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That joke isn’t funny anymore – from #Tories4Corbyn to A Very British Coup

One day, someone like the Glasgow Media Group, will do an analysis of this leadership election and how the attitude of the right-wing press has changed towards Jeremy Corbyn. It will be fascinating. 

Stage 1: Laughter

It seems like an age ago when it was all jolly larks and #Tories4Corbyn. Smugly and patronisingly, they laughed into their sleeves, safe in the knowledge that Corbyn even being on the ballot would show that the loony left (guffaw) was very much alive and kicking and the Labour Party at large hadn’t changed. By not having changed, of course, they mean not accepting all the tenets of the disgustingly unequal and brutal society that their chums in the city had created. That self-satisfied superiority complex, which seemingly couldn’t be shifted, had been aided and abetted by the Labour Party in Parliament, filled with New Labourites who did just that – who had “changed” and had accepted the rules of the club.

Stage 2: Confusion

Then came the period of incredulity, as the madness of “Corbynmania” seemed to be sweeping the country. What on earth was going on, they wondered? Hadn’t this stuff – like collective values, solidarity, compassion – been left behind in the 80s where it belonged? Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper and Liz Kendall they understood: they too played by the rules. The deal was, they would let us keep the fundamentals of the Thatcherite settlement in place as long as they could play with the ball occasionally. The “fun” being had at the Labour Party’s expense became a little less sure footed. #Tories4Corbyn faded and turned into “Shock! Horror! Look what the oiks are up to!” They actually believe this crap? Rent controls? Public ownership? Democracy in our education system? Whatever next? Fake indignation and incredulity ruled, but now with a frown.

Stage 3: Anger

Latterly, the terms of reference have turned around completely. As arrogant bullies do, no public acknowledgement of this volte face was to be allowed. But to anyone who has been paying attention, it’s obvious that things have shifted dramatically as the election campaign has gone on and Jeremy Corbyn’s campaign has gathered real momentum, not just in the Labour heartlands, but in the Tories’ own backyards. The chuckles have been swallowed back and been replaced with anger. What the hell? As the movement around Jeremy Corbyn has become a “thing”, evidenced by the enormous crowds turning up all over the country and the rapturous welcome that Corbynite policies were receiving, things have taken a nasty turn. Quietly at first, but then gathering momentum, the word was put out that “this has to be stopped”. As that lad from Manchester once said:

That joke isn’t funny anymore. It’s too close to home and it’s too near the bone.”

At the time of writing, this latest phenomenon has morphed into an almost a pathological obsession for many in the right wing press. Whereas previously, the writings on Corbyn positively oozed condescension, now you can smell the fear and a strange lack of confidence. It’s starting to resemble something out of A Very British Coup, but every smear story, every outright lie and every petty, personalised attack on Corbyn, his family, or his army of supporters betrays how petrified they are at the thought that, for the first time in three decades, they might actually face a real opposition to their project – not just to this detail, or that policy, but to their whole individualist, consumer-orientated, callous ideology.

This article first appeared at The World Turned Upside Down

6 Comments

  1. John P Reid says:

    And the Telegraph, spectator encouraging Tories to pay £3 vote him in to destroy labour,and Murdoxh the same
    In 1992 after savage attacks on Kinnock, the sun, backed Livingstone to replace him, they said instead of a Tory majority they predicted in 97 of 50′ with Livingstone they predicted a Tory majority of 200.

    One day someone’s going to dig up the Corbyn fans Twitter pages,and say that Sharia law already arrived.

  2. swatantra says:

    The jokes now on the Fat Tory Slobs!
    Don’t you just love it, when their plans all go wrong! I no doubt that their chums in MI5/6 have already got contingency plans in place should JC ever reach No 10. But unlike them trying to take out Wilson in the 60s and 70s they won’t succeed. Wil

    1. swatantra says:

      Wilson resigned quite unexpectedly; reasons given were ‘poor health’ but in reality he had been hounded out of No 10 by Peter Wright and his Tory mates. Hence Mullins thriller ‘A very British Coup’. Don’t put it past Tory Central HQ to try ever trick in the book to keep their grasp on power.

      1. john P Reid says:

        one thing tories are doing to try to keep in power,is registering with the labour party and voitng for a candidate they think will drive votes away form the labour party,buy the bucket load, the candidate they’re voting for’s name is Jeremy Corbyn

  3. Alan Brooke says:

    What is good to see is the more the media (and the Blairites) tell people not to support Corbyn the more his support goes up. How annoying it must be when people don’t do as they are told.

  4. Robert says:

    You have no need to look at the right wing Press have a look at the Progress lot. Listen to Cooper and Kendall for a laugh a minute or of course Betty Boothroyd, Labour heading for scrapheap if it elects Jeremy Corbyn.

    The problem is labour is not to the left any more it is now New labour and Progress, talks of splits is interesting which group would hold the name labour it has to be the labour left because the Union would be battling through the courts with Millions of pounds while progress with it funding and Blair would have difficulty , so a split the Labour party and Progress party.

    How many of the careerist would go with Progress knowing at the following election labour would be funding to maybe forty million by the Unions to stand people in Progress seats .

    One thing about people with careers they tend to look after them.

    The right wing press would attack any leader whether they are to the left or the right or in the middle, it’s up to the party to get behind whom ever wins to push for clean cut policies and a plan to get this country going, but one look at China and we can see the issues we are facing.

    Oil prices are dropping Oil tax is falling cuts will get worse.

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