ON Newsnight this week “The Mogg” said: “We moved, for better or worse, to an essentially presidential system and therefore the mandate is personal rather than entirely party.”
I hate to admit it, but on this occasion I have to agree with the dreadful one that our politics have unfortunately been moving in that direction.
Brexit was achieved, with a huge dollop of help from Cummings, through cynical, blunt political strategies utilising the populism of Farage and Johnson. It was all very straightforward stuff that appealed to the many who would normally virtually ignore politics – pandering to xenophobia, racism, anti-political correctness and a very ugly side of English nationalism (pretending it was British). Pretty much, well, “ditto” for the 2019 UK General Election, albeit Farage was sidelined and the Ukip/Brexit parties morphed into surely one of the most right-wing Tory governments ever.
Ever since then, the crass, flagrant, deceitful behaviour of the buffoon and most of his chums has become normalised by most of the mainstream media, up until very recently. In the same way Trump was pretty well normalised and it took the Capitol riot for many to have a wake-up call.
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There is now a childlike culture of doing what they want, irrespective of rules, and blatantly denying any accusations irrespective of the strength of evidence, just like an errant six-year-old!
I have become so frustrated that no matter what Johnson has said or done, television reporters interview someone who is critical of him then “balance” that with someone who defends the indefensible. This is for impartiality, but merely has the effect of muddying the waters and denying the public the clear truth.
Many political arguments are more nuanced, and reporters need to tread carefully, but when it comes to despicable behaviour and deceit by abominations like the narcissists Farage the buffoon and Trump, these niceties must go out the window or we are all “going to hell in a handcart”, even more so than at the normal.
Here in Scotland, in my opinion, it is generally recognised by impartial political commentators worldwide that we have a pretty popular First Minister (not populist!) who is extremely hard-working, has a fierce determination but above all has real undoubted integrity, despite what some of her critics might say.
However, in the future it’s possible we might not be so fortunate. We never know what’s round the corner. That is another reason among many why, when we do achieve independence, a proper strong constitution, as is often eloquently argued for in The National, is put in place to avoid our government becoming a basket case like the current UK one or Trump’s previous regime.
Let’s face it, we all know what the outcome would be if Nicola or any of her colleagues’ indiscretions had been 1% of those carried out by that bunch of entitled public-school charlatans. The right-wing English press would whip up public opinion to such a frenzy that the gallows in Edinburgh’s Grassmarket would be promptly resurrected. Nicola and her fellow MSPs would then be unceremoniously marched up there from Holyrood followed by a manic torch-and-pitchfork-bearing mob!
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Yes, that’s the reality of a “free” press in the UK I’m afraid!
Ivor Telfer
Dalgety Bay
THE sight on Wednesday of Tory MPs cheering Boris Johnson at PMQs brings to mind this from Hugh MacDiarmid:
“England, every now and again, achieving,
A larger subjugation of truth than ever before,
And delighted with the cleverness of her Cabinet ministers
When they show themselves most cynically dishonest,
Openly betraying all they simultaneously profess
Building up incredible lies into self-congratulatory virtues!”
From: “England’s Double Knavery” published 1969.
Keith Aitchison
Inverness
WHILE Boris Johnson was the focus of global attention after being ambushed by a cake in London, senior officials from Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany were holding talks in Paris to defuse the crisis in Eastern Europe.
John Jamieson
South Queensferry
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