Tabloids Category
The news as told by the UK’s tabloid press – The Sun, Daily Express, Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, Daily Star and News of the World.
Remain supporting media joins UKIP in spreading fear over migrants
Having warned against a vote for Leave in the EU Referendum, the Mirror titles are in a dither. Do they: a) ignore the whole thing; b) try to beat UK leader Nigel Farage at his own game by whipping up fears over immigration, and in so doing connect with the paper’s readership whose vote for Labour was once a given?
The Sunday Mirror just goes with a):
The Sunday People opts for b):
Congratulations to Wales, which voted out of the EU and stayed in the Euros (source for joke: all papers). But what about those half a million desperate “migrants”? Well, the People seems unsure who they are: are they migrants or EU workers? And what of the number? A clue to how speculative it is comes in a further headline:
Brexit to cause immigration surge as 500,000 East Europeans ‘will rush in before borders close’
The inverted commas means it’s untrue. Fact is now opinion. Whose opinion becomes clear – and no, it’s not the Daily Express leader writer’s:
The warning was issued by former minister Phil Woolas who said ‘those who wanted to halt immigration will, perversely, cause the opposite’
Woolas is a former Labour MP. He says:
“Every time the UK Government announces a cap on immigration, thousands rush in before the deadline. Would-be immigrants see that the door is about to slam. So they bring forward their plans and a last-minute rush heads for the UK. In the Home Office, they call it the fire sale.”
So the paper’s headline figure is a guess based on the opinion of a former Labour MP. And what do we know of him? Well, the BBC reported in 2010:
Former Labour MP Phil Woolas has admitted defeat in his battle to overturn a court ruling which stripped him of his Commons seat. “It is the end of the road – I am out,” the former immigration minister said as he left the High Court. It means a by-election in his Oldham East and Saddleworth is likely soon. Mr Woolas narrowly won the seat in May but the result was declared void by an election court which ruled he had lied about his Lib Dem rival.
The specially convened election court ruled that comments in campaign material suggesting Lib Dem candidate Elwyn Watkins had tried to “woo” the votes of Muslim extremists, clearly amounted to an attack on his personal character and conduct. The court ruled he was guilty of breaching the Representation of the People Act 1983 and barred him from standing for elected office for three years, as well as fining him £5,000.
What the former Labour immigration minister says is now front-page news.
Posted: 26th, June 2016 | In: Key Posts, Reviews, Tabloids | Comment
Transfer balls: James Rodriguez to Manchester United
More Manchester United transfer chatter in the Daily Mirror, which says the Red Devils are once again talking with Real Madrid. The paper says James Rodriguez, 24, “has been told” he can quit the Champions League winners for life at Manchester United. He must be delighted. Europa League football, here he comes. And just as soon as United stump up £50m he can be on his way.
The Sun says James to Manchester United makes sense because the Colombian and the club’s new manager Jose Mourinho are both represented by Jorge Mendes. Or maybe he’ll join Arsenal. Rodriguez is married to Daniela Ospina. sister of Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina.
Pick a link and hammer it. After all, the Express says James was “edging closer” to Manchester United back in April, when Louis Van Gaal was in charge.
The Star says Rodriguez it’s United all the way because the player is house hunting in Manchester’s “golden triangle”.
Not so says Marca, which notes that James could be on his way to Juventus. The, er, Mirror agrees, stating that Juventus and Bayern Munich fancy James.
Posted: 25th, June 2016 | In: Back pages, manchester united, Sports, Tabloids | Comment
The 4 ‘real reasons’ Jamie Vardy snubbed Arsenal
So why did Jamie Vardy reject a move to Arsenal? Was it because when, as reported, his agent called Arsenal to tell them about the “escape clause” it was just a ruse to get a rival team to bid for his client and so kickstart negotiations on a new deal with Leicester City? Vardy was on £70,000 a week when the agent called Arsenal. After Arsenal bid the £20m (Sun) / £21m (Telegraph) / £22m (Guardian) to trigger Vardy’s release, and offered him a reported £120,000 a week, the player scored a new deal with the Foxes worth £100,000 a week basic and maybe bonuses for ‘loyalty’, goals and appearances.
Other reasons why Vardy snubbed Arsenal are all over the media.
Sky: “Vardy: Arsenal style put me off.”
Words from Vardy: nil.
The Guardian: “It appears as though Vardy feels that he has unfinished business at Leicester.”
Gary Lineker: “A show of loyalty from @vardy7″
Telegraph: “…it is understood he was always reluctant to leave Leicester.”
At least it had nothing to do with money.
Posted: 24th, June 2016 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Broadsheets, Reviews, Sports, Tabloids | Comment
EU Referendum: what the tabloids got wrong the day after the UK voted
That the tabloids went to Press before the EU Referendum vote was known is shown in their coverage of the vote.
The Daily Mail
Page 4: “Operation Save Dave”
How well did that go. Not very. David Cameron has resigned as Prime Minister.
