What did you make of Theresa May’s appearance on the Battle for Number 10? — Ed, Dundee

IT’S becoming increasingly hard to tell the difference between satire and reality in politics, so much so that I am now beginning to wonder if Theresa May is slowly morphing into Nicola Murray from The Thick Of It. In general, the Prime Minister speaks with all the confidence of a person who knows that she is on entirely the wrong side of history.

However, during her recent appearance on the Battle for Number 10, this trait was amplified to comedic levels. Stammering, relying on soundbites and often not answering questions at all, May seemed totally out of her depth in what were the relatively shallow waters of a televised Q&A.

May’s opponent, Jeremy Corbyn, spoke with calmness and dignity, confidently answering extremely tough questions on the IRA, overseas intervention and the Trident missile system. All of this was accomplished with sensitivity, and at times, good humour from Jez. May, on the other hand, was barely able to mount an adequate defense of her own political track record. At one point, an audience member clearly mouthed the words “utter bollocks!” as she spoke. Perhaps most shockingly, a senior citizen brought up the so-called dementia tax, and the Prime Minister didn’t even correct him on his terminology – effectively agreeing that this was the official name of the policy!

The Jeremy Paxman interview segment was even more calamitous for May. At times, I couldn’t tell if it was an interview with the British Prime Minister or a parody sketch about the British Prime Minister. The audience might have laughed with Corbyn – but they were laughing at May. It was comfortably one of the most dreadful political exchanges I have ever seen, with the audience snickering at the PM, cheering on Paxman and seeing right through the Tory agenda. There was but one conclusion by the end of the show – Theresa is a train wreck!

It’s quite staggering that it’s taken this long for mainstream commentators to realise that Theresa May is an absolute disaster. Her downward spiral was readily predictable the day she took office. She was the best – and I use that term loosely – of an extremely bad bunch of Tories.

The Prime Minister might claim to be “bloody difficult”, but she is simply bloody awful. Conversely, the challenger for her job, Jeremy Corbyn, has proven himself to be a very strong and stable leader in this campaign.

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Unionist Kezia determined to cause disunity for Labour

Why won’t Kezia Dugdale agree with Jeremy Corbyn on a second Scottish independence referendum? — Lesley, Glasgow

IN recent days, support for Jeremy Corbyn, Billy Bragg’s political doppelganger, has skyrocketed. This has called into question the popular belief that Labour stood no chance of winning the 2017 General Election. Once again, Corbyn – the rank outsider for Labour leadership in 2015 – stands on the brink of another monumental victory.

As always, though, with Labour, there is a catch. Although Theresa May’s despicable Tories continue to showcase their ineptitude, Corbyn must be tearing his remaining hair out watching Scottish Labour undermine his authority as party leader. While both Kezia and Jeremy have stated that they do not support Scottish independence, Jeremy has at least conceded that a second referendum could be negotiated with the SNP if he was to win the election. Kezia, meanwhile, has actively argued against a second referendum as part of her campaign.

This seems to indicate serious disharmony within the Labour Party. Jeremy Corbyn is clearly aware that a softened approach to a second referendum could win him votes in Scotland – especially, given that indyref2 has already been passed through Holyrood. As it stands, opposing a second Scottish referendum would be as undemocratic for Prime Minister Corbyn as ignoring the Brexit result would be in England. However, Kezia Dugdale seems uninterested in this fact, preferring to stubbornly oppose Scotland’s right to self-determination at every opportunity. In doing so, Kezia, right, may well be presenting herself as an obstacle to Corbyn’s ascent to power at Westminster.

Of course, Dugdale is perfectly entitled to uphold her views on a second independence referendum. Unfortunately for everyone else, it seems that she is willing to prioritise her views over the greater good for her party. Not for the first time, it is evident that Scottish Labour and their head office in England are not on the same page... or even contributing to the same book.

We now appear to be in the bizarre situation where I, a passionate civic nationalist, am cheering on a Unionist in Corbyn down south. However, what’s more interesting is that steadfastly Unionist Kezia Dugdale seems so reluctant to champion Jez as the leader of her own party. In fact, it’s pretty funny that Scottish Labour itself could soon be seeking independence from UK Labour if Corbyn becomes Prime Minister and grants Scotland permission to hold a second independence referendum!