Observers of the Pundit Establishment in all its agony will already know that this less than august body has more than its fair share of those who have gradually crossed the floor from left to right, becoming increasingly selfish, reactionary and authoritarian as they go. But when the hour demands an inadvertent comedy turn as well, one pundit has no peer, and that pundit is the preposterous Tony Parsons.
Parsons, who was accommodated by the Mirror for rather too long, but has now gravitated to the Murdoch Sun, has today indicated that he at least understands one thing: the right-wing propaganda spewed out by him and his pals is having no effect on that part of the electorate which is increasingly drawn to Jeremy Corbyn. So he has raised the white flag and told his remaining readers that a Labour Government is inevitable.
“Let’s teach the Glastonbury groovers a lesson on the horrors of socialism and give them Prime Minister Corbyn” moans the headline, before Tone makes his first research fail. “IT is no good lecturing all the young groovers at Glastonbury about the horrors of socialism - they are going to have to learn that hard lesson for themselves”. The average age of Glasto-goers in 2015 was 42. It’s probably around that this year.
So after alienating a few more million voters, off he goes again: “there’s no point in the old folk droning on about the Seventies”. Why don’t yer, Tone? It’s yer favourite subject. And, indeed, he promptly does just that. “It is no good telling youngsters about three million unemployed, endless strikes and how runaway inflation wakes you up in the middle of the night with the worry about how the hell you will pay next month’s bills”. Ri-i-i-ight.
A word in your shell-like, Tone: we did not have three million unemployed in the seventies. Unemployment did not peak until well after Mrs T had come to power and the Tories inadvisedly listened rather too keenly to the advice of Professor Milton Friedman and his pals. Three million unemployed had nothing to do with socialism, and everything to do with a combination of monetarism and free market doctrine.
As for inflation, yes, it was bad in the 1970s, but laying the blame solely at the Labour Party is coming it. The “Barber boom”, so named after Ted Heath’s chancellor of the exchequer, really kicked it off, Labour under Harold Wilson failed to tame it, and after Mrs T came to power, off it went again. Bad inflation returned - still under the Tories - at the end of the 80s (the “Lawson boom” this time) and was only tamed in the mid 90s.
Anyone would think Tony Parsons is getting forgetful. But he’s got that covered with a little ageism and abuse: “Jeremy Corbyn gurning on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street like a right-on Albert Steptoe … let’s get the senile old booby in Downing Street”. That’s probably actionable, as well as rank hypocrisy. After all, Jezza isn’t the one who can’t remember what happened in the 1970s - that would be Tony Parsons.
Isn’t it high time Tony Parsons was put out to grass? He’s done quite enough of the fraudulently scoring More And Bigger Paycheques For Himself Personally Now.
Isn’t it high time Tony Parsons was put out to grass?
ReplyDeleteI think he was smoking it while he wrote that pile of nonsense for his Murdoch shilling, Tim!
Who is Parsons kidding? He's mo spring chicken himself and if Corbyn is gurning at least he's not gormless like Parsons.
ReplyDeleteWhen is Rupert Murdoch going to realise he now runs a sheltered workshop for over-priced hacks who no longer have the ear of the masses?
I reckon pretty soon and as his sons who are now clearing out the dross from Fox News before it collapses, take full control. They have zilch interest in tabloids and especially now they are past their use by date.
I'd love to be a fly on the wall during conferences about Corbyn at Vauxhall Cross and Langley. I bet there's loads of rabid fascist froth even by the "standards" of their swivel-eyed lunacy. Any day now we'll see a crackpot equivalent of Hackett's GB75 or whatever it was called. Over in the United States of Amnesia and Gun Murders I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a repeat of the "unsolved" Kent State murders.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, Parson's knowledge of history is the same as his knowledge of Socialism. Which is of course sweet fuck all. He's merely another media tramp on the make.
Parsons should be caraeful with his ageist comments - he is only a short time off his bus pass.
ReplyDelete"Inflation in the 70s was bad"
ReplyDeleteSomething to do with OPEC getting its act together?
"In the 1970s, restrictions in oil production led to a dramatic rise in oil prices and OPEC's revenue and wealth, with long-lasting and far-reaching consequences for the global economy."
Thatcher's boom relied a lot upon the opening of the North Sea Oil reserves.
"Off shore production, like that in the North Sea, became more economical after the 1973 oil crisis caused the world oil price to quadruple, followed by the 1979 energy crisis causing another tripling in the oil price"
So, the economy was not damaged entirely by Labour policies but more by "external" events which some might say were cushioned by joining the Common Market as then was.
All a bit like blaming Labour for the "global" banking crisis.
Gunning? Thezza is the real expert. She seems to do little else.
ReplyDeleteThere were lots of banners I liked during Corbyn's Glastonbury speech.
ReplyDeleteThe best one read, FUCK YOU TORIES.
I expect when knob heads like Parsons saw that they might even suspect the game might, just might, be up. All that hate and bile he and his ilk have spewed for years must be eating them alive from the insides.
All that well paid lying propaganda over the years - and STILL it failed.
If you can remember the 1970s, you weren't there.
ReplyDeleteThe 70's. That decade when the top 1% had a 6% share of all taxable income, which is now 13%. Those terrible 70's when income was shared more fairly, can't have that can we.
ReplyDeleteParsons: one of the enemy's hip-replacement old guffslingers.
ReplyDeleteLol, I've been privileged to go to Glastonbury for the last 4 years and yes there are a lot of young people. But to afford it they probably live at home with Mum and Dad in the shires.
ReplyDeleteEveryone else is then like me - 40s is young, many many older, some much older.
But the really funny thing is, don't they know Glastonbury is already the one place in Britain with almost no corporate logos, except Oxfam, Water Aid and Greenoeace? Leftfield, the politics tent bang in the middle anyone? If anyone there didn't already vote for a progressive Party, Glastonbury could well turn them any year.
It's the thing I love about it most. It's how socialism would be if we didn't have to pay so much to get in and spend so much while you're there ;) But to be fair, Eavis has done his best to overthrow capitalism, it's not his fault we still use money.
Anonymous Arnold said...
ReplyDeleteIf you can remember the 1970s, you weren't there.
Nonsense. Ask anyone who was at Saltley, Orgreave, etc.
Lots of us seriously into the music - but even more serious about our politics.
And all those alternative newspapers and magazines.
It's just the likes of Parsons who were stoned under the desk.
The Seventies... when young people stood a chance of buying their first home!
ReplyDeleteI've got news for Mr Parsons: there are plenty of people around today who wake in a cold sweat wondering how they're going to pay the bills. Inflation and the 1970s have got nothing to do with that.
ReplyDeleteMichele Rowe a reply to Parsons re his comments on Corbyn!!He does have a plan! Tax the elite - the biggest tax dodges and fraudsters, who give themselves and their chums massive bonuses, pay offs, public purse contracts and money from the our taxes as a result of their failures. Let alone the tax haven pirates that stash wealth earned from the work of the many. Youth, who can't afford homes, let alone rent, have increasingly insecure jobs and pensions, the NHS that has been bled and restructured with exorbitant, top heavy management, the debacle of privatising rail, huge cuts to education, council towers allowed to burn because of funding blight, cuts to police and the emergency services - need I say more - at a time when the few increase their own 'wealth' at the cost of us all. This is the real world most people live in!. Enough, is enough!
ReplyDelete