(Page 5): “Brexit camp jitters after close exit poll verdict”.
News is that UKIPm leader Nigel Farage has “conceded defeat”. Farage and his UKippers won.
Daily Mirror:
Front page: “As Farage all but concedes defeat..and after fear and hate.. Britain needs Remain & Leave supporters to start the healing process”
Wise words form the paper that on the day of the vote produced this:
The paper that shamefully milked the death of Jo Cox for its own ends:
Pages 2-3: “FARAGE: I’VE LOST”
Page 2: “A final YouGove poll published at 10pm gave 52% to Remain and 48% Leave”
Page 2: “The Leave campaign was given a boost with a higher than expected turnout, especially in England’s North”.
England’s North rejected Remain to vote Leave.
Pages 6-7: “Now only one thing matters… replacing the fear and hate with a future of hope”
The Sun:
Pages 6-7: “Civil wars Tories in mega plot to Save the Dave”
Daily Star:
Pages 4-5: “£6bn WIN-WIN FOR BRITAIN – Cash to pour in whatever the result is”
The out vote triggers a steep decline in the FTSE and the value of the pound on the money exchanges.
Such are the facts in the papers ‘wot won it’.
Posted: 24th, June 2016 | In: Politicians, Reviews, Tabloids | Comments (4)
Kerry Katona and Molly McFadden v the Daily Mail
The Daily Mail has some bad news. “Online trolls” have seen pictures of Kerry Katona’s daughter Molly McFadden and made “cruel taunts”.
For those of you who missed the moment when Kerry and her family went to Thorpe Park, on June 6 the Daily Mail published 21 photos of Kerry and Molly on their family day out. The Mail announced in a headline: “Molly McFadden can’t hide her delight as she enjoys rollercoaster ride at Thorpe Park with her mother.”
Now on June 23, the Mail tells is readers, “It was only on social media that things escalated, with Molly being criticised for her weight and Kerry’s parenting skills called into question.”
Curse that social media for fomenting upset and those “vile” comments. It’s nothing like the, er, online Daily Mail, whereon you can read comments like:
Her daughter is seriously overweight, people get sensitive when it comes to weight and children – but her health is already at risk from a very young age. If anything she should take this as a wake up call.
Molly shouldn’t be in the papers- Kerry shouldn’t put herself in that position with her family.
A cruel, mean, bullying article very loosely & badly disguised as a ‘fun day out’ article.
You nasty cruel bunch. Publishing some unflattering images of a young girl, making out the story is all about her having a jolly day out. . Do you all feel better about yourselves now DM ? Having a rubbish Monday and thought you would have a laugh at a 14 year old girls expense ?! That’s plain Nasty
Nice to see her spending time with her daughters. She needs to keep an eye on Molly’s weight though.
Children don’t get to be that size when they’re happy so she’s comfort eating to deal with her issues and the blame for that lies squarely with her mother.
The little girl looks troubled
Those online trolls, eh.
Posted: 23rd, June 2016 | In: Celebrities, Key Posts, Tabloids | Comment
Bruce Forsyth in wife-daughter confusion
Good news for Wilnelia Forsyth, wife of entertainer Sir Bruce Forsyth. In a Daily Mirror story on daughters who looks like wives and vice versa, the paper looks at “celebs’ young partners [who] get mixed up with kids”.
Dean Gaffney, 38, famous for being the dog handler who scored a job on EastEnders with the highly talented canine thespian Well ‘Ard, has twin daughters, 19, who look a fair bit like his lover, 23. William Shatner, 85, is married to a 58-year-old and has a daughter also 58. Des O’Connor’s wife is three-years younger than one of his daughters. And Hulk Hogan’s second wife Jennifer, 42, and daughter, 28, are unsettling alike.
So what of Brucie’s babes? His wife is 58 and his daughter is 39. The Mirror asks “Can you work out which is which”? Yes. We can. Although Wilnelia will be buoyed that the Mirror’s features editor thinks its a tricky challenge.
Posted: 23rd, June 2016 | In: Celebrities, Tabloids | Comment
Abdul Rahman Haroun: refugee, migrant, African, brave, desperate, criminal and free
Abdul Rahman Haroun, 40, left his native Sudan in 2004. On August 4 2015, Mr Haroun walked through the 31-mile long Channel Tunnel and claimed asylum. The Express says there is “outrage” as “migrant is freed”. It laments the “border shambles” that allows Haroun to be a free man. Reading that you might suppose that Mr Haroun escaped any legal censure for his actions.
Not so.
The Independent’s headline is at odds with the Express. It turns Mr Haroun from migrant to “refugee”. The Indy sums up: “Refugee Abdul Rahman Haroun given nine-month prison sentence for walking through Channel Tunnel to reach UK… He was prosecuted under Victorian legislation – the Malicious Damage Act 1861 – for ‘obstructing an engine or a carriage using a railway’.”
