Partygate fines are a joke for politicians as rich as Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak – Hayley Matthews

So now that the first fines have been issued, I'm finding it hard not to express my utter rage and disgust at the outcome: £50, which to Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak is absolutely nothing.
Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have both been fined £50 for breaking lockdown laws (Picture: Matt Dunham/WPA pool/Getty Images)Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have both been fined £50 for breaking lockdown laws (Picture: Matt Dunham/WPA pool/Getty Images)
Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have both been fined £50 for breaking lockdown laws (Picture: Matt Dunham/WPA pool/Getty Images)

It’s actually laughable that an amount less than what they'd happily fork out on a bottle of wine is deemed an appropriate fine for breaking the law mid-lockdown.

My problem isn't with the partying so much, it's with the leniency towards those that imposed the anti-partying rules. Now I know plenty who didn't listen to politicians demanding "do as I say, not as I do” and that's their choice.

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Maybe they're the wise ones in this. I have to admit I have more respect for those who show common sense above following orders just because the man in Number 10 said so.

But back to my moan, my issue is with the lack of fairness when handing out lockdown fines. For example Andreas Michli, a gym owner who refused to close during the second national lockdown, was fined a massive £77,000.

He was treated like a monster with more than 30 police officers being sent to shut down the Zone Gym. He wasn't boozing behind our backs, only allowing customers to keep healthy.

Compare that fine to the one given to the so-called "leaders" of this country, who knowingly duped us all to stay at home whilst they had a ball. I have to ask the question, does it seem fair? No, it absolutely does not. Does it give the public any faith that we are all treated as equal. No!

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What I see is the message that if you try to keep your business going whilst we tell you to close the doors, then prepare to get punished with a £77k fine. But don't worry if you're a politician having a boozy party in lockdown, you're untouchable! They must think we're all fools. I feel disgusted with the politicians and my disbelief at the unfairness is huge.

Surely by now, people must be wondering what the hell was going on? What were they thinking partying in the middle of a deadly pandemic whilst we’re all being told to stay home to keep our grannies alive?

What made them throw caution to the wind, partying and breathing in each other's germs? What made them behave so recklessly whilst we’re all indoors scared to cough. What made them so sure they wouldn't end up on a ventilator gasping for life after cutting some shapes on the dance floor? It doesn't make sense.

Do they all have some sort of superpower immune system? Did they know something we didn't? I’ve no idea but what I do know is that they're not stupid. They are, however, an absolute let-down but if they go, who are we left with? I can't bring myself to imagine the state of the country in the next few years if those who are running the country can't even adhere to their own advice.

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If I had any weight in running the country, I'd be telling everyone to do the opposite of what the politicians tell you, don't believe they are any more important than you, do what is right for you to live a happy healthy life and go with your common sense.

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