The SNP MP, suffering now from a massive media pile-on (above), who headed home may have been following instructions from the Westminster authorities.
Last BBC Newsnight reporter, Lewis Goodall, shared this extract from an email sent to MPs by the parliamentary authorities:
Ferrier had earlier protested the pressure to return to Parliament following the statement by the Commons Leader, Rees-Mogg, that they needed to retrun to ‘set an example’ and to facilitate the passing of laws.
While Ferrier’s actions were undeniably misjudged risky, is it possible that she, perhaps affected by ‘brain fog’ many report, then panicked and fled for home, unable to think of any better plan?
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/hamilton-mp-who-breached-covid-22778187
Talking-up Scotland / Scottish media fact checking is like shooting fish in a barrel 
It would be interesting to know when the Westminster advice to MPs was made. Why is it not surprising. Why were MPs told to return to Westminster in the middle of a pandemic?
Margaret Ferrier very likely then followed advice given by the EngGov and went into auto mode, get home to self isolate. The brain fog side effect rendering people unable to do normal tasks. The health issues are
wide and varied from covid, I read that there are 62 identified health problems which can affect people with covid.
Have the BBC and STV and the rest if the BritNat media headlined this yet?
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If you are ill, you aren’t thinking straight – so many conflicting instructions make it difficult to make a proper decision. That’s what I first thought, and still do, about her behaviour. The support was not there for her when she needed it. But, it still comes down to her, as an MP, making the wrong decision that will influence public behaviour. That some public officials are punished and some are not, makes the message less clear – should her punishment been so harsh – no. That puts across the message that it is one rule for the favoured, and one rule for the rest of us plebs (which is what Margaret now needs to consider herself as) – there is no evidence she was taking a gung-ho attitude, she was put in an awkward position and made the wrong decisions, something easily done while ill.
Few politicians appear to know anything about infection control, and few seem to have bothered to learn – THAT is the worst message, people should have been educating themselves better by now, to get a basic understanding, but why should they bother when politicians themselves aren’t? The punishment, as it is normally for poor behaviour – alcohol problems, racism etc – should have involved rehabilitation, that is, education. Dumping someone unceremoniously without support, when it was the lack of support partially to blame in the first place, does not – to my mind – put the correct message out there. Everyone agrees she did wrong – were there mitigating circumstances? Does she deserve to be hanged without trial just because she admitted guilt? What message does that put across? Never admit to wrongdoing, never be transparent and truthful, never be honest – you will suffer if you are.
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On Ferrier the issue is travelling while in the test twilight zone… that’s where the big judgement failure was.
But what I’d like to highlight is an anomaly in the advice if the first part hadn’t happened.
I’m travelling (alone) later this week (providing I’m symptom free) to see family in Scotland. Renting a car to get there and a cottage for a few days so we can meet outside.
What happens if I develop symptoms while there?
Am I meant to quarantine in my accommodation and overstay my booking by at least a week? Or am I meant to travel back home to quarantine with the risk that involves?
For reference on MPs advice too (not wholly the same circumstances to Ferrier): https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/mp-took-train-london-north-22104937
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No – She travelled to London while awaiting the result of the test.
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Brain fog?
Pressure to attend?
Wrong call I agree
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She claims that she began feeling better.
Did this make her think she didn’t have Covid , safe to go to WM.
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Taking a chance the test negative? Still doesn’t look good.
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It’s really hard not to see family of friends, but for now, is it a good idea to travel and stay miles away from home? A personal choice, but imo, not a good idea right now, definitely not, as numbers are really going up in England and have jumped up in Scotland since universities reopened.
As for isolating if you have symtoms while in Scotland, not sure what the advice would be, pay for another 2 weeks of holiday cottage hire if it’s not already booked? to be able to go into quarentine seems the likely best option. I know the ScotGov have introduced a fund for those who are having to self isolate, though have not read any details and expect it’s just for Scottish residents.
The er ‘Mirror’ get no click bait from me, another nasty Tory rag posing as somehow of and for the people.
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It would not have mattered had Ms Ferrier done everything by the book, and with personal instructions for what to do from Jason Leitch, Sir Patrick Vallance and Chris Whitty. Because she is an SNP MP, there would still have been calls for her resignation and a pile-on by Unionist politicians.