The Express quotes an MP who says Haroun received only a “slap on the wrist”. The MP says Haroun should have been deported automatically. The Express says Haroun benefitted from a “soft touch” justice system. Haroun has been “rewarded [for his criminality] with leave to remain and taxpayer handouts”.
The Mail says Haroun is “free to work and live here… if he has a wife and child under 18 he can bring them to Britain”.
Mr Haroun is free. That much is true. But only because from the time of his arrest until January this year Mr Haroun was a prisoner at HMP Elmley in Kent. In December 2015, the “African migrant” (Telegraph) was granted permission to remain in the UK as a refugee.
In January, he was bailed. At Canterbury Crown Court Mr Haroun, who “braved speeding trains” (New York Times) pleaded guilty.
The Daily Star sees no bravery. It states: “Migrant who walked through Chunnel free to live here – despite guilty plea.” The paper adds: “The news comes after truck drivers told of their fears of another summer of migrant mayhem in Calais, France.”
The final word is with the judge, Adele Williams, who “acknowledged Haroun had travelled from Sudan ‘in a state of desperation'” (Sky News). She added: “The reason why the courts of the United Kingdom take such a serious view of this criminality is that those who enter in this way seek to evade the authorities, who can, therefore, have no check upon who is entering the country. In the world in which we live of international crime and terrorism that is a very serious matter.”
So was the bigger crime in letting a man wander through the Channel Tunnel undetected?
PS – Mr Haroun plans to appeal his conviction.
Posted: 23rd, June 2016 | In: Broadsheets, Reviews, Tabloids | Comment
EU Referendum: the newspaper front pages
It’s the EU Referendum, the day the country votes for independence (Sun) or not not fall into an abyss (Mirror).
The Express wants us to “VOTE LEAVE’. But not al that many people read the Express. The weight is with the Mail, the country’s most widely read newspaper. It says the EU are liars. It says vote out. If the Mail mobilises its readers, the Mail will have won it.
Vote now and vote often:
Posted: 23rd, June 2016 | In: Broadsheets, Politicians, Reviews, Tabloids | Comment
Transfer balls: Manchester United want Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey
Transfer news: Manchester United are after Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey. In an “esclusive” The Sun says United think the Welshman is worth £35m. The Mirror reads the Sun, thinks the story sound, and declares, “Manchester United plot £50m Aaron Ramsey swoop”.
United wanted Ramsey in 2008 when Alex Ferguson was at the helm. Arsenal won his signature because they wanted him more. As Ramsey said in 2010:
“I felt more wanted here [at Arsenal]. By that I mean they did more things to try to get me. They had a plan set out for me and knew exactly what they wanted to develop me. The sort of thing they said was ‘You can improve on this’ and ‘This is what you are good at, so we will do this’.
“I think that the boss here has brought through a lot more youngsters and given them opportunities on a more regular basis. And that is what he believes in, picking out talented young players and turning them into great players so hopefully I can be in that category.”
As Ferguson dallied, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger arranged for Ramsay and his family to be flown to meet him in Switzerland. Wenger was working as a French television pundit at the European Championships. Ferguson talked with Ramsey on the phone. Wenger met him in person. Ramsey added:
“As for the plane trip I was just really looking forward to meeting the boss and hearing what he had to say. It was a great experience. That was a factor in making up my mind.”
Would Ramsey, a hit at Arsenal, leave to join Mourinho’s Manchester United? The Sun floats the idea, saying the “if he [Mourinho] fails to lure Borussia Dortmund star Henrikh Mkhitaryan” he’ll move for Ramsey. “The Special One is ready to wind up bitter rival Arsene Wenger by targeting the £50million-rated Arsenal star.”
Would Ramsey leave Arsenal to become Mourinho’s second choice, to antagonise the man who has helped his career? It seems highly unlikely.
Posted: 23rd, June 2016 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Sports, Tabloids | Comment
Transfer balls: Gareth Bale gets ‘deal for life’ as Manchester United ‘believe’
Is Gareth Bale heading to Manchester United? No. Moreover, the Daily Mail says Real Madrid are all set to offer Bale, 26, a “contract for life”. The Mail says “Bale can expect a deal stretching way beyond his 30th birthday.”
We don’t know how old the Mail’s Ian Ladyman is but we suspect he consulted with a Snapchat of 14-year-old girls before deciding that 30 is very old and reaching the milestone constitutes a “life”.
The odds on Bale leaving Real are longer than Victoria Beckham’s shopping list. That doesn’t stop the Manchester Evening News teasing its readers with news that Bale and Manchester United are linked. Today’s MEN readers are told: “Why Manchester United manager Mourinho is a big fan of Euro 2016 star Gareth Bale.” Is it because Bales is the star of Euro 2016. Or does Jose like Bale’s hairstyle?
