‘Student debt’ lie only shows that Tories are now so hopeless they can’t even deceive convincingly
We all know that, don’t we?
If you’re not sure, consider this announcement, issued on July 19:
The Government has announced that we are banning unfair credit and debit card fees. Rip-off charges have no place in a modern Britain. pic.twitter.com/KFQvHvVKsB
— Conservatives (@Conservatives) July 19, 2017
If you think that seems reasonable, you’re probably missing out on a pretty vital piece of information. This information, in fact:
Same old Tories claiming something that was actually an EU directive! The real rip off here is with this tweet from the cheeky Tories 👎 https://t.co/xDDjqI7RB3
— Angela Rayner 🌹 (@AngelaRayner) July 24, 2017
Still have doubts? You can read the EU directive here – it has been in force since June 2015 – for more than two years. The big question should be, why have the Tories delayed implementing this regulation for so long?
And the obvious conclusion is: Tories didn’t ban unfair fees – the EU did. Tories lie.
So when the Tories come out with claims like this…
Promise broken: Corbyn u-turns on abolishing student debt pledge to NME magazine during the election campaign. Yet another Corbyn shambles. pic.twitter.com/xf0dqPtdhY
— Conservatives (@Conservatives) July 24, 2017
And this, with the help of their poodles at the Daily Mail…
Are @AngelaRayner & @jeremycorbyn going to apologise to young voters for breaking their promise on student debt? https://t.co/OzE5GdW4R6
— CCHQ Press (@CCHQPress) July 24, 2017
… We know the Tories are lying. Right?
Here’s what Jeremy Corbyn actually said in that NME interview about student debt:
Perhaps a quick look at Labour’s manifesto – it still exists, unlike that of the Conservative Party, it seems – and a transcript of the relevant part of the NME interview will help?
https://twitter.com/TheFabledAesop/status/889256335451320320
“I don’t have a simple answer for it at this stage,” he said. He did not say, “Labour will wipe out student debt if elected into government this year.”
And everybody – apart, it seems, from mass media journalists and the most blinkered of Conservative supporters – knows this. Everyone.
https://twitter.com/James4Labour/status/889371166930083841
https://twitter.com/MattTurner4L/status/889410684999663616
https://twitter.com/TheMendozaWoman/status/889492686817947648
https://twitter.com/TheMendozaWoman/status/889497619403345920
Only Labour will abolish tuition fees. Only Labour will abolish tuition fees. Only Labour will abolish tuition fees. Only Labour will abolis
— Owen Jones (@OwenJones84) July 24, 2017
Memo to journalists
Corbyn never promised to write off existing student debt
However, Johnson promised £350 million per week for NHS— Tom London (@TomLondon6) July 24, 2017
Is smear being pushed in MSM, that Corbyn has broken a promise he never made on existing student debt, the work of Mr Gibb, formerly of BBC?
— Tom London (@TomLondon6) July 24, 2017
Corbyn promised to scrap tuition fees
Never promised to cancel student debtShame on all journalists repeating Tory lying propaganda
— Tom London (@TomLondon6) July 24, 2017
1. Everyone already knows this is a lie
2. Hasn't the NME photographer already threatened to sue you for using his pic without consent? https://t.co/mFtZ5XTUZf
— Another Angry Voice (@Angry_Voice) July 24, 2017
Corbyn has earned the reputation for not lying because he DOESN'T LIE & the .@Conservatives launch a deceitful campaign to discredit him!
— Gracie Samuels (@GracieSamuels) July 24, 2017
Oh – well, maybe one person, along with his followers, doesn’t know what Mr Corbyn actually said – or perhaps he has his own reasons for tweeting the following:
.@jeremycorbyn I think you should step down and let someone else rescue the Labour party. You got votes with false promises .
— Lord Sugar (@Lord_Sugar) July 24, 2017
The terrific James O’Brien – not a huge fan of Mr Corbyn himself – summed up the situation on his LBC radio phone-in show, after waiting hours for a call from anyone who believed the student debt lie:
.@mrjamesob points out why the latest tirade against Jeremy Corbyn is “bonkers” https://t.co/8h38trcbHG pic.twitter.com/8qzxf7N29y
— LBC (@LBC) July 24, 2017
He had previously tweeted:
Three hours of asking, not a single caller who voted for Corbyn because they believed he had promised to write off existing student loans…
— James O'Brien (@mrjamesob) July 24, 2017
While we’re at it, let us not forget the role of the Liberal Democrats in all this.
The new Lib Dem leader, Vince Cable, was quick to join in the Corbyn-bashing:
#Labour has backtracked on #StudentDebt . Yet #LibDems still attacked for breaking pledge in 2010. .@nick_clegg apologised. Your turn Jeremy
— Vince Cable (@vincecable) July 23, 2017
How foolish. People on Twitter have long memories, and this was the response:
It seems @vincecable has been keen to spread the Conservative tuition fee lies. So I'm equally as keen to spread a bit of tuition fee truth. pic.twitter.com/BDigxyfnkm
— Rachael Swindon (@Rachael_Swindon) July 24, 2017
Labour hasn't backtracked. @vincecable, who made £9000 a year tuition fees possible, as dishonest as ever. If you trust him, you're a fool. https://t.co/S03lpsq3wN
— Tweets by Sue (@marthasydenham) July 24, 2017
https://twitter.com/MattTurner4L/status/889419052724232192
Lib Dem who benefited from free tuition fees attacks Labour for pledging to scrap them. Then posts lies about Labour https://t.co/9FRBR1Wgx9
— Socialist Voice (@SocialistVoice) July 24, 2017
Postscript: Not so much a Tory lie about tuition fees, but certainly an example of hypocrisy at the highest level, is the fact that the policy Labour actually offered to students – namely, an end to tuition fees – was actually supported by prime minister Theresa May when she was shadow education secretary. She backtracked on that when the Tories slithered back into office in 2010 and now her party is attacking Jeremy Corbyn for doing what she wouldn’t. See for yourself:
https://twitter.com/politicallynate/status/887750514116612097
Here are four ways to be sure you’re among the first to know what’s going on.
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (in the left margin). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
The Livingstone Presumption is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
The Tories have been regularly feeding the public lies for a long time now and sooner or later the lies were bound to catch up with them. Dishonesty and corruption has always come as second nature to Tories, whose main objective is to retain power and wealth in their hands at all costs.
Irma Grese May
The Tories’ lies will always be swallowed, wholesale, as long as people have no appetite for the truth. As long as people are too lazy and too stupid to scrutinise, question, verify, the Tories will, successfully, propagate their lies. As long as people are willing to believe, without question, repeat without challenge, or inquiry, the Tories will continue to fill people’s heads with their lies and they will be treated like Truth.