The BBC has glossed over May’s disastrous capitulation this week, eventually mentioning her cowardly decision not even to contest opposition amendments to the Tories’ Budget bill – only the third time in UK history a government has failed to get a Budget through Parliament intact – but has not touched on its wider significance.
But to its credit, ITV’s main news bulletin did:
(Video courtesy of Dev Raval. Subtitles by SKWAWKBOX)
The broadcaster told it as it is: Theresa May sits in Downing Street, but she has lost her ability to govern.
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No mention of this in The Guardian today.
They, as the voice piece of an unofficial Centrist grouping, don’t want to know about things that make the possibility of a Corbyn-led government more likely.
Ice burgh , what Ice burgh , we see no ice burgh , carry on , move along , nothing to see here ,,,that is all.
And yesterday’s Guardian headline was “May bolstered for Brussels trip’ or some such nonsense. The Guardian is deeply invested in a Blairite conspiracy to make Ramsay Mac look like a loyal socialist.
Don’t get over-excited. The Tories won’t collapse because of this episode of the shit-show. It’s been a shit-show since Cameroon devised a mickey-mouse referendum to buy off the Brexit Loopy-Lu’s … and it won’t be because the Guardian takes its usual line and the BBC is timorous.
Unfortunately, even given the usual antagonism of the MSM, the plain fact is that Labour currently has no distinctive alternative position (on Brexit) from which to garner greater support as a focus for pushing the Tories. As predicted, this leaves the Tories with the initiative – despite these defeats in the Commons.
I have been saying for a year that ITN is much better than the BBC, funny and feisty, far more sceptical. . It is difficult to get much worse than the BBC of course. It is the Conservtiver Government’s mouthpiece as has often been the case in the past (I was a BBC PRO for 6 years) .. Note : May’s wiothdrawal agreement press conference how May called first on ” Laura”, and second on “Tom” (from the Sun! ) She is surviving on spin and a prayer ,while showing the temporary7 resilience that Corbyn has been showing for three years, while fighting off the whole of the MSM including the Grauniad and the rightwing PLP.. Oh they have a lot to answer for. BBy the way Steve, could you not do some analysis of the rather questionable readership and reach and subscription figures claimed by the Grauniad worldwide?
‘…The ‘zombie PM’ must call a general election for the sake of the country – and if she will not, Labour must table a motion of no confidence in her government to force one.’
Re: Calling a General Election
She can’t, even if she wanted to. Thanks to a brilliant piece of legislation called Fixed Term Parliaments Act. The Conservatives risked it once and they lost their majority. They wont make the same mistake twice.
Re: A motion of no confidence
That will be a long shot. Yes, the Conservatives are divided, but not enough to vote against their own government. The antagonists don’t even have the numbers to mount a successful palace coup. We are not sure about support from our Blairite faction who can easily be bought to replace the suddenly irritating (to the government) DUP. So the arithmetic is not on our side at the moment.
The DUP have no reason to support the Tories, if the Tories are out the DUP get to keep their Billion no questions asked, an action of the previous administration which can not be taken back. Brexit cancellation means they do not upset their voters that voted for remain and can blame the Failure of Tory Brexit on the Tories. No problems with border or breaking the Union. It is in the DUPs interest to drop the Tories in the pooh. Especially as the Tories had already betrayed them even on the No Deal Brexit which includes the Backstop the Tories put through already. Hitting the reset button by causing a general election makes perfect sense for the DUP.
I think you misjudge the DUP: what motivates them above all else (truly their raison d’être – and it’s in their name) is to keep NI part of the UK, separate from the Republic. They are well aware that a Corbyn-led Labour government would be less sympathetic to this than is the current, or would be any, Tory administration. So they will huff and puff as much as they can, but when the chips are down they are not going to precipitate a General Election that will risk a Labour govt.
But a corbyn led govnt will keep NI permanently in the union. But notice how they have aligned themselves to the brexiteers who are happy to create a hard border to the republic. This conveys their real agenda. (Many are still fighting ‘popery’)
£520,000 handed over.
sorry 520 million