So, The S*n’s latest piece of political ‘reportage’ has seen the light of day. I’ll be referring to The S*n’s political journalism as ‘comic cuts’ from hereon in, so laughable is their latest attempt at being a proper newspaper. The subject, you’ve guessed it, is the ‘unelectable’ Jeremy Corbyn – the same unelectable Jeremy Corbyn The S*n and Rupert Murdoch are terrified might actually be elected.
According to Tory Party Chairman Patrick McLaughlin’s article, voting for Labour and Corbyn is voting for a ‘coalition of chaos’ in which Labour will ally itself with the Scottish Nationalists and Liberal Democrats, despite the fact that both parties have ruled out a coalition with Labour (but not with the Tories). McLaughlin’s piece for the Sun on Sunday has, to put it politely, been overtaken by events even before it was published, never mind afterward.
We’re already in chaos thanks to the Tories!
The fact is that Britain is already enduring significant chaos thanks to the Tories. With it comes no small amount of misery. While May’s minions talk of making a country fair for all, cuts have decimated our NHS. Welfare reform has been slated by the UN as attacking human rights. Under May’s leadership it hasn’t just continued, it’s bitten even deeper.
The ramifications of Brexit are currently too large and too complex for anyone to fully chart until it happens – assuming it does. The result of the referendum wasn’t exactly a landslide, a small percentage deciding (in theory) the future of the UK and its relationship with the EU.
The problem being that, with continuing rumblings about a second referendum, not to mention another referendum on Scottish independence, we have no idea where this is going to lead. And the government’s policies on Brexit are barely extant, let alone coherent or comprehensive.
Brexit and its resulting confusion are May’s political legacy. Welfare reform began during the dark days of Blairism only to become progressively crueller and more hard-line under Cameron and May. DWP boss Damien Green has shown himself little better than Iain Duncan Smith and Stephen Crabb. Much of welfare reform’s chaos, discord and bungling can be laid outright at the feet of IDS. Crabb and Green have done little to improve matters.
The S*n’s political coverage is a joke
Tory Party Chairman Patrick McLaughlin (he of the refreshing honesty about the purpose behind disability benefit cuts and welfare reform) has been either less than frank or is somewhat ill-informed for a senior political figure. Or perhaps The S*n’s political people had scheduled this piece in advance and hadn’t bothered checking if it had been overtaken by events.
So, let’s look through his latest effort and see what pearls of wisdom we can draw therefrom.
McLaughlin begins:
Imagine waking up on June 9 to find Jeremy Corbyn as Prime Minister? It could easily happen thanks to deals made in desperation with Nicola Sturgeon’s Scottish Nationalists and Tim Farron’s EU-loving Liberal Democrats.
They would be the same Nicola Sturgeon who has already ruled out a Westminster coalition with Labour according to the Daily Record, but hasn’t ruled out ‘town hall deals’ with the Tories. McLaughlin, you’ll remember, being the current Tory party Chairman, might be expected to know this. It was in the national media only a couple of days ago, after all.
Tim Farron’s ‘EU-loving Liberal Democrats’ have also ruled out a coalition with Labour, though not with the Tories. This was put into the public domain four days ago by that oh-so-niche publication the Financial Times. Of all the people you might expect to actually read the FT, I’d have thought a Tory party Chairman would have been one of them.
Then there’s this little gem:
Clearly this (a Labour/SNP/Lib Dem coalition) would usher in a new era of higher taxes to fund Labour’s wasteful spending.
Unlike his boss Theresa May, who hasn’t promised a new era of higher taxes. She hasn’t ruled them out, either. Just for clarity’s sake (and assuming she’s still in the job), perhaps she’s waiting until after the election to clarify thing and provide her favoured brand of ‘strong and stable leadership.’ with a new round of ‘austerity’ rises. Then again, perhaps not. Who knows?
And so, on to his next pearl of wisdom:
All of the other parties believe in uncontrolled border and freedom of movement.
Which must be news to UKIP and the BNP. Come to think of it, it’s not a policy subscribed to by the Lib Dems or Labour, either. Not according to their public stance, at any rate. Anyway, there’s plenty more to come, so on we go.
The Conservatives will also stick to our plan to build a country that works for everyone, not just the privileged few.
This too must be news to a few interested parties. Welfare claimants, the sick and disabled, the victims of pensions raids and so on. It might encounter a certain cynicism from anyone noting tax breaks for the better-off and so little having been achieved to tackle tax avoidance by the rich.
McLaughlin’s train of thought isn’t derailed there, however:
Whilst serving in Theresa May’s cabinet I have seen first-hand what a strong and impressive leader she is.
Which is more than a great many people seem to have seen. Certainly not judging by the abrupt shift in polling figures, May’s running away from live TV debates, her election media policy (seemingly to avoid the media unless good press is guaranteed) and her often poor performance against Corbyn during Prime Minister’s Questions.
Come to think of it, that last one might explain her seemingly chronic fear of any debate or public engagement that isn’t rigorously scripted and choreographed well in advance. Judging by her performances in Parliament, it seems improve isn’t her strong suit.
But the threat of him getting into Downing Street, propped up by the SNP and the Liberal Democrats is very real. He has already said he would do a deal with other parties to get into government.
I think we’ve covered this ground already. Rather more accurately than Patrick McLaughlin, by the looks of it.
