who have made their individual sacrifices.

Andrew Jones ● 2352d

I think it is selfish to wish the virus on others which is what you are doing by  being so happy that there are people who have taken off to their second homes.Why do you think that there are people who are increasingly anxious that they can't visit their elderly parents or help with their grandchildren's care?This impacts on their children working.  Children who may be teachers and hospital workers - who are working now and have been working throughout the lock-down.Btw wasn't it Jenny Harries who told couples to make the decision to move in together?  So it won't just second homes.

Philippa Bond ● 2352d