The spin applied to the constant stream of bad Brexit news can be breathtaking at times in its deployment of Orwellian Newspeak, but today we have truly gone through the looking glass, after news emerged that the UK’s allegedly “Iconic” blue passports, which next to nobody missed when they disappeared many years ago, would be manufactured not in Britain, but by a Franco-Dutch company, and in France.
Milk, no sugar, hold the smears, thanks
This meant humiliation not just for the whole ridiculous concept of blue passports as some kind of great national icon, but more specifically for the Sun’s non-bullying political editor Tom Newton Dunn. It was him, after all, who had previously claimed victory, telling readers “BRITS will get their iconic dark blue passports back after Brexit, ministers announce today - in a stunning campaign victory for The Sun … The Government has agreed to our demand to scrap the EU’s burgundy model, enforced on the nation from 1988”.
Yes, the Murdoch mafiosi were still able to bend politicians to their will. But now has come the bad news, and Newton Dunn is bereft: “HOME Office chiefs were last night accused of ‘a national humiliation’ after deciding FRANCE will make Britain’s new blue passports … British company De La Rue is to be stripped of its long-standing contract to produce the nation’s new identity documents”. Yeah, right.
Newton Dunn’s lame attempt to dump his own humiliation on others was bad enough, but then attempting to ride to the rescue came the perpetually thirsty Paul Staines and his rabble at the Guido Fawkes blog, where teaboy Alex “Billy Liar” Wickham was full value for his nickname in a post grandly and dishonestly titled “Victory For Global Britain As Franco-Dutch Blue Passports Deal Saves Taxpayers £50M”.
Wickham starts as he means to go on - talking well, but lying badly. “Twitter Remainers and a few protectionist Brexiteers seem to think the contract for blue passports going to a Franco-Dutch company is a bad thing”. Baloney. The only Remainers commenting are laughing at clowns like Newton Dunn - and the Fawkes idiocy. But do go on.
Newton Dunn - more ritual humiliation
“It seems like good news to Guido and anyone who believes in free trade. Remainers have spent the last 21 months claiming Brexit Britain would be an inward-looking nation and that trade with the EU would suffer. What better symbolism to dispel that nonsense than having the French and Dutch make our new blue passports?” Ri-i-i-ight. And?
“Remainers also lied that the new passports would cost an extra half a billion quid, despite there being no extra cost. In fact, it appears Gemalto won the contract by bidding to do it for £50 million less than their British rival. This is obviously a win for the taxpayer and should be welcomed by anyone who wants value for money”.
Highly commended in the fiction category
Alex Wickham says someone else lied. Well, he’d know what one of those looks like. But it’s time to put this shameless creep and his pals out of their misery: the new passport deal has sweet sod all to do with “Global Britain”. We are, after all, still an EU member state, still in the Single Market, and still part of the Customs Union.
Which means … you got it: the procurement exercise for the new passports was conducted under EU rules. So it’s EU membership that has saved taxpayers that £50 million. Get a life Alex, when you’ve finished getting the tea in. Another fine mess.
Don't see Newton Done's problem here.
ReplyDeleteLowest price "wins". International "free trade".
Hence Lowest Common Denominator Seedy Britain. Like the Scum and Newton Done himself.
All over bits of paper, cardboard, plastic and ink. Jesus wept, how far down the shitter have people like Newton Done propelled this country?
Someone pointed out on the radio that the United Kingdom did not have to adopt the hated EUSSR burgundy colour but could have had blue. Was this a Blair cowardly capitulation to the Eurothugs? No sirree bub! It was the Tories back in 1988. It was also pointed out that France and Germany produce their own passports without throwing the contract open to other companies via the EU procurement process. And who was in power when the decision was made to use the EU-wide contract system?
ReplyDeleteBet you'll find some Tory will have links to the new contractor.
ReplyDeleteSome one needs to point out that the Tories couldn't give a flying fig who provides a certain service or product, all they care about is their kickbacks.
So Brexiters desperately want British passports to be a colour they never actually were in the first place? Makes sense!
ReplyDelete