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Hunt’s massive fail with ‘euthanasia’ tweet aimed at pensioner vote

Yes, his team really did let him tweet that
Jeremy Hunt’s leadership campaign message – with just a tiny SKWAWKBOX tweak

One of the big political lessons of the past few years is that Tories just can’t do social media – and their unsuccessful attempts to do so have been a persistent source of embarrassment for them and hilarity for the rest of us.

Jeremy Hunt’s latest contribution is little different – or at least, older UK citizens will be hoping that’s all it is.

Hunt tweeted, presumably unintentionally, a sinister-sounding message that, as one respondent observed, sounded more like an ad for the Swiss euthanasia service Dignitas than a political pitch. It invited a huge response pointing out that, with the Tory record of ‘social murder’ linked to 130,000 or more deaths of vulnerable people, a threat to the UK’s elderly would be anything but out of character.

The response was enormous: Hunt’s post was “ratioed” at around 13:1, with around 3,200 responses at the time of publication compared to only 257 retweets – usually considered a reliable sign of a disastrous tweet.

Perhaps the pick of the humorous responses was this, in response to a retweet of Hunt’s message by fellow Tory MP and supporter of Hunt’s leadership campaign, Vicky Ford:

As a communication attempt by an MP who hopes, in spite of an awful record on the government front bench, to become the next Prime Minister it was, well, awful and Tories still can’t do social media. Or else, if he meant to say what he said, the consequences are even worse.

Jeremy Hunt’s Special Adviser who acts as his press secretary appears to have switched off his phone, as the number is unreachable.

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15 comments

  1. Yes and didn’t a band get axed from Glastonbury for doing a song with the lyrics “Kill the Tories!”
    Vote Labour and Save OAPs!

  2. I know the tweet is moronic and has given rise to a lot of humourous comments but its not really funny.
    The government in which Jeremy Hunt is a Cabinet minister has presided over the death by starvation of at least one man, Steven Smith and the suicides of many more (such as Mrs Worrall, above) stripped of their dignity and plunged into destitution.
    It is admirable to express a hope people can die with dignity and respect but surely it is just as important that the old, sick and disabled they are allowed to live with dignity and respect too.
    Social care is in crisis so the old and the vulnerable are frequently receive inadequate care. Disabled people have been denied access to mobility vehicles rendering them housebound and sick people have been treated on the floors of sluice rooms in understaffed hospitals. Where is the dignity or respect there?
    There is a lot of discussion about the Tory leadership election. I don’t get why people are so interested – the candidates are all much the same – for the few, not the many.
    Whoever is elected will exit the EU (or not) on the best terms they can get for the few. They will allow austerity and the destruction of vulnerable people that comes with it will continue. They will compromise our security by continuing to cut police, Fire service and armed forces numbers. They will sell our NHS to the USA.
    Jeremy Corbyn and a Labour government are our only hope for a decent future. Unending shame on those in the PLP and the MSM who are doing their best to prevent it happening.

    1. ”Whoever is elected will exit the EU (or not) on the best terms they can get for the few.”

      Quite correct. Doesn’t take a genius to work that much out. Anyone who voted what was on the side of the bus needs to come & see me and I’ll happily relieve them of all their worldlies. (That’ll be all of 18 people with less wealth than sense, most likely)

      ”Jeremy Corbyn and a Labour government are our only hope for a decent future.”

      A Labour Govt under anyone else would be every bit as bad as a toerag govt. Brexit or no.

      Back to the OP – Hunt’s older than me…And he specifically said ‘older people’

      Sort it, toerags. Skip the ‘dignity and respect’ bit, especially if it saves money & time. 🙂

  3. We all know that Hunt is one, but there’s nothing to disagree with in his tweet. To pretend he is advocating euthanasia is childish.
    Can we get back to politics, please?
    There’s plenty of genuine ammunition out there…

    1. ”To pretend he is advocating euthanasia is childish.”

      To some, he (along with the rest of them) has already practiced/is practicing euthanasia.

      And I wouldn’t disagree with that view, whatever other’s perceptions.

  4. They say that “many a true word spoken in jest” .or is he speaking the truth for a change!.This Hunt as already caused the deaths of thousands of elderly victims when he set about the destruction of theNHS and the social services in his tenure as chief enforcer for 6 years of starvation and privatization of our beloved NHS..We cannot allow any of these depraved Hunts to rule us much longer.Let the Purge begin soon of the traitors in our party.

  5. Yes know it’s serious and was outside a job centre this morning with union colleagues doing a survey on Univeral Credit.
    And heart breaking – one woman said it was killing people and making people suicidal.
    A young male was frightened that his landlord may find out he is on UC and night kick him out. He said he also knew someone who was having to sell themselves for sex to get by.
    At least with leaflets we are trying to counter the dominant right wing narrative on welfare (Upper Class Corporate Welfare – Big Business gets £79b a year in tax reliefs and subsidies which is the equivalent of £3,500 from each household).
    We also act politically locally and nationally too such as identifying gaps ie of lack of representation for people at appeals – we have sent a resolution to a Labour group (to try to get them to address this) and we try to get unwaged people to join our union so that they aren’t isolated.
    We even have a booklet to give out on local welfare rights support and food banks etc. if needed; we have even trialled a drop-in but this will rely on volunteers.
    So we offer the political and practical until we can get rid of this vile Tory Govt. and end this and other unwaged groups misery.
    But you do need a laugh now and then to get us through until we can “rise up against the organisation of misery.”

  6. In the wake of the Twatson/Kuenssberg debacle, its’s comforting to know that the Labour Right has not completely cornered the market in imbecilic twats aspiring to high office.

    Never mind about dying, it would be good if “every older person” could aspire to LIVE in “dignity and respect”!. Prospects for this are minimal whilst this crowd of Tory psychopaths remain in power. Think £150 plus per year for the privilege of watching TV; possible loss of free local travel passes: failure to uprate pensions in line with inflation andpossible loss of £100 winter fuel allowance – all of these have the potential to push more and more pensioners into grinding and potentially terminal poverty

    No, there’s only one Jeremy who as Prime Minister could enable older people to live decent lives with real quality, and his surname is sure not “Hunt”.

    So, Johnson or Hunt as the next Tory PM? To borrow a rude, if telling phrase from a few years ago when the people of the USA were forced to choose between Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton, “How much piss do you want on your chips?”

  7. I’m surprised that this Govt haven’t yet started to give out free DIY euthanasia kits
    for people of a certain age . . . -(

    1. Northwest news last night had a bit from a conservative club ( Can’t remember where, somewhere in lancs, I think) the tale was about the leadership contest and there was a girl of 17 there (Boris supporter!).

      They were saying about how she was old enough to select the next PM, but not old enough to vote.

      It got me thinking; she being a toerag party member, must’ve lowered the average age of your typical toerag member by at least 11 seconds…

  8. “Tory leadership contender Jeremy Hunt has pocketed £20,000 from a private health boss who secured a £7.3 million NHS contract when he was Health Secretary.
    The latest Register of Interests reveals donations from Mustafa Mohammed, the owner of private dentistry firm Genix Healthcare who has given the Conservatives nearly £400,000 and dined with the Prime Minister.
    Genix Healthcare successfully bid for £7.3 million worth of NHS contracts when Jeremy Hunt was Health Secretary. Hunt has previously claimed that “privatisation is not happening”.
    Accounts for Genix also show that it was ultimately owned offshore in Dubai until late last year. Its ownership structure is now unclear after shares were transferred to a dormant UK company that is yet to file any accounts.

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