Although the Sun on Sunday’s floor-crossing sellout and newly minted prize bigot Tony Parsons has previously passed before my inspection, there was a reluctance to go Full Viz Magazine and resort to calling him an arsehole (Viz calls him “Tony Parsehole”). But his latest rant has removed all doubt as to the presence behind the column: Parsons has demonstrated that he really is a Grade A, nailed-on arsehole.
“Snowflake liberal elite whinging about ‘populism’ can’t stand the idea they don’t know best … WE do … Populism is what every democratic nation believes in - and if liberal elites continue to respond as they currently are, they can expect more of it” screams the headline. So clearly Parsons can expect no quarter, as he has come out not merely fighting, but being abusive with it. So what’s his problem today?
“Populism sounds like the democratic will of the people in action. Populism sounds like what every free country believes in … This is surely why our ancestors fought two world wars”. Yeah, right. Had anyone polled the UK in 1914 or 1939 and asked them if they fancied picking a scrap that would screw our economy over and kill hundreds of thousands of young men, populism would have told them to go take a running jump.
But then his mood darkens: “Populism has become a term of abuse … In fact, populism has become a euphemism for racist, uneducated thickos like you and me ignoring the advice of our over-educated betters and deciding we want things done differently”. Speak for yourself, self-proclaimed racist thicko. Which he duly does.
“It began with Brexit. 17.4million of us ignored the will of Cameron, Obama, Blair, Major and even the lead singer of the Boomtown Rats to vote to leave the corrupt, incompetent, job-destroying European Union”. More abuse he can’t stand up. But do go on. “That’s populism right there - many millions of ordinary men and women deciding that our masters have got things catastrophically wrong”. No, it’s called a referendum.
And what Parsons ignores is that many who voted Leave are now having second thoughts, the folks in Sunderland, for instance. The town voted 60-40 Leave, with a Sunderland Echo poll before the vote showing over 3,800 of 5,200 respondents for Leave. Now, a new poll has a majority for Remain. That, Tony Parsons, is the populism you’re ignoring.
No, this column is merely a rag-bag of abusive characterisations aimed at roughing up The Usual Suspects: the Supreme Court, the BBC, Tony Blair, Ken Clarke, Ed Miliband, and anyone else not in agreement with Parsons’ version of Brexit - which sounds less like “Soft Brexit”, or even “Hard Brexit”, and more like “Lemming with no parachute Brexit”.
So when Parsons signs off this particular segment of his rant with “Because populism is going to be even bigger in 2017 … And all the democracy-denying, out-of-touch snobs need to explain one thing to all us thick populists … What’s so clever about being unpopular?” he needs to explain one thing.
If he’s so intercoursing keen on democracy, why do he and his paper not want a referendum on the final Brexit terms? Is it because they’re a bunch of snobby, elite, anti-democratic snowflakes who don’t like results that go against them? The kind of populism that doesn’t fit their bigoted narrative? Yes folks, Tony Parsons is indeed an arsehole.
Whilst stereotypes should always be taken with a pinch of salt, Parsons is the archetype of the baby boomer who never had it so good and has chosen to pull up the ladder behind him.
ReplyDelete'' What’s so clever about being unpopular''
ReplyDeleteSo Parsons is NEVER, EVER is a minority? Does he always make sure he is in the majority just to be on the winning side? If he finds himself in a minority, does he jump ship just be 'popular'?
His reasoning is as confused as confused can be. In a democracy, one has to cater for minorities otherwise we end up with total mob rule. Something ukip and it would appear Parsons wants as the new norm. Besides, the remain camp of 48% is only just a minority after all.
Can someone help me out please?
ReplyDeleteCan you please list this "liberal elite" Parsehole mentions and which levers of power it holds over all of us?
I'm having trouble because Parsehole mentions only far right tories and others of similar ilk.
While you're at it, could you also list the bankers who caused this most recent Depression who are in the "liberal elite"?
Thanks in advance.
"Because populism is going to be even bigger in 2017..."
ReplyDeleteSo. More hysteria, more ranting demagogues, more street-level hatred, more death threats, more and more lies and twisted logic.
From the 25% of the population who just can't let it ease off. Presumably because they know, deep-down, that they are lying deviant opportunists. Why else are they all so friggin angry and miserable - they are supposed to have 'won', after all.
When I was a little kid and my parent said "stop crying, or I'll give you something to cry about", it seemed unfair; of course it was a threat.
ReplyDeleteNow Parsons says if you don't stop complaining "you can expect more". He's an arsehole. A bullying arsehole who's finally got the idea that he's found a winning side to be part of and to exact some revenge with.
Parsehole - the guy who a few years ago came upm with an absolute blinder.
ReplyDeleteThere was a new war memorial unveiled - this one to soldiers shot for 'cowardice'/shell shock - what we'd nowadays call PTSD. Cue Parsehole raging about where was the memorial to all the soldiers who didn't fall into this category, call it what you will.
"On just about every village green and town marketplace in the country, mate. Not to mention that big thing in the middle of Whitehall." came the reply from many of his readers. Cue him being all outraged that he'd been misunderstood.