If political campaigning has been suspended, why is Theresa May on TV every five minutes?
Theresa May’s statement on the Manchester bombing is being repeated regularly on TV news channels.
I may be exaggerating slightly, but Mrs May is certainly getting a lot of airtime out of the Manchester attack.
I know she’s the prime minister, and I know it’s a national emergency, but we are still in an election period and nobody can say that the other political leaders are getting anything like the same coverage, even though they all have messages of their own.
If the Tories’ poll ratings enjoy a bounce after this incident, then they will be guilty of the worst kind of politics – using a tragedy for petty political positioning.
Her statement was more than eight minutes long, meaning TV news editors can show different clips of it, depending on their own purposes. Here it is:
We all – every single one of us – stand with the people of Manchester at this terrible time. pic.twitter.com/vMTwaBbncl
— Theresa May (@theresa_may) May 23, 2017
Jeremy Corbyn also made a statement in front of the cameras. Apparently it appeared once on BBC News:
I’ve seen nothing from the other UK political leaders.
What are ordinary people to think of the fact that Theresa May is all over the news and Jeremy Corbyn isn’t? It is still an election period and, to be honest, the news media should be giving equal coverage to all political parties.
As it is, every time Mrs May appears on TV, it might as well be a party political broadcast for her, and her Conservatives.
This leads to the obvious question:
Wouldn’t it have been better for official announcements to have been made by a non-party political representative at this time?
I raised this issue on Twitter. Here are a couple of the responses:
There is no doubt that they will use this to deflect, they say no politics but it's exactly what they are doing.
— Roy ……. buster. (@roypearce1968) May 23, 2017
Exactly. She has always dreamed of a Thatcher moment, tragically, now she has it.
— Deborah Playford (@ladyfreebird750) May 23, 2017
Already some people are speculating about whether the Tories engineered this tragedy for precisely such a purpose. I would love to debunk such ideas but – in an age when Conservative policies have led to the deaths of thousands of people suffering with long-term illnesses and disabilities – my motivation to do so is… somewhat lacking.
If the Tories’ poll ratings enjoy a bounce after this incident, then they will be guilty of the worst kind of politics – using a tragedy for petty political positioning.
I trust I would not be alone in finding that sickening.
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By “no politics” May and her cohorts mean no politics from anyone but them. Usual snide Tory tactics.
It is fortunate that the Tories have such a well established respect for human life, otherwise one might suspect that they had instigated the bombing…
What about the front page of The Sun?
I had already covered that in another article, here: http://voxpoliticalonline.com/2017/05/23/terror-attack-in-manchester-lays-political-debate-open-to-extremists/
I had to stop watching May’s conference before 4 minutes were up because she seemed to be taking advantage of the situation, I know that sounds awful, but in contrast to Jeremy heartfelt speech, she sounded rather cold.
Its May and her cohorts that have backed the US in its campaign to murder around the world and innocent people in the UK will suffer for it, we need to rid UK politics of them
It’s not only campaigning that’s been suspended though is it. At 5 mins 46 May says that the election itself has been suspended. Any idea for how long? I agree with not campaigning for a couple of days as a mark of respect, but to suspend the election?? I think that’s a little over the top don’t you?
Funny that, just when May was wobbling….
No, the election will still happen on June 8.
surely halting the democratic process by any longer than a day of respect (tho’ msm seemed to have missed that memo) is capitulating to the terrorist.
Political campaigning should not have been suspended.
Isn’t it obvious?
You’re supposed to think that Corbyn is a terrorist sympathiser.
the election is still on for the 8th June is it? anyone know how long before the campaigns (by the other parties) can resume?
Wednesday, May 24.
Mike your article is the first time I had heard of this tragedy, thank you for your compassionate reporting of it.
Also Trump outdid himself, in his speech condemning the terrorist as “Losers” your brother said it was a sneer that will probably rankle!
It is especially heartwarming to hear of people in Manchester opening their doors and hearts to the victims, That is what makes this country truly “great”.
Here are some messages from other musicians,
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/may/23/manchester-terror-attack-ariana-grande-musicians-politicians-react-to-deadly-concert-explosion
Could be suspended for up to 6 days apparently?
My information is that it has been suspended until further notice. But the election must still take place on June 8, because that is the date set for it, by law.
Every day it is suspended after the first day, makes it less likely that the Labour Party will win. Suspending it for a day is ok to get organized and show respect and let May concentrate on dealing with the terrorist attack, but after that it helps the Tories as they are the ones in government.
I have read that May has suspended the election campaign till Sunday. So a week in which she can still campaign but the other parties cannot and the press will try and say how marvelous she is doing etc. After she knowingly cut the number of police down by at least 20,000 when she was warned that the police would not be able to function properly in a terrorist attack. She has cut funding to border control. And the A&E departments in hospitals are being closed down all on her watch. But we are all told because she is now putting troops on our streets in a first step to martial law that she is doing a good and stable job.
The question that should be asked is not to Corbyn but to May. Her hostility to the police when she was Home Secretary has left cuts too deep. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/mar/02/inspectorate-police-engaging-dangerous-practices-austerity-cuts-diane-abbott?CMP=share_btn_fb