Nothing has better shown the right-leaning part of our free and fearless press for the venal, sycophantic and out-of-touch propagandising it has practised since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic than its fawning coverage of alleged Prime Minister Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson. The personality cult of Boris, the culmination of press investment in the Johnson project, has been pukemaking in the extreme.
Yes, Johnson has been gravely ill as a result of becoming infected with Covid-19. And yes, as he’s the PM, it merits some news coverage. But what the Murdoch mafiosi served up yesterday was beyond craven. “
PM Leaves Intensive Care … BORIS IS OUT (Now that really IS a Good Friday)” proclaimed the
Sun, in an outpouring of adulatory cultism that would have made North Korean state media chiefs blush.
The supposedly upmarket
Times was little better, telling readers “
PM leaves intensive care to begin virus recovery”. Neither title had room on their front pages for the minor inconvenience of 953 deaths with Covid-19 in the wider population. That was a higher one-day death toll than the highest recorded for either Italy or Spain.
And while the Murdoch goons obediently continued their excursion into Soviet-era adulation, news arrived that yesterday’s Covid-19 death toll was even higher: 980 poor souls had lost their lives. When deaths outside hospital, in homes and indeed care homes, are added in, that number will be well north of 1,000.
Fortunately, today’s Guardian front page has brought some perspective, telling of “The lives cut short … The numbers keep coming, every day. In ones and twos at first. Now it’s close to a thousand. A daily death toll, higher yesterday than seen in Italy or Spain, is announced every 24 hours - bald statements of data that belie the drama and pain playing out in hospitals, care homes and households around the country”.
New Murdoch style no shock horror
There, alongside the headline, are photos of 40 of those who did not enjoy the good fortune of the PM. A small snapshot of those who have died: NHS staff, care workers, bus drivers, the old, and, worryingly, many not so old. But for those grovelingly promoting the personality cult of Boris, they don’t matter. It’s all about the press’ hero.
So it was that Sun political editor Tom Newton Dunn brought news of his next “
exclusive”, or as it would be called in most of the world, slice of shameless, creepy hagiography. “
Carrie Symonds sent Boris Johnson a letter and a scan picture of their unborn child every day he has been in hospital”. Also, “
‘Thousands and thousands’ of cards and letters for the PM from have arrived at No10. Many of them from children. All being kept in large boxes for him to go through individually on his return”. Huzzah for the Great Leader!
The Sun’s front page duly proclaimed “
Exclusive: Apart 4 Weeks … GET WELL SOON BABE … Carrie’s baby scans sent to PM”. Oh, and just to fill out the page, “
UK death toll up by record 980”. For them, and their families and friends, it was not a Good Friday. They are not sitting up in bed watching films on their iPad. They are not looking forward to a hero’s welcome on leaving hospital. Because they’re leaving in wooden boxes.
Covid-19 is not the only sickness afflicting the UK at present.
I’ll just leave that one there.
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10 comments:
"Official" history will now be written to depict Bozo the great statesman who beat the virus. Comparisons to Churchill will be made.
Then Bozo will say "Look chaps, this proves that a state owned healthcare system just isn't up to the job. So we're going to give it to these American 'healthcare professionals' I know."
And The People will say "Yes ! We trust Boris".
A few malcontents will mutter that if Bozo and his mates hadn't spent years running the NHS down things might have been better, but they'll be ignored by the Official History.
Then The People will discover that in order to access this great new healthcare, they'll have to take out expensive health insurance, kindly provided by those kind Americans.
And there will be a wailing and a gnashing of teeth, and The People will cry "You didn't tell us that."
And the malcontents will reply "yes we did". But they'll continue to be ignored by Official History.
And Bozo and his chums will crack out the champagne and make the virus an honary member of the Tory party.
"They are not sitting up in bed watching films on their iPad."
"However, the likelihood of a long absence for Mr Johnson as he recuperates will fuel fears of a power vacuum at the heart of government."
Which are we to believe? I've seen interviews with people who have come off ventilators (unlike Bozo supposedly) who are almost fully recovered.
I'd like to think he comes out a better and wiser man having realised that Covid-19 is no respecter of Bullington Club membership. I doubt that he will though.
Genuine question, can the People sue the goverment?
John Smith. I don't see why they can't be prosecuted. Health and Safety (lack of PPE).
Misconduct in public office.
Long after the dust from the present crisis has been conveniently swept under the carpet, those criminals responsible for it will no doubt be awarded life peerages, knighthoods and similar rewards by the corrupt British Establishment.
@11:42
You'll have a better chance of success pushing butter up a porcupine's arse using a red hot needle.
"Have you anything to say to a grateful nation, Prime Minister?"
I thought we'd left those days behind: evidently not. The most searching question from the journalists will be "what was your favourite flavour of hospital jelly, Prime Minister?"
@Arnold. The NHS is not a government department so who do they sue, the NHS, the manager who's had his budget cut in real terms year on year?
Corporate media lies and propaganda just get worse and worse and worse.
If this horror doesn't wake up the public then there can be little doubt of the inevitable catastrophic socioeconomic consequences. Unchecked, at some point this insanity will reach critical mass.
Make no mistake, there will be some utter crackpots in Westminster and Whitehall who consider this useful practice for the imposition of martial law. That's the same mentality which organised the miserable, cowardly attack on Jeremy Corbyn.
Make no mistake about this either - WE'RE LETTING IT HAPPEN.
Well, the Scum likes tells us all, especially its readers, that "we" are a Christian country, I wonder how many have complained about the blasphemy on the front page?
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