Watching the election coverage on this far way planet, there seems to be a pattern emerging. Don’t bother with facts, and certainty not with policies. There will definitely be no Tory policies. Concentrate on personalities, and above all keep it minimal. In todays 68 page paper, two are devoted to the election campaign, and at least a third of that space is devoted to photos. Those pages are relegated to further back in the paper to make way for the woes and tragedy of Celtic FC, a priority many UNISONActive (not me ed) readers would agree with.
Today’s main story is the moans of Annabelle Goldie. For those of you from the less politically sophisticated South, Annabelle is the Scottish equivalent of David Cameron. Annabelle has the bearing of the Hockey mistress at a minor ladies public school, or at least the kind that appeared in the Bunty, UNISONActive's only point of reference in these matters. So the resemblance to Cameron is obvious. That and the fact that her accent in these parts is known as “pure pan loaf” seeing a “scon” where the world sees a “scOne” . Do you have to mangle the English language to be accepted as a candidate?
Anyway Annabelle thinks that the Labour Party is telling lies about the Tories. She has launched a bill board to tell people that. “Tories slam OAP con” runs the headline. Does she deny that the Shadow Pensions secretary has said that winter fuel payments are complicated and patronising? That Ken Clarke believes that bus passes and free TV licences should be locked at? Or indeed that the Institute of Fiscal studies, a Tory think tank, would cut Working Family tax credits? Well, no. But she says its all dreadful distortions of the truth.
Maybe those of pensionable age or those approaching it are capable of deciding for themselves.
Election Day 6
Just noticed that the thoughts of Chairman Rupe cost more if you are a Scot! How very un PC. But today the Sun again comes back to its regular theme. The Sun Does Not Like Gordon Brown and his manifesto launch was a fiasco. Did those of you reading other parts of the media notice? Certainly having been dispatched as a visitor to this unknown universe, there is starting to be a concern that the dimensions of reality are different here.
So what does the Labour Party manifesto actually say? Em, as they say on University Challenge , pass. This is not a record of what the Labour Party is saying that it stands for during this election campaign. A very small boxed insert talks of Gordon’s 7 promises with a very few words on each. On tax , there is the promise not to raise income tax and retain the exclusions on VAT. Some people may like that. There is the promise on the minimum wage , again hidden away, but one that many inhabitants of this world may be interested in . On health, there are commitments on cancer treatment .
But within the main story the positive elements are not covered, only the Sun ‘s analysis of what Gordon isn’t saying.( if you follow that ). Gordon said that there were no plans or need to increase VAT. But the Sun says he offered no guarantees. The Sun says “There are no promises for the armed forces.” As Bart and Homer have been known to say “Doh???”
Some woman no one ever heard of has changed her mind about Gordon since 2008. Did you know that? Did you need to or want to, especially as she has changed her mind in favour of the prime minister? But on this strange world it merits about thirty per cent of the total coverage.
Elsewhere in the paper four well known Tory supporters including Digby Jones and Chris Woodhead are allowed to have their say on why the Labour Party has failed. Dog bites man , headlines anyone?
Election Day 7
“Power to the People” says the headline. This is Dave’s moment.
The headline items?
• A scheme that will allow workers to become their own bosses
• A move to le voters sack their MPs
• an open policy on Finance
As they say in Dundee, jings crivens, haud me back. This is supplemented by a nauseating use of the JFK quote by Cameron. “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”.
Later on it’s obvious what your country will do for you. The economic illiteracy that is embedded within the Tory Party remains rampant. There will have to be cuts ion government spending.:-the deficit will be fixed in five years.
So don’t expect that you will be able to rely on the health service .
Don’t expect that you will be able to rely on local services.
Don’t expect that you will be employed
Don’t expect your child to have a first class education if you cannot afford to send them into private education.
Your country or at least your Tory government will not allow it.
The Sun will not spell it out. But we know the reason why.