Stuart Mathieson reveals all: “New Man Utd manager Jose Mourinho believes Wales’ tournament leading scorer is a match winner.” Jose believes it. The rest of us know it.
Posted: 22nd, June 2016 | In: Back pages, manchester united, Sports, Tabloids | Comment (1)
Wembley EU Referendum: newspaper sketch writers wear blinkers
Did you enjoy the EU referendum debate live from Wembley Arena? Helping us decide what we saw and missed are the newspapers’ political sketch writers. What did they see?
ON SADIQ KHAN (Labour, In)
Quentin Letts, Daily Mail (OUT!):
But the new London mayor is a feral little nipper and came up with the most vicious slurs of the first hour when he accused the Leave camp of running ‘Project Hate’ on immigration. The crowd oohed and booed.
Michael Deacon, Daily Telegraph (Dunno):
Inevitably the fiercest clashes concerned immigration. “Boris, your campaign has been Project Hate!” squawked Mr Khan. This won the night’s most furious cheer, followed by riotous stamping. It was like listening to an army charge across a tin roof.
John Crace Guardian (IN!):
“You’re not Project Fear, you’re Project Hate,” said Sadiq, to the biggest cheer of the evening.”
Mikey Smith, Daily Mirror (IN!):
Sadiq’s attack was the first damaging blow of the two hour event, and it attracted a long and loud round of applause from the audience.
What they said: Boos. Applause. Huge cheer.
ON RUTH DAVIDSON (Tory, In)
Michael Deacon, Daily Telegraph (Dunno):
Ms Davidson, though – surely the night’s star performer – won cheers with her rocket-powered zeal and patriotism.
Quentin Letts, Daily Mail (OUT!):
…did the highly rated Miss Davidson slightly underperform? She twice invoked the name of President Obama, who has supported Remain. Maybe that sort of thing works in Edinburgh but at Wembley last night it earned raspberries.
What they said: Star. Rubbish.
ON BORIS JOHNSON (Tory, Out)
Quentin Letts, Daily Mail (OUT!):
And then his closing remarks. Let Thursday be our ‘Independence Day’. As those south American commentators say, ‘Gooooallllll!’
Michael Deacon, Daily Telegraph (Dunno):
When Mr Johnson promised that June 23 would be Independence Day, the crowd nearly blew the roof off.
John Crace Guardian (IN!):
Boris bounced around on his feet, disappointed he hadn’t been able to get any of his favourite gags in. And that’s the way the rest of the night continued.
Daily Express (OUT!):
Huge cheers for Boris after his closing statement. The Wembley crowd are on their feet and chanting his name.
What they said: Scores. Disappointing.
Such are the facts.
Posted: 22nd, June 2016 | In: Broadsheets, Politicians, Reviews, Tabloids | Comment
Queen did not ask guests for 3 good reasons to stay in Europe
The Queen, reportedly, has stepped into the EU Referendum debate. The Express leads with: “QUEEN ISSUE EU CHALLENGE. – Give me 3 good reasons to stay, she asks guests.”
How many guests preferred it when Her Majesty just held up her gloved robotic waving hand and asked “And what do you do?” Now she wants three reasons why the country should remain in the European Union. Gongs and pudding portions depend on guests giving a favourable answer.
The source for this story of regal parlour games is “Royal biographer” Robert Lacey, who says he believes the Queen is a Eurosceptic but not necessarily a Brexiteer.
The story is taken up with the gusto in the Sun, which leads with “Sorry Ma’am, we can’t think of ONE.”
Proof that the Queen asked her guests the question comes there none. The tabloids’ story is rooted in a story Lacey wrote for the Daily Beast. Below the headline “Why the Queen Should Oppose Brexit” he says the Queen “apparently” has been asking her dinner guests for three reasons for the country remain in the EU. He adds that “Buckingham Palace has rightly deplored the impropriety of disclosing Her Majesty’s private remarks.”
Total balls, then.
Posted: 22nd, June 2016 | In: Politicians, Reviews, Royal Family, Tabloids | Comment
Remain v Brexit: what people off the telly said
Sick of listening to experts in money, war and politics talking on the EU Referendum? Us too. thankfully, the Daily Star has produced a double-page feature on what non-exerts have been saying. Not one of these people has bene elected for public office, but they have been on the telly. Some of the quotes are fantastic.
“If it means we can go back to using decent lightbulbs and hairdryers, I’m joining Brexit” – Liz Huley , expert in wearing dresses
“The European Union reminds me of an overpriced, badly run hotel” – Alex Polizzi recommends a new UK with neutral colours and a kettle in every room
“The EU is like a huge rock festival: Everyone has colour-coded passes and there are no wars” – Eddie Izard has never watched The Rolling Stones at Altamont, nor STEPS during the school holidays
And the pick of the bunch:
“Britain is not just stronger in Europe, it is more creative and imaginative” – Benedict Cumberbatch, the actor who made his name as playing the pre EU Sherlock Homles
Posted: 21st, June 2016 | In: Celebrities, Reviews, Tabloids | Comment
The Laura Carter sex tape is £10,000 a pop
Who wants to see Laura Carter in an “explicit sex tape”? Well, not any of the 634 people who complained to Ofcom that seeing Carter being felt up in the Big Brother house was too much before the 9pm watershed. Of course, you can watch the sex tape any time you like. A video of Carter being spit roasted / dry roasted by a “Premier League footballer” is “set to go online”, says the Daily Star in its front-page exclusive.
