Astonishingly racist Times cartoon shows terror of Corbyn’s authenticity

In the run-up to the EU referendum, the ‘leave’ campaign hammered home the message ‘Take back control’, with particular reference to immigration.

Within hours of the announcement of the result, leading leave campaigners were frantically rowing back on the promise that exit would mean ‘control of our borders’, watering it down to meaningless levels or saying outright that free movement would be required for free trade.

Trust in Establishment politicians is at an all-time low – and with good reason.

This week, the Times – now a ‘Murdoch rag’ but still claiming the gravitas and credibility of a ‘broadsheet’ paper – published an appalling, blatantly racist and xenophobic cartoon. The cartoon shows Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn at the helm of the Mersey Ferry (Labour’s conference this week was held in Liverpool) crammed with ‘generic foreign types’, titled ‘Migrant Ferry Across the Mersey’:

EDIT: this image from Twitter shows just how low the Times stooped – mirroring disgusting Nazi antisemitic propaganda:

(Credit to Nick Srnicek @n_srnck on Twitter for finding the image)
End edit

The cartoon is supposed to be an attack on Corbyn’s ‘no false promises on immigration’ statement in his speech to close the conference on Wednesday.

As so often, though, it simply exposes the motives and mindset of the people behind it. The Establishment – in which the Times is embedded as deeply as a tick – is absolutely terrified of Corbyn’s authenticity.

To resort to the basest kind of ‘dog whistle’ propaganda shows just how deeply afraid they are of Jeremy Corbyn’s refusal to treat the electorate as gullible idiots who’ll believe any false promise for long enough for the promisor’s purposes to be achieved.

Corbyn’s authenticity and integrity is a huge part of his appeal, which has made Labour the biggest political party in Western Europe and which – despite constant insistence to the contrary by media and ‘moderate’ politicians – makes him extremely electable.

Dangerously so, if you’re desperate to maintain the status quo. Nothing shines a light on superficiality, artificiality and dishonesty like someone who simply refuses to join in, even under pressure.

The spotlight is well and truly on them now.