After last week’s judgment reasserting the Sovereignty of Parliament, and the subsequent press meltdown which appeared to be awfully close to crossing the incitement line, what was needed today was a more conciliatory line from the hacks and pundits, a pouring of oil on troubled waters, an acceptance of the necessity of due process. Instead, Sun readers got another intemperate tirade from has-been Tony Parsons.
Under the heading of “Time to vote out elitists” - which not only suggests an acceptance of democracy, but unintentionally includes himself - Parsons froths “Let’s have a General Election, Prime Minister, and bury all the whining, anti-democratic pussies who STILL don’t get that the UK is leaving the European Union … The High Court ruling that the Government cannot trigger Article 50 without parliamentary approval is an assault on our democracy by an elite who would deny the will of 17.4million British people”.
Yes, the assertion of the democracy over which England had to have a revolution and behead a King is an “assault on democracy”. Orwell would have been impressed at his being proved so right. And there’s more: “From Broadcasting House to the High Court, the elite despise the British people and refuse to accept our decision to reclaim our country … They will do anything to block the will of our people, who they consider to be racist, stupid and wrong. That’s you and me”. Who is calling voters racist and stupid?
Nobody in Broadcasting House or the High Court, for starters. This kind of dishonesty is what has brought more than enough dictatorships to power, telling people that the elite disdains their views, wants to stop them having what is rightfully theirs, and that only by sweeping all this away will they truly take control of their country.
And then we get the Enoch Powell moment: “I fear for the future of this country if this arrogant elite keeps us inside the European Union against our will … If the elite get their way and somehow contrive to block our exit, they will be unleashing furious forces that no one will be able to control. Not even them”. “Like the Roman, I seem to see the Tiber foaming with much blood … they know not what they do”. Spot the difference.
Only by taking swift and decisive action can the country be saved: Parsons’ claim is that this will be achieved by Theresa May calling a General Election and obtaining a majority on the premise of departing the EU. But not even an elective mandate can usurp the rule of law. Nor does Parsons consider the Fixed Term Parliament Act.
We know what he actually wants when he says “Then Guyana-born hedge fund manager Gina Miller, her slick lawyers and all those unelected, EU-loving judges will not be able to stand between the British people and our freedom”. It’s another assault on the judiciary through smears and just a soupçon of casual racism. It’s rabble rousing of the basest and least responsible kind. And it’s a demand for what amounts to an elective dictatorship.
Fascism arrives as your friend. We know where it leads. Tony Parsons is out of order.
8 comments:
From hip young gunslinger to old Ukip mudslinger, eh?
Sounds as if Tone's been reading G.K.Chesterton's 'The Secret People' again. Except, of course, it's no longer the case that 'we have not spoken yet'. They have, but there was only a slim majority of them and that will continue to diminish as reality begins to bite.
Still, everyone has to have their idols. For Tone it used to be Iggy and Lou and now it's a 1920s catholic, anti-Semitic nostalgic.
These punks, eh?
What is so hard to understand for these raving monster loonies. (OK, rhetorical question really).
Significant numbers of Remainers do accept that the UK may well be leaving the EU. It is the process and end result that concerns them most. Unlike the bulk of Leavers who appear to be content to accept any old crap future that blows their way.
And, isn't it Anarchists, Trots, Maoists etc, etc that are supposed to get furious over the antics of the judiciary. Not rabid rightists, and certainly not the average bunch of blokes down the pub. Christ on a bike - even Janet Daly got to froth on the BBC news last night. Yup, that same Beeb that got lumped in with the nasty judges by all the rants recently.
As for the appalling Mr P - methinks too much of a dodgy diet back in the days of IGGY and co.
Maybe someone should send him a copy of the New European*. (Then stand really well back)
*Recommended for those who've not seen it yet. Weekly broadsheet now about 15 weeks in - and now available in Sainsburys, not just your local convenience store. Read, enjoy, share.
Parsons and Toby Young on this weekend's edition of BBC1's "Pointless Celebrities" (05/11/2016) - never was a programme more aptly titled.
Well, it's been quite a journey for parsehole: from cutting edge nme journo (who I actually enjoyed reading) to a no-Integrity-sell-my-soul-to-the -highest-bidder-let's-make-a-few-quid-before-retirement cretin. I felt a little sad to read Fenton describing him as a 'has-been'. He probably is but I'm almost the same age, which makes me feel I'm past it, in a certain way. Then I cheered up by remembering that I've retained some semblance of self-respect.
Parsons is a bit late.
This country turned toward neofascism in 1979.
And it's got closer to it with each passing year.
I don't think Tim called him a has-been because of his age but because he used to be a writer with some sort of juvenile credibility and he was later bought up by old editors in the hope it would bestow some kind of yoof-ness to their publication. Now he's just a silly old sod like lots of other dim old blokes down the pub who 'could have been a contender'.
Still, pays the alimony, innit.
Tony Parsehole used to be quite lively and interesting back in 1979, then developed his routine of "My dad was in the army/kids, eh?/music's all rubbish these days/foreigners - aintchasickovem (apart from the wonderful and hard working Chinese)?/teach kids boxing/my dad was in the army/I met the Sex Pistols once/did I mention my dad was in the army?" and became a twat.
And people get so worked up about foreign Russian trolls spouting crap on Twitter and other social media when a foreign Murdoch gets his trolls writing his own especial crap in his social media called "news"papers and gets entree, not given to many others, into the highest circles of power in the UK?.
It's a funny old world.
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