All the news recently about partygate has really got me angered. Various events being attended by certain politicians while the rest of us do our bit and follow the rules.  

I lost my daughter Melanie on January 21^st, 2021, and even the day before my contact was limited until we knew that there was a very really possibility that this was our final time together because we followed the rules.  

She was admitted to A& E early on the 20^th while I waited, and I got to briefly see her before she was whisked away for scans etc and had to head home to wait for a call because they were following the rules. 

I was told that she would be moved hospital that day as they had no non covid beds left for her. I was told that when she would get moved, I would get a facetime call with her because they were following the rules.  

I was allowed to visit her while still following the rules.  

I was allowed immediate family to say goodbye because we followed the rules.  

I was able to have my parents with me when we said the final goodbye again, we followed the rules. 

In the days that followed her death we followed the rules.  

No stream of family coming through my house because we followed the rules.  

No interactions with colleagues and friends because we followed the rules.  

Organising a funeral through covid was hard when you follow the rules. 

I had to give a list of 19 other people who would attend – why because we followed the rules.  

The day of the funeral I had to only have a few people in my house before we left because we followed the rules.  

People had to line the street we stayed in and had to stand outside the building at the crematorium again we followed the rules.  

People were counted as they went into the building because we were following the rules.  

I had to stream my daughter’s funeral to those who were not allowed to be inside with me because we followed the rules.  

No one was allowed to carry her coffin because we followed the rules.  

No hugging anyone because we followed the rules.  

No wake or going back to my house with everyone because we followed the rules.  

My daughter did not get a proper funeral because we followed the rules.  

Why did we bother following the rules when it caused so much pain and still does to this day when the Prime Minister and his like couldn’t be bothered to follow the rules themselves what was the point of them then?  

Why did they get special treatment when we had to follow the rules and get hurt in the process while they had fun?  

I know I am only one person and there were many more affected in similar situations by following the rules over that period of time and we all wonder why did we have to go through that?