DEM not gonna CON dis NATION: Rolling UK politics in the short-lived post-Murdoch era

Oh it appears he's already done so.

Is there a Private Eye this week?

In Thursday's edition, columnist Stephen Glover accuses Ed Miliband of staging a "show of calculated hysteria" for political reasons.

"On one level, Red Ed knew that, as he has bound himself to his father in a series of speeches, he could not afford to let the accusation that Miliband senior had hated Britain go unchallenged," he wrote.

"On another level, Ed Miliband realised that his diatribes against this paper would go down well with the party faithful, and possibly convince the wider electorate that he was stronger and more determined than they had thought.

"He may also hope that, by creating such an almighty hullabaloo about his supposedly traduced father 19 months before the general election, he will somehow neutralise a potentially embarrassing issue - the influence of his Marxist father on his own beliefs - and deter the press from returning to it in the near future."

Or, you know, he maybe hopes you fuckers would stop disparaging his dead dad. That's how a human being would respond, anyway.

I've heard this argument from other sources (aka right wing twats), blown out the water by this latest indiscretion from the Mail

"supposedly traduced"

lwwwwwwwwwl

i don't think it would be completely unfair to speculate that it was a mainly column b but certainly column a would have been weighed and measured too? not a criticism, but certainly this was also a very good political opportunity to do as described, more fool he that didn't take it at the level of the game he's at.

Somewhere out there, MEL P is sharpening her pen, ready to enter this debate like Godzilla.

"Melanie Phillips", that totally non-fictional columnist.

please can they make liz jones write about it

When you think about it, your ex-husband having an affair IS a bit like fleeing the Holocaust.

Somewhere out there, MEL P is sharpening her pen, ready to enter this debate like Godzilla.

Mel just the girl to take down Ed's evil witch of a mother, I mean:

"a long-standing supporter of left-wing pro-Palestinian organisations" and is a signatory of the founding statements of both Jews for Justice for Palestinians

I can almost see the Phillips' eyes bulging, head revolving, bells clanging, klaxons, sirens etc

Many xps to Stevie: yep!

Slimey squirmy Quentin Letts making an ass of himself on QT now. Unbelievable.

Wrong thread?

Quentin Letts accusing Miliband senior of being a "useful idiot" is beyond parody.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JIvARoGbS4

(xp) Letts, in contrast, being a useless idiot amirite or a meringue?

Best of all was the spontaneous laughter from the audience when Letts tried to paint a picture of the Mail as anti-establishment outriders tweaking the noses of the powerful and privileged

with friends like that..

that was followed by some UKIP clown putting his hand up to say he supported the Daily Mail in this then admitting he hadn't read any of it

Daily Mail exec demands apology over anti-semitism claims

yeah they've never had a problem with Jewish refugees coming to the UK

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FKUpGU_Jbp0/TE_BYKvF4iI/AAAAAAAAEYE/mYO03sMhqiM/s1600/Daily+Mail+1938+refugee+Jews.jpg

"yeah, he should apologise to me for hurting my fist with his eyeball!"

it's a bit "YOU SIR, ARE A RACIST" to me

Daily Mail exec demands apology over anti-semitism claims

well, they managed to brass it out during the ken livingstone kerfuffle a few years back...

the "YOU SIR..." defence holds a bit more water in that instance

I wasn't aware that it was possible to libel a newspaper, thank you Daily Mail exec for setting me straight.

2 Tory resignations... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24424332 I'm guessing any reshuffle won't involve getting rid of Osborne...

I was in Smith's constituency this weekend. Don't think I did anything that could have made her reconsider her place in government though.

"The badgers moved the goalposts" - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-24459424

http://toys.usvsth3m.com/owen-patersons-badger-penalty-shootout/

First skim, I read that as "badgers for goalposts."

xpost

isn't it?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/tories-to-cut-aid-given-to-poorest-customers-by-energy-companies-8870684.html

This is the sort of thing you do when you're actually trying to lose the next election, right?

casting aside people who don't vote for you anyway while introducing aspirational house buying schemes doesn't seem like a bad strategy, vote-wise

Bit concerned about the "hostile environment for 'illegal' immigrants" thing having a knock-on effect undermining the legitimate rights of anyone who isn't white British. Can well imagine the landlord offering a flat to let just never returning calls from people with Asian/African names.

hostile is a great choice of words isn't it?

word

lol agreeing with yrself

:D

British television, best in the world, mate

Won't be watching. Don't watch Channel 5 on principle.

casting aside people who don't vote for you anyway while introducing aspirational house buying schemes doesn't seem like a bad strategy, vote-wise

I'd say there are a lot of people who will be affected by this (eg PENSIONERS) who might well vote Tory. It's also pretty dumb if they think it's a way of reducing prices, they're thinking that if they reduce subsidies for the poor then it will lead to lower bills for everyone else, that's just blind hope really. It also offers Labour a massive open goal at a time when energy is already at the centre of political debate.

The help-to-buy thing is suicidally dumb and short-termist but they might be out of power by the time it comes crashing down.

Pretty sure the other main channels have had similar scrounger-based programming in the last year or so (xp)

cf BBC1's entire morning schedule

Watching Channel 5 is like putting money in Desmond's pocket though.

^^^yes, this. Am about as likely to buy a copy of the Daily Express (or Asian Babes).

The only BBC1 thing I ever watch in the AM is Homes Under The Hammer, so I can vociferously judge inbred BTL landlords in Crewe, to an amusingly over-literal soundtrack. As soon as I hear the annoying gorblimey tones of the Scroungervision man who follows, I'm off.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/oct/11/genetics-teaching-gove-adviser

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2013/10/11/1381519721664/Education-secretary-Micha-009.jpg

not even getting started on these. reaction in brief: time to start arming and organizing.