The video is “so hot it already attracted a £10,000 bid”, says the paper. And we turn the page. No self-respecting sex tape star gets into bed or even onto the kitchen table for ten grand. Which is why the Star relegates the scoop to Page 15, where we read that Carter is “unaware a video has been offered for sale for £10,000”.
“This isn’t what she wanted,” says “a pal”. Indeed, one images it is not. Ten grand for a sex tape. It’s as insulting as it is derisory.
Posted: 21st, June 2016 | In: Celebrities, Tabloids, TV & Radio | Comment
Arsenal balls: Wenger quits before he stays
Arsenal balls in the Daily Mirror, where the talk is of the club’s manger staying on for more years. Says the Mirror:
Arsenal planning Arsene Wenger contract extension keeping him in charge for THREE more seasons
That’s news in the Mirror which not too long ago told us:
Wenger set the date for quitting Arsenal, says the Mirror. It’s June 30, 2017. Unless it isn’t…
Posted: 21st, June 2016 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Sports, Tabloids | Comment
Eddie Redmayne and Hannah Bagshawe’s baby surprises Daily Star readers
News in the Star that Eddie Redmayne and his wife Hannah Bagshawe are now parents.
The Star is so delighted with the news it illustrates the story with a picture of, er, Donna Air and James Middleton, brother to Pippa and Kate.
Let’s hope their new daughter Iris makes a better job of recognising the proud parents.
Posted: 20th, June 2016 | In: Celebrities, Reviews, Tabloids | Comment
Madeleine McCann: Freud, Murat and a lynching at the Plough and Paedophile
Madeleine McCann: a look at the missing child in the news.
Daily Star (page 8): “Peado MP’s New Links to Maddie”
The paedo MP is the alleged paedophile MP Sir Clement Freud. He’s dead. He’s no longer an MP. Indeed, when he was alive he was not a known paedo, either. For a man who achieved celebrity and popularity in his lifetime, Freud’s post-breathing career has been disappointing.
The Star says that “bombshell emails” between Freud and Kate and Gerry McCann will be investigated as part of the police probe into the dead man’s alleged crimes against children. The former BBC TV broadcaster reached out to the McCanns when their daughter vanished. He had a home in Portugal not far when were Madeleine went missing. Kate says Freud “cheered her up”. Now a “source close to the family” says: “They took it at face value that he sympathised with their situation. They did not see anything sinister in his behaviour.”
You wonder what sinister intent he might have had? The mind boggles.
Daily Mail (Page 8): “Freud ‘drank in resort bar with ex-Maddie suspect'”.
Who is this former suspect? Why, it’s the entirely innocent Robert Murat, the poor sod libelled by sections of the British press. The Mail says the “paedophile ex-MP” – now a fact, apparently – “was said to have been on ‘nodding terms’ with Robert Murat”. What happened to Murat and Freud being drinking buddies, drinking “with” each other?
The Mail says the “ex-MP’s local was dubbed the Plough and Paedophile”. It’s the Plough and Harrow, dubbed a haven for child molesters after a Briton working at the pub “went on the run after police tried to talk to him about allegations of child sex abuse images and grooming”.
But that is not where Murat drank. The pub Freud and Murat visited – but not together – is called the Pig’s Head. The landlord, one Robert Hurst, has been speaking with the Sun. That paper reports:
Freud, who was unmasked as a child abuser last week, was also a regular at a pub in Praia da Luz dubbed The Plough and Paedophile. The fact Freud and Murat knew each other is one in a series of odd links that the dead former Liberal MP had to the McCanns. He had also entertained Gerry and Kate at his house in the days after Madeleine disappeared in 2007.
Is that an odd link – two Britishers abroad on the Med frequenting the same local pub? Murat is innocent. The Sun features a photo of him and the caption “Prime suspect…Murat was later cleared by cops.” So, he’s not a prime suspect, then. He’s not a suspect at all. He was an arguido, much as the McCanns were branded. They too were libelled in the British Press. They too must be presumed innocent. There are no suspects in the case of Madeleine McCann. But there are victims who have been tarnished by association.
Robert Hurst, landlord of the Pigs Head, said: “I find that really odd. I can’t imagine why he would suddenly want to invite them to his house. At the time Madeleine went, all hell was going on. Police everywhere, people just stunned and he’s straight in there having them over to dinner. When it came out this week that he was a paedophile, it made you wonder what he was up to?”
