Mail On Sunday Says EU Done It

With Brexit day passing at the end of January, one of our free and fearless press’ most overused bogeymen had gone. There were no MEPs any more, so there could be no more demonisation of the European Parliament. But there were still negotiations around future trade arrangements between the UK and the EU, and today this has been cynically exploited by the increasingly wayward Mail On Sunday.

In a double-page spread requiring four individuals to compile it, the MoS asks “Did Barnier Infect BoJo?” QTWTAIN. But do go on. “EU negotiator might be the ‘Patient Zero’ who brought virus to No 10”. And he most likely was not. But there is more. A lot more.

“COULD this be the ultimate revenge for Brexit? [No] The Coronavirus that has laid Boris Johnson low may have passed into Westminster’s inner circle via the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, according to one theory”. Not even “a source”, or “an insider”.

But enough: this is nothing more than crude bigotry, reinforced by a further double-page spread kicking the Chinese titled “CHINA FACES ‘RECKONING’", the latter replete with the only slightly racist “We must stop kow-towing to these despots” by Iain Duncan Cough.

Tanja Bueltmann had seen enough. “This is from tomorrow’s Mail on Sunday … it’s the EU’s fault - that [Covid-19] came to No. 10. That’s it: no more bottom to scrape. Utterly despicable … we’re in the middle of a pandemic that has seen 1000s die already and more will, and this is what the MoS concluded is the best thing to go with ... While EU doctors and nurses in the NHS battle, with their colleagues, to protect us”.

Richard Chambers concluded “There's irresponsible journalism and then there's this”, which was more or less the conclusion reached by Annette Dittert, London bureau chief for German broadcaster ARD. Edwin Hayward added “The Mail on Sunday has *2 double page splashes* deflecting blame for the coronavirus onto foreigners and stirring up xenophobia … Target 1: the EU … Target 2: China … The reality is, Boris Johnson bungled this crisis very, very badly. He zigged when the rest of the world zagged”. Quite.

Our free and fearless press knows that the crisis response from alleged Prime Minister Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson was hesitant, slow - and late. He knew what was unfolding in Italy, the actions that were being taken in China, the mass testing that was being enacted in Germany, and he knew more needed to be done to properly equip the NHS for the onslaught of sick and indeed dying patients. He dithered and delayed.

So it is left to the shock troops of the Fourth Estate to make sure the public does not blame Bozo The Clown for his own inaction. Sadly for the MoS, they got their attack very wrong. Wrong enough for Martin Rowson to respond “Holy fuck. Honestly, if the Daily Mail were a dog it would be in a jar in a Wyoming franchise of Ripley’s Believe It Or Not: ‘Roll Up Roll Up! See the Mutt with an Asshole for a Head! Actually Howled n Shat AT THE SAME TIME for 5 days til clubbed to death by nuns! Over 60s only’”. Cruel. Cruel but fair.

The Mail on Sunday is indeed like a dog. A sick one awaiting humane termination.

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