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Sunday 28 August 2016

Telegraph Instant Brexit Unravels

The decline of the Telegraph titles from paper of record, to broadsheet version of the Mail, to what is now something far worse, has been well reported, not least by Private Eye magazine. What may not be as well reported is the increasingly poor and often desperate news coverage, which appears to have been framed with the sole intention of attracting clicks and more interest at the news stand.
Nowhere was this more clearly illustrated than in yesterday’s lead headline “May heads for Brexit without vote by MPs … Public’s decision is final, says Downing St in blow to last hope of Remain campaigners”. The supporting article tellsTheresa May will not hold a Parliamentary vote on Brexit … the Telegraph has learned”.

Do go on. “A Downing Street source said: ‘The Prime Minister has been absolutely clear that the British public have voted and now she will get on with delivering Brexit’”. That does not support the claim in the headline. The rest of the article is comments from a range of politicians, together with a little supposition thrown in. That is a clear breach of the IPSO Editor’s Code Of Conduct. Worse, it is now unravelling.

As the Mail On Sunday has put it, “Theresa May will hold a 'back to school' Cabinet meeting this week during which she is expected to order feuding Brexit Ministers to end their turf wars … The meeting – the first to be held by the Prime Minister at her Chequers country retreat – will mark a sharp escalation in Mrs May's efforts to assure restless Eurosceptics in her party that she is on track to deliver an early exit from the EU and will not fob them off with ‘Brexit-lite’”. That suggests there is no firm plan at present.

Indeed, the Sunday Times has added thatSenior Tories say Philip Hammond, the chancellor, is resisting plans by other ministers to pull out of the EU single market … A Whitehall turf war has broken out, with the Treasury muscling in on Brexit negotiations - to the irritation of David Davis and Liam Fox, the ministers appointed to lead the planning”. The planning has clearly not even begun in earnest.

What most certainly has begun, though, is the briefing to receptive newspapers desperate for quick and cheap copy because their reporting resources have been so significantly depleted - like, oh I dunno, how about the Telegraph? And one name leaps off the page from that Times report, that of Liam Fox. The chosen conduit for leaks from departments Fox has been involved in of late is … you guessed it, the Telegraph.

The leakers may also include the likes of Iain Duncan Cough, no longer bound by Cabinet responsibility. Much of what is being leaked is “senior Tories” moaning that the Civil Service is holding up Britain’s departure from the EU, and the idea of “Instant Brexit” is something to which Duncan Cough, Fox and the rest of the flat earth brigade are highly susceptible. All that is needed is for someone to be foolish enough to take them seriously.

But as time goes on, the Telegraph hokum unravels further. It’s printed on big pieces of paper. But that does not excuse making up stories based on uninformed leaks.

5 comments:

Gweedo Fawkes Off said...

All these click bait tactics are a poor example of how peoples misfortune are nothing but a financial asset to the vile.

I'm glad I'm not a person that does such a thing.

I'd never label politicians or their nearest and dearest or run away.

I'm a good boy and I've stopped drinking.

I only drink on two occasions.
When it's my birthday and when it's not!

Anonymous said...

I agree with this analysis. It really is piss poor journalism of the worst kind.

Planning, if done properly, could take 18 months. From 24 June 2016 to 31 Dec 2017.
Then invoke Article 50 without a vote of MPs.
Then the actual negotiations lasting 2 years from 1st Jan 2018 to end 2019.

The UK would leave the EU 1st Jan 2020 whether the negotiations produce a deal or not.

regards
The Professor

Arnold said...

The Mail is living in Fantasyland too.
"Britain WILL keep access to the single market AND be able to limit migration under new plans on Theresa May's desk"
All the other EU countries would have to agree, and why should they?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3762396/PM-s-vision-post-Brexit-Britain-retains-access-single-market.html#ixzz4IeaP6ra4

Crispin Fisher said...

If Theresa May was really serious about a speedy exit from the EU would she really have put Boris Johnson, Liam Fox and David Davies in charge of organizing the exit? Johnson has no exit strategy, Fox has zero credibility and Davies is clueless about the workings of the EU.

rob said...

***May never happen?***

Instant Brexit's not gonna happen
Boris doesn't have a clue
David Davis has to keep searchin'
For what he should do
How may Theresa gain control
Appointing the fools so droll
Why does putting them on the case
Create a save of face
A big paper chase
Well we'll all live on
Fed by the lies from the Mail and the Sun
Well we'll all live on
Everyone put upon