Back in the Mail, we hear of Vicky Hayes, “one of Sir Clement’s victims”, who says she told the police of Freud after she read of his befriending the McCanns in Kate McCann’s book. She was “convinced he was part of a paedophile rings operating in the Algarve”. The paper notes that Freud’s son, Matthew, says his dad was in the UK when the child vanished.
Some claims can’t be hard to prove. The rest of it invites nothing but speculation.
Posted: 20th, June 2016 | In: Key Posts, Madeleine McCann, Reviews, Tabloids | Comment (1)
Transfer Balls: Arsenal blow out Cavani, keep Wenger, chase Boufal and go Blind
Arsenal will offer Arsene Wenger, 66, the chance to manage the club for two more years when his current deal ends next summer. So says the Sunday Mirror. It’s not surprising news. Wenger is Arsenal’s easiest option. No deal has been agreed.
In other Arsenal news, the Observer says Wenger is keen on Lille’s Morocco forward Sofiane Boufal, 22. He’s valued at £19.6m. Chelsea and Barcelona are also interested.
The Sunday People says Wenger wants Manchester United’s Dutch defender Daley Blind, 26. Why? We are not told? And the Star fails to tell its readers why Wenger would want to sign Man United’s Morgan Schneiderlin. Is the plan to buy United players Jose Mourinho might not rate?
It all adds up to a lot of nothing. But the real transfer balls is in the Mirror. The paper says Edinson Cavani has dealt Arsenal a “blow”. Cavani, a player the Gunners weren’t interested in signing, has agreed to a new deal with PSG. Of course the Mirror has a been a source of Cavani news for some time:
29 June 2013: “Chelsea agree personal terms with Edinson Cavani”
9 Decemeber 2014 “Arsenal news and transfers: Edinson Cavani to ask Paris Saint-Germain for Gunners move”
15 May 2015: “Edinson Cavani agrees Juventus deal as Uruguay forward spurns Premier League interest”
Such are the facts.
Posted: 19th, June 2016 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Sports, Tabloids | Comment
Jo Cox: newspaper uses murder to campaign for Remain
They suspended EU Referendum campaigning in respect to Jo Cox, the Labour MP killed in the streets of her Yorkshire constituency. No-one told the Daily Mirror. As Jo Cox’s alleged killer, Thomas Mair stood in the dock at Westminster magistrates’ court, giving his name as “death to traitors”, the Mirror wondered: could Jo Cox’s barbaric killing help the Remain camp win the vote?
The paper teasers its readers: “ComRes analysts were amazed when the results coming in after 2pm began to show a marked change of heart from Brexit to Remain.”
Nigel Nelson continues in the paper that supports Remain: “Voters became more inclined to want to stay in the EU after MP Jo Cox was shot.”
They did?
The astonishing finding comes in a ComRes poll for the Sunday Mirror. And it shows the murder of the 41 year old mum of two could have a direct effect on Thursday’s result.
Awful if it does. Awful if a heinous crime decides the direction the future of the United Kingdom. Awful if Thomas Mair, Mrs Cox’s alleged killer, has a decisive say in the vote.
Our pollsters were asking questions on the EU referendum at the exact time news broke of the attack on the Batley and Spen Labour MP at 2pm on Thursday. ComRes analysts were amazed when the results coming in after 2pm began to show a marked change of heart. Before Ms Cox was shot 45 per cent of those polled said they would be “delighted” if the UK voted to leave the EU.
That dropped to 38 per cent after it – and the Remain camp got an astonishing nine point boost from those saying they would be delighted if we stayed.
Jo Cox made a difference then, so too did Thomas Mair, allegedly.
ComRes polled a total of 2,046 people between Wednesday June 15 at 9pm on Thursday. Most people had answered our questions before Ms Cox was gunned down on Thursday afternoon, but 192 answers came in afterwards.
Seems a bit woolly, no? The poll contained no question on Jo Cox. It’s pure guesswork to say her death had an impact.
Maybe the Independent can help.
EU referendum poll: 44% would be ‘delighted’ if Britain voted to Leave. Only 28% would feel the same if it’s Remain. Exclusive ComRes poll for The Independent finds voters feel more strongly about leaving the EU than staying…
In the only reaction that favours Remain, 41 per cent said they would feel “anxious” in the event of a Leave vote, more than the 33 per cent who would feel the same about Remain.
But what about the “tragic Jo poll surge”?
Polling was carried out online on Wednesday and Thursday this week, with 192 out of 2,046 interviews carried out after the news of the attack on Jo Cox, the Labour MP. Andrew Hawkins, chairman of ComRes, suggested that the attack might have influenced responses: “Not all respondents will have learned of the attack immediately, and the results should be taken with a degree of caution, but across all emotions reaction to a Leave vote was more negative among those interviewed after 2pm on Thursday.”