Regardless of the rights and wrongs, there is one rule for the SNP and a totally different rule for the Unionist parties and we had better acknowledge this.
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Yes but the pile on is also from the SNP itself.
I may be wrong because i haven’t been following this in depth but she has been kicked out of the party, that should be enough. Surely it is between herself and her constituents whether she stays on as an MP, which is her right. To try and intimidate her because they (of all persuasions) don’t like the rules is underhand. Can’t help thinking that for the SNP this is a massive distraction from Peter Murrell.
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As the toffs say, here here! Or is it ha ha!
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The unfortunate thing is she had felt unwell and had a test before leaving for Westminster. She had felt a bit better but the rule is to stay put until the result is given.
Had she felt unwell after arriving at Westminster then the advice given by the authorities there would have been OK.
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Still human confused, panic?
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Sorry, but the WM instruction to MPs does not constrain itself to WM. The term “home” could equally apply to her London accommodation or her permanent address in Scotland wherever symptoms first arose.
Her arrogance in knowingly breaching the SG rules was followed by a series of subsequent breaches for which there is no excuse whatsoever.
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Arrogance? Not sure we know that.
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She knew what the rules were and deliberately breached them, one after the other…
What would you call that?
A run of bad luck ?
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Stupid?
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She began to feel better, probably assumed she didn’t have Covid.
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BBC GMS DRoss Westminster to invest in Scottish Ports create jobs, Grow Windpower.
Next up.
Nicola Sturgeon’s “Circuit Breaker” to close down Scotland’s Hospitality Industry.
Call Kaye’s morning Moanin
Linda Bauld the Circuit Breaker is more effective when the “R number” is lower so it should have been brought in earlier.
Kaye would you bring in a Circuit Breaker in now.
LB. I would give it a bit longer to see how things go. Plus the Scot Parliament haven’t had enough time to discuss.
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Westminster to invest in growing wind power lol…creating jobs? For who?! Most jobs would go to anyone not Scottish we know that for a fact. Get the EngGov away and out of interfering in Scotland in any way whatsoever, they had 300+ years and kept Scotland poor and now are taking the absolute rip out of the people of Scotland, how bloody dare they.
Btw way are the EngGov going to get that amazing 5G they promised up and running in Scotland which is a reserved power, and er the Scottish government once again, have had to plug the huge gap because WM have no intention of investing in infrastructure unless it benefits their bank accounts. Also what about the ‘national’ grid, now owned by the US, another reserved WM power, to make a pun, 🙂 where they are investing in upgrading the system, in England, not in Scotland. More wind or anything power is no good if the old worn out system can’t handle it!
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https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/18478480.darlington-mp-explains-225-mile-journey-home-coronavirus-symptoms/
“AN MP has explained why he travelled from London to the North-East by train after displaying coronavirus symptoms.
Peter Gibson, MP for Darlington, revealed he had travelled from London in March to self-isolate at home in a statement on social media on Saturday.
The Northern Echo asked Mr Gibson to explain the circumstances further after a reader got in touch to say they were “completely shocked” by his statement.
Mr Gibson said he first came down with a cough on March 18, before the lockdown, while working in parliament.
He said: “I was coughing for a period of about an hour. I became concerned that I might have the virus so I contacted the MPs coronavirus helpline. I explained my symptoms and the advice given was I should isolate for a period of seven days.
“I said I’m in London, I don’t have accommodation, I’m staying in the spare room of a friend’s flat. What am I going to do?
“I was advised if my normal mode of transport was the train I should use that but should isolate and keep myself to myself, which is what I did.
“I came home and self-isolated in my house, away from other members of the household, eating alone, using a separate bathroom. I did that for seven days.”
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Brain fog? is he still an MP?
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One rule for Labour, Tory etc, another for the SNP. Have the media had a field day with a witch hunt agianst him as they have with M. Ferrier? Or has he been able to explain in full the circumstances and that’s all OK then nothing to see here, move on people…
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Wandering about like there was no tomorrow. Not following guideline. For some there would be no tomorrow. Unforgivable. Penance.
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Giving a 5 minute speech on the constituents health. While spreading the virus.
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