Traitorous Reality Bites Tories

Last week, Tucker Carlson, formerly a host for Fox News Channel (fair and balanced my arse), was granted an interview with Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, leader of the gangsterist régime in Moscow. Carlson trowelled on his scoop, accusing other journalists of not bothering to interview The Great Man. In reality, others were refused interviews, or they later came to some harm.

The interview was a campaign destined to develop not necessarily to Carlson’s advantage, as Putin went off on an ahistorical rant, pausing only to call out Carlson for applying to join the CIA, another less than successful episode in his past. Also, it was made clear to Carlson that too many attempts to interrupt his interviewee might not be viewed in a favourable light.

One of those gloating over Tucker’s lack of luck was disgraced former alleged Prime Minister Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, dashing off a column for the Mail headlined “Putin's interview with his fawning stooge Tucker Carlson was straight out of Hitler's playbook. I pray Americans see through this unholy charade”. Hitler gave interviews? You learn something every day.

But do go on. “He was to be the stooge of the tyrant, the dictaphone to the dictator and a traitor to journalism … In his fawning, guffawing, slack-jawed happiness at having a ‘scoop’, he betrayed his viewers and listeners around the world … He didn’t ask tough questions”. Says the clown who hid in a fridge and chickened out of a sit-down with Brillo. And there is more.

In his conclusion, Bozo tells his audience “remember Charles Lindbergh, remember the America Firsters, remember how many American legislators at first opposed involvement in the war with Hitler … You cannot make America great again by selling out Ukraine and allowing Putin to use violence to rebuild the Soviet empire”. Make America Great Again? Who does he mean?

Yes, Bozo is aiming at those enamoured of Combover Crybaby Donald Trump, especially Republican members of Congress who have blocked further US aid to Ukraine. But here a problem enters for both Himself, and several of his fellow Tories: they haven’t exactly been hostile to Trump, and one leader Trump’s actions may help the most is … Vladimir Putin.

For those countries not paying into NATO at a rate that meets with The Donald’s approval, there came a chilling message yesterday. “Trump says he would encourage Russia to attack NATO allies: ‘I said I would not protect our NATO allies. In fact, I would encourage Russia to do whatever the hell they want’”. Trump backs a dictator. Cos he wants to be one himself.

In the past, the UK may have been supportive of Francisco Franco, the Greek Colonels, Augusto Pinochet, Suharto’s “New Order”, Ferdinand Marcos, and other leaders disinclined to test their popularity with the electorate without being able to fiddle the result. But such support would take place behind the scenes, be less than vocal, even that given Pinochet by Mrs T.

But now, Tories are lining up to back Trump, which means they are at the very least willing to go easy on Vlad, a warmonger whose aggression, in case they hadn’t noticed, is happening on the eastern fringe of Europe. Bozo goes to Kyiv to be supportive of Ukraine one minute, then backs Trump, a stooge for Putin, the next. Another of George Smiley’s “unfortunate chains of events”.

Jacob Rees Mogg, the member for times long past, has asserted that Trump is “a friend of the UK”. Miriam Cates has claimed that the world was a “safer place” when Trump was in the White House. And Jake Berry declared that Trump would make a “much better President than Biden”. The Tories’ candidate for London Mayor, Susan Hall, has been positive on Trump.

Maybe this does not matter so much because the Tories, even with the fawning support of most of our free and fearless press and the phalanx of Astroturf lobby groups in and around Tufton Street, are about to go down to a monumental General Election defeat. But it should be borne in mind the next time they start banging on about patriotism, and, indeed, democracy.

The reality is that the Tories are not as patriotic as they want us to think.

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