Thankfully, the poll is published online. Comres reports:
With less than a week to go until the vote, British adults are far more likely to say they would be delighted in the result of Britain voting to Leave the EU, rather than voting to remain (44% v 28%).
Similarly, more than two in five say they would be disappointed if Britain voted to Remain (44% v 33% who say the same if Britain votes to leave).
Despite this, many British adults remain uncertain over the future of a post-Brexit Britain; two in five say they would feel anxious if Britain votes to leave the EU next week, compared to a third who say the same for remain (41% v 33%).Labour voters are more likely than their Conservative counterparts to feel anxious in the event of Britain voting to leave the EU next week (52% v 41%). This is the only emotion where a majority of voters of either major party share this sentiment.
Such are the facts.
Posted: 19th, June 2016 | In: Politicians, Reviews, Tabloids | Comments (25)
Transfer balls: Neymar to Manchester United
Manchester United are competing with Paris St-Germain and – get this – Real Madrid to buy out Neymar’s £157m contract at Barcelona. Well, so says the Manchester Evening News, which reports the words of Neymar’s agent, Wagner Ribeiro. He says:
“There are three big clubs in the world that want to sign Neymar and pay a clause of €200m to Barcelona. I cannot say more than this because it is sensitive. I can only guarantee that Neymar is happy at Barcelona.”
Neymar wants a new and improved deal at Barcelona, the current Spanish champions, where he plays in a coruscating forward line with Suarez and Messi. If Neymar fails to get it he will move to Real Madrid – have the pig’s heads ready, lads – PSG and the French mono-league, or to live in Manchester and play in the Europa League. So says the Manchester Evening Post.
As negotiating tactics go, Neymar’s agent looks a bit desperate.
Posted: 18th, June 2016 | In: Back pages, manchester united, Sports, Tabloids | Comment
Jo Cox: Brexit, white supremacy and what else they say about Thomas Mair
Jo Cox has been murdered. In a truly horrific crime the British MP was shot and stabbed by her alleged killer Thomas Mair as she walked on a street in Birstall, West Yorkshire. The Press are here to tell us about Mair.
The Sun (front page): “MP shot 3 times and knifed 7 times by crazed loner”.
Twice the Sun calls Mair a “crazed loner”. On page 2. Mair is a “mentally ill loner”. He “executed” Jo Cox with a “final bullet to the head”.
News media has quoted Aamir Tahi as having said the killer yelled “Britain first” as the knifed Mrs Cox. The Indy stated: “Aamir Tahir, of the Dry Clean Centre, said the gunman was heard shouting ‘Britain first’.”
Says Mr Tahi in a note on his shop window: “NO-ONE shouted Britain first at ANY TIME.”
Page 5: Mair is now a “quiet loner” with a “history of mental illness”. He has been on medication and receiving psychotherapy for “prolonged periods”. Did any of it do him any good? Not much. Mair said “gardening and voluntary works has done me more good that all the psychotherapy in the world.”
Psychotherapists would disagree – it pays better than gardening.
His half-brother Duane St Louis, says Mair “cleaned himself with brillo pads”. “Locals” say he was “very helpful”. St Louis says his brother “was not a violent man…and is not that political. We don’t even know who he votes for. He never expressed any views about Britain , or politics or racist tendencies. I’m mixed-race and I’m his half-brother, we got on well.”
Another neighbour says Mair “keeps himself to himself… He has lived her for 40 years and never caused any trouble. ”
The Sun, however, is searching for signs of something. Another local man who know Mair says, “…he spent a lot of time in the library and liked to go on the computers there. I don’t know what he was looking up.” Why would he know?
Daily Star (front page): ” MP DEAD AFTER ATTACK BY BREXIT GUNMAN”
The Star says it was a “Brexit-motivated attack”.
At no other point in the article is Brexit mentioned.
Daily Mirror (front page): “The mum of two was shot three times and stabbed by a man shouting: ‘Britain first'”.
On Page 7, the Mirror’s Paul Routledge says claims Mair shouted “Britain first” “may prove to be right, or it could be wrong”.
Daily Express says Mair lives alone in a semi-detached council house in Lowwood, Fieldhead.
Daily Mail (front page): Jo Cox was “murdered by a loner with a history of mental illness”.
Page 4: A source claims Mair yelled “put Britain first”.
The Sun says Mrs Cox was shot then stabbed. The Mail says she was stabbed then shot.
Page 7: “Timid gardener dogged by years of mental turmoil”. “Friends” – of the, er, “loner” – say he has shown no interest in politics or the EU Referendum.
The Mail says his name and address “appear on a list of former subscribers to an anti-ANC pro-white South African magazine”.
A local man says Mair “doted on his mum” and was a “lovely lad”.
Such are the facts…
Posted: 17th, June 2016 | In: Reviews, Tabloids | Comments (2)
Madeleine McCann: Sir Clement Freud dug up and beaten with sticks
Madeleine McCann is back in the news. The Daily Mirror (the self-styled “intelligent tabloid”) wonders if a dead celebrity and MP kidnapped her.
