This Sunday, the pleasant autumnal peace of golden leaves-a-crunching and a frigid winter wind was shattered for many by the imposition of a shamefully uncritical op-ed in the Guardian, courtesy of the Prime Minister, Theresa May.
“Labour voters should look afresh at the Conservatives“, it insisted, more than somewhat incredibly.
The op-ed is, after the ho-ho-ho-hysterics of May capitalising on her human side by dancing into the Tory conference, another cynical, propagandist measure to place the party in the centre-ground.
That is, to attempt to wipe the – what has been for many – misery of the past eight years of Tory rule, by simply stating that, “no, on the contrary, we’re actually rather moderate”.
As you can probably imagine, or would at least hope from a conscious populace, the replies to this ablution have been absolutely smashing:
Jesus! … if after 8 years of relentless austerity, stagnating wages, the housing crisis, councils going bankrupt, the bedroom tax, Windrush, Grenfell and Brexit, The Observer have joined the rest of the press in supporting the Tories … they must really hate ordinary people. pic.twitter.com/6qpT2cOXkO
— John Spiers (@squeezyjohn) October 6, 2018
— James (@billywillows) October 6, 2018
Unashamedly, May’s blathering propaganda is nought but a bubble wrap of fuzzy feelings and unspecific thin mist serving to add a patriotic, legitimate flavour to one singular, immature sentiment: “Corbyn’s a socialist and stuff have you read the papers he’s a loon and also anti-Semitism! Better vote Tory, really.”
“Millions of people who have supported Labour all their lives are appalled by what has happened to a once-great party under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn”, reckons Theresa.
— Frank Ormston (@Grovesred) October 6, 2018
Besides the usual, abjectly ridiculous, vapid, unicorn-land-of-rainbow-farts, contradictory spasms – “to play a more global role, while also delivering on the domestic issues that matter to people here at home” – May tries her best to sound as though she is saying anything remotely solid while winking to every possible section of the population in what is patently an impossibility.
The NHS, education, ‘the economy’, business, public finances, private finances – much like the famed Oprah episode: “You get a car! You get a car! You get a car!” Did May mention she’s going for the centre ground?
https://twitter.com/AlpineJoe33/status/1048969557082329089
The article is a vacuum. It is bereft, utterly devoid. It is nothing. It’s nothingness is so complete, so utterly intransigent that it is not worth pointing out its contradictions and its glosses, its whitewashing and its inaccuracies.
Indeed, one need simply look here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here for examples undermining the Tories’ newfound claim to moderation.
That is, if one wants something more than mere platitudes to show that, in fact, the modern centrist Tories have wrought havoc on a great many sectors of this country.
Perhaps, though, the Twitterati said it better than we could:
So I looked afresh and saw:
*Homelessness doubled
*4.5m children in poverty
*Wages lower today than 10 years ago
*School funding cut, NHS waiting lists longer, social care cut …
*And making a pig's ear of Brexit pic.twitter.com/6x1yOtrQwL— Andrew Fisher (@FisherAndrew79) October 6, 2018
I saw women's refuges closing, youth clubs closing, firefighters cut, nurse numbers falling, mental health budgets cut, and still they found money for tax giveaways to the super-rich and big business.
— Andrew Fisher (@FisherAndrew79) October 6, 2018
I saw a hostile environment for migrants and British citizens deported, disabled people have their benefits cuts and be subjected to deeply flawed assessments, and a govt pressing ahead with Universal Credit even tho they know it will push up poverty and homelessness even further
— Andrew Fisher (@FisherAndrew79) October 6, 2018
Today a day of shame for Guardian/Observer giving the horrific Theresa May an open platform to pitch as a moderate 120,000 brutal Tory austerity deaths £Bns more cuts to come, Windrush deportations workers eating at foodbanks nurses eating from bins elderly sitting in nappies pic.twitter.com/a6cacVY4nJ
— ARTIST TAXI DRIVER (@chunkymark) October 7, 2018
Last week, celebrity centrist @Baddiel said "How fucking Judean People's Front is it that Corbynistas are campaigning for people to #BoycottTheGuardian?"
This week, Theresa May writes in the Guardian/Observer calling for Labour voters to vote Tory.
There's your answer, David. https://t.co/CuHVPd173Y
— Chuka Umunna's Flip Flops (@WarmongerHodges) October 6, 2018
https://twitter.com/ScouseGirlMedia/status/1048950239544184833
Completely batshit. Their (falling) readership would want an interview grilling, not a press release.
May would never do the former because…
Amazing really. Tories taking piss out of Guardian group and they play along. https://t.co/eAB29wTGIT
— Aaron Bastani (@AaronBastani) October 6, 2018
With help from the @ObserverUK/@guardian, @theresa_may is encouraging Labour voters to 'look afresh at the @Conservatives'. Here is the carnage she wants you to revisit…
Tory austerity linked to 120,000 deathshttps://t.co/uuG21yEiON #GetTheToriesOutpic.twitter.com/qgSnhn20Qb
— The Agitator (@UKDemockery) October 7, 2018
Shameful that the @Guardian runs a front page news story on May's 'austerity is over' con and appeal to @UKLabour voters.
Meanwhile @TheTimes reveals her govt is about to take £200 a month from struggling families on UC.#austerity #universalcredit pic.twitter.com/MzxKIbseAN
— benfolley (@benfolley) October 7, 2018
If you read or write for The Guardian, please don't pretend you don't know that it is a Tory newspaper in disguise:https://t.co/oeZEeiyDyi
— Robin Monotti Graziadei (@robinmonotti) October 6, 2018
https://twitter.com/fraser_farmery/status/1048701137313046530
https://twitter.com/Gabstar11/status/1048701900005302272
— Jon Kershaw (@2jonkershaw) October 6, 2018
— Zoe Osborne (@zozzle76) October 6, 2018
— Comrade Katface (@KatAdams83) October 6, 2018
— Pete Llewelyn (@PeteLlewelyn) October 6, 2018
— Nick Chainey (@NLFG) October 6, 2018
https://twitter.com/otherwiseimok/status/1048843954853203969
— JOE ✪ (@_joebelcher) October 7, 2018
