love* in the time of plague (and by love* i mean brexit* and other dreary matters of uk politics)

Absurd performative outrage from Neil here, the Co-op was never trying to influence editorial, it chose not to advertise and didn't know it was doing so in the first place. He knows this full well.

I could be wrong but Neil is currently not employed by BBC (they cancelled his show and I don't think he does Daily Politics anymore) which explains why he's been far more unhinged and fashy recently.

The sheer scale of the support he gets though. This shit plays so well for them, there’s no downside Xp

Let me spell this out and end this nonsense. I currently have no contract with the BBC. But if I was to accept a new freelance contract, which came with tight restrictions re Twitter, then I would accept said restrictions as part of contract. Capice? https://t.co/uTAdFufHUw

— Andrew Neil (@afneil) September 4, 2020

Fucking pathetic backpedal from Co-Op.

Feel very bad for whoever was in charge of their social media and presumably has just been hung out to dry here.

There was a Spectator free trial promotion via Time Out emails recently. Unsubscribed from Time Out emails and told them why. No idea how many buy or subscribe to it - not enough for more advertisers to be persuaded to drop it I guess.

Tony Abbott appointment confirmed, zero fucks given

https://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mdyd1cbIqU1rby04wo1_1280.gif

it's a pity Orbán now has a job for life, he'd make a cracking own-the-libs trade negotiator!

Amusingly, Abbott isn't even the most bizarre or objectionable name on the list. https://t.co/JA4LwTxFxx

— David Timoney (@fromarsetoelbow) September 4, 2020

Daniel Hannan will do a fine job

I'd be hard-pressed to come up with a more eloquent photographic allegory of contemporary British nihilism:

https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/3f08942dab33951c3d5e2a367da2ae58dfee1a91/0_93_1600_960/master/1600.jpg?width=1920&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=bd271e612a3759e0443e65235535c681

christ that’s grim

Senior Lib Dems maintain that Mr Murray “always gave us enough” to suggest that he would consider switching parties.

“Ian held talks only to discuss how parties could work together to stop Brexit, and when the Lib Dems tried to tempt.......

couldn't copy and paste any more as the words/times paywall faded into insignificance.

stoked to read ILX's line on the latest XR protest

Lol Australian politicians really not happy about the Tony Abbott thing.

Mark Dreyfus, the shadow attorney general of the opposition Labor party, said on Saturday: “It’s up to the Morrison government to explain how a former Liberal PM can now work for a foreign power advising on matters potentially in direct conflict with Australia’s commercial interest.

“And how conflicts arising from Mr Abbott’s intimate knowledge of Australia’s trading interests and strategies, gained during his years as minister and prime minister, will be managed.”

Other parliamentarians went further. Rex Patrick, an independent senator from South Australia, labelled Abbott’s appointment a “disgrace” and called for the former prime minister to be forced to register as a foreign agent under Australia’s Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme.

He said Abbott should be stripped of “most” of his travel and office allowance. “Australian taxpayers shouldn’t subsidise a foreign agent,” Patrick said on social media.

This might be worth it if the government ends up with a trade envoy who can't leave his own country because it wanted to fuck off the snowflakes.

I take the correct position that XR are generally terrible but did a good thing today.

Fuck Labour. And just so we are clear- Fuck. Labour. https://t.co/HqDtUce5ux

— Mr Demos of Pnyx (@gem_ste) September 5, 2020

someone makes the good point that it's a miracle they succeeded, they are probably so heavily infiltrated by undercover cops.

Dawn Butler expressed approval for the XR action and then either deleted it or was ordered to by the appalling Labour leadership that cares a lot about the Murdoch press.

lol the "outrageous attack on our free press" line being used by both main parties.. just seriously fuck this country.

fuck this country, fuck its political parties, fuck the free press, fuck XR

seems to cover it

we need a separate thread for why XR are a pathetic cosplay joke of a nothing but still, i lolled

they are awful, but I approve of climate emergency protests that cause disruption to the so called free press, sorry I meant the vile fascist propaganda shit-rags owned by the same few billionaires

sometimes they are so bad you'd think they were an elaborate psyop perpetrated by big oil to sullen the reputation of climate activism, but I still approve of what they did today!

From the Wapping picket line to fighting the mine closures and supporting families affected by the P&O dispute, I’ve always been a proud trade unionist.

“A free press is vital for our democracy. People have the right to read the newspapers they want. Stopping them from being distributed and printers from doing their jobs is wrong.”

Who in 2020 is being prevented from reading or engaging with the free press because they can't physically get their hands on a newspaper?

Kieth is a Kop

Like this is literally a handful of dyed-in-the-wool Tory colonels having apoplexy because the Telegraph hasn't landed on their doormat.

stoked to read ILX's line on the latest XR protest

― imago, Saturday, 5 September 2020 bookmarkflaglink

What's your line on it?

stoked to read ILX's line on the latest XR protest

XR could you not instead takedown their websites jeez

the thing about the working class is, they just love working. can't get enough of it. Labour is the party that facilitates working - any kind of working, just for the love of work and working

— Rosewood Shoehorn (@apiarism) September 5, 2020

The Police Federation in London is calling for the suspension of the right to freedom of assembly, which is protected by Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights https://t.co/t8CKsik7lg

— Netpol (@netpol) September 5, 2020

I haven't worked out my exact line but the optics of a targeted attack on our monstrous press barons can't be that bad, even when they are, lol. "Tell The Truth" is a slightly lame slogan though - the issue is more structural than that (i.e. the favours-for-mates cosy press racket)

Remember when a handful of lorry drivers blocked the exit to a fuel depot and brought the entire country to a standstill, prompting widespread panic buying, and the British press cheered them on?

Ban protests they spread rona
Also get back on the 8am tube you hogs

A tiny number of billionaires own vast swathes of our press.

Their papers relentlessly campaign for right-wing politics, promoting the interests of the ruling class and scapegoating minorities.

A free press is vital to democracy, but too much of our press isn't free at all.

— Zarah Sultana MP (@zarahsultana) September 5, 2020

She never misses. Honestly think she could be the fulcrum of a new left movement within the next couple of years.

I agree, my reservations are for her safety because you know what she will be targeted with by the press.

Absolutely. The attacks on her will arguably even more deranged and frothing than they ever were on Corbyn. At least he got the granny "aww isnt he nice" appeal.

Our free press.

And the outlets that do real investigative work are increasingly subject to state censorship https://t.co/wlbcJhlgTH

— Sita Balani (@sitainshort) September 5, 2020

I agree, my reservations are for her safety because you know what she will be targeted with by the press.

She's representing a West Midlands seat on a majority of 401, Cummings is going to ensure that everything that can be possibly be thrown at her is thrown at her.

Speaking of which I'm assuming the #scummedia mob are pretty quiet on today's events?

Just saw this on BBC from seemingly rival protests in Dover today - confusing optics.

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/1553B/production/_114255378_pic5.jpg

This is just objectively very funny pic.twitter.com/PQWCEzbZ7S

— 'Client Journalism' Expert (@ClientJournoExp) September 5, 2020

I take the correct position that XR are generally terrible but did a good thing today.

calzino OTM. And may I add, fuck Labour.

(breaking my 'no politics threads they do my fucking head in' guidelines because I just needed to say this somewhere, fuuuuuuuuck this Labour leadership)

(don't stab them though, please)

They're happily doing that to themselves anyway