I came in from Sunday golf (played not bad as you ask, one heavy shower at the start but ended up in shirt sleeves) and started to do my daily troll through the on line media to see what was what, who was who, why and how and found wall to wall 'Labour is on the verge of disappearing up its own fundament' - where ever I looked.
Now I am an self confessed political wonk but reading the same stuff re-cycled, regurgitated and even presented as a pre-school collage for the third day in a row left me underwhelmed and, to be honest, with a super-tanker full of ennui.
There seems to be this growing void into which the UK media is falling, an ever expanding black hole of disbelief in which the feeding frenzy over Labour's implosion is just one part of an observable event. An event so potentially catastrophic to the UK media's world view as to be unthinkable, unreasonable and unsay-able - so they do not think, reason or say anything.
The UK media is chattering to itself loudly and incessantly in an attempt to avoid seeing what they do not wish to see or even imagine. It is far easier to create the story which is one of only Labour who are imploding because to think otherwise offers only one other option. The UK political structure as a whole is in the process of collapsing and all the standard media norms on which they hang their understanding of what is happening, who is on control, which big beasts are tramping the political plains no longer describe what is actually happening.
Scotland may have voted to keep the Union going (just) but the result which would normally be expected to happen (the Scots get back in their box and shut up) is not happening; in fact the Yes voting Scots seem to be winning, even though they lost. The UK media world is being turned upside down, this should not happen Yes voting Scots should accept they were beaten and just shut up.
UKIP are meant to be a joke party whose job is supposed to be to keep the Tories honest, good for a laugh at the EU Parliament but actually win seats from Tories - no, not ever. Yet they have, nearly took a seat from Labour in the North of England and are increasingly favourites to win Strood and Rochester. Even the Telegraph at its most stridently right wing did not see that coming, so soon, and presumed UKIP would do just as the Tory Grandees told them to do.
Over at the Gruniad confusion reigns as the Libdems go down the political plug hole and their second level defence against the Tories (Labour) is going to bits faster than a chocolate hand grenade. They want Miliband to be more radical, more left wing, more his own man (well - according to their latest focus group analysis that is) but are pushing for a right wing, Blairite, neo-con to lead the party's failed 'Scotch' region which is already politically way to the right of the SNP's social democratic policy base in a social democrat, socialist leaning Scotland.
Even the usually perceptive Mr McWhirter in the Sunday Herald is having problems with the view beyond Labour's implosion.
Both Labour and the Conservatives are in a mess, their main policies are so similar to be impossible to tell apart, an inevitability of the embracing of USA political methodology which reduces politics to a safe norm which is required to be met if you 'want to get elected' and creates party policies devoid of any taste or colour, in case the voters are put off. The two main parties also have a large section of their 'backs woods men and women' who have little or no faith in their current leadership - hence all the 'off the record' briefings from senior members. Cameron and Miliband are simply the least worst options in a Westminster political world where 'bland' is the main, modern requirement for selection as an MP so while the 'off the record' briefings will continue, the knives will not be sharpened and will stay sheathed.
All the while the current UK system of politics spins ever faster into a black hole of its own making, rushing towards an event horizon which increasingly looks like the end of the UK Parliamentary Union. This is what the UK media are doing all in their power not to see.
Now I am an self confessed political wonk but reading the same stuff re-cycled, regurgitated and even presented as a pre-school collage for the third day in a row left me underwhelmed and, to be honest, with a super-tanker full of ennui.
There seems to be this growing void into which the UK media is falling, an ever expanding black hole of disbelief in which the feeding frenzy over Labour's implosion is just one part of an observable event. An event so potentially catastrophic to the UK media's world view as to be unthinkable, unreasonable and unsay-able - so they do not think, reason or say anything.
The UK media is chattering to itself loudly and incessantly in an attempt to avoid seeing what they do not wish to see or even imagine. It is far easier to create the story which is one of only Labour who are imploding because to think otherwise offers only one other option. The UK political structure as a whole is in the process of collapsing and all the standard media norms on which they hang their understanding of what is happening, who is on control, which big beasts are tramping the political plains no longer describe what is actually happening.
Scotland may have voted to keep the Union going (just) but the result which would normally be expected to happen (the Scots get back in their box and shut up) is not happening; in fact the Yes voting Scots seem to be winning, even though they lost. The UK media world is being turned upside down, this should not happen Yes voting Scots should accept they were beaten and just shut up.
UKIP are meant to be a joke party whose job is supposed to be to keep the Tories honest, good for a laugh at the EU Parliament but actually win seats from Tories - no, not ever. Yet they have, nearly took a seat from Labour in the North of England and are increasingly favourites to win Strood and Rochester. Even the Telegraph at its most stridently right wing did not see that coming, so soon, and presumed UKIP would do just as the Tory Grandees told them to do.
Over at the Gruniad confusion reigns as the Libdems go down the political plug hole and their second level defence against the Tories (Labour) is going to bits faster than a chocolate hand grenade. They want Miliband to be more radical, more left wing, more his own man (well - according to their latest focus group analysis that is) but are pushing for a right wing, Blairite, neo-con to lead the party's failed 'Scotch' region which is already politically way to the right of the SNP's social democratic policy base in a social democrat, socialist leaning Scotland.
Even the usually perceptive Mr McWhirter in the Sunday Herald is having problems with the view beyond Labour's implosion.
Both Labour and the Conservatives are in a mess, their main policies are so similar to be impossible to tell apart, an inevitability of the embracing of USA political methodology which reduces politics to a safe norm which is required to be met if you 'want to get elected' and creates party policies devoid of any taste or colour, in case the voters are put off. The two main parties also have a large section of their 'backs woods men and women' who have little or no faith in their current leadership - hence all the 'off the record' briefings from senior members. Cameron and Miliband are simply the least worst options in a Westminster political world where 'bland' is the main, modern requirement for selection as an MP so while the 'off the record' briefings will continue, the knives will not be sharpened and will stay sheathed.
All the while the current UK system of politics spins ever faster into a black hole of its own making, rushing towards an event horizon which increasingly looks like the end of the UK Parliamentary Union. This is what the UK media are doing all in their power not to see.
Yup. Great, innit!
ReplyDeleteA situation ripe with possibilities for Scotland