‘Paedophile’ Sir Clement Freud lived close to where Madeleine McCann went missing as police ‘urged to probe link’
Sir Clement Freund, who died in 2009, was a paedophile? The Mirror wants us to consider it. But it’s uncertain if the dead man molested or raped or kidnapped children so it’s placed the word “paedophile” inside inverted commas. How fair is that.
Freud is believed to have sexually abused girls as young as 11, a documentary has claimed, and invited the McCanns to his Portuguese villa after she disappeared
Believed. By whom and why? And – get this – Freud reached out to the McCanns after not before their child vanished.
First up, we can look at who says the dead man did criminal things to innocent children.
Sylvia Woosley, now in her late seventies, said she was repeatedly assaulted by Freud over 60 years ago. A second woman claimed the former star of Radio 4’s Just a Minute panel game raped her aged 18 after years of grooming that included taking her on trips to the House of Commons.
Just a Minute is on the BBC. It’s a hat-trick of the tabloids game of Paedo Hunt for Freud: MP. Tick. BBC employee. Tick. Dead. Tick.
Former Crown Prosecution Service chief Nazir Afzal told the ITV Exposure programme that Freud, who died in 2009 aged 84, would have been charged with child sex offences based on Sylvia’s case if he was still alive.
He said: “I would have no doubt there is sufficient evidence to prosecute Sir Clement Freud.”
What the current CPS chief thinks we are not told. But it’s good to see Afzal finds life after service as TV pundit. Can Sylvia’s claims be tested?
Freud’s widow Jill, now 89, said in response to the film: “This is a very sad day for me. I was married to Clement for 58 years and loved him dearly. I am shocked, deeply saddened and profoundly sorry for what has happened to these women. I sincerely hope they will now have some peace.”
Now back to the paper’s ‘Our Maddie’ news:
‘Paedophile’ Sir Clement Freud had a villa in the resort Madeleine McCann vanished from and befriended her parents in the weeks after she went missing. Detectives investigating the three-year-old’s disappearance from in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007 have been alerted to the revelation and are reportedly expected to assess the new information before deciding if it may be relevant to the inquiry.
Did the McCanns ever visit with Freud?
They were invited to his house twice after Madeleine vanished and kept in contact by phone and email…. Writing about their first meeting – two months after Madeleine vanished – Kate wrote in her book Madeleine: “I’m usually very intimidated by people with brains the size of planets but Clement was incredibly warm, funny and instantly likeable.”
The swine!
He had cooked a watercress and egg salad followed by a chicken and mushroom risotto which was “the best risotto we’ve ever tasted before or since”.
The pig!
He invited them for dinner again in September that year but they cancelled because they had been named arguidos in the investigation. But they did go to his house for drinks later in the evening and he was dressed in a nightshirt watching a cookery show.
The depraved old bast…
Kate wrote of the meeting: “He gave me one of his looks and a giant glass of brandy, and managed to get a smile out of me with his greeting: ‘So, Kate, which of the devout Catholic, alcoholic, depressed, nymphomaniac parts is correct?’ Clement cheered us up with his lugubrious wit, and would continue to do so by email after his return to England,” she added.
The Telegraph has more: “Sir Clement Freud exposed as a paedophile as police urged to probe Madeleine McCann links.”
Exposed? Surely it has been alleged or claimed.
Sir Clement Freud, the former broadcaster and politician, was exposed on Tuesday night as a paedophile who sexually abused girls as young as 10 for decades.
Adding:
Sylvia Woosley said Freud befriended her family in 1948, when he was working at a hotel in the South of France, and started abusing her when she was 10.
Four years later, following a family crisis, her mother asked Freud and his wife Jill if they would look after Mrs Woosley, and she found herself living under the same roof as her abuser, being brought up as a daughter. The abuse continued until she managed to move away when she was 19…
A second woman wishes to remain anonymous. She alleges:
Another woman told ITV that Freud started abusing her in the 1970s, when she was 11, and eventually raped her when she was 18, by which time he was a Liberal MP sharing an office with Cyril Smith, who was also unmasked as a paedophile after his death. The rape was so brutal that his victim bled for a week.
The Telegraph than adds this to the dead man’s history:
With his finger on the capital’s showbiz pulse he helped propel a number of young acts to stardom and later boasted of being the first person to book the now disgraced entertainer, Rolf Harris.
The Sun: “NEW INFORMATION ‘Paedophile’ Sir Clement Freud lived close to where Madeleine McCann went missing – as TV doc makes startling claims”
Startling claims made by TV show. Yes.
Such are the facts.
Posted: 15th, June 2016 | In: Celebrities, Key Posts, Madeleine McCann, Reviews, Tabloids | Comment
Russian Ultras, Joey Barton irony overload and Igor Lebedev mocks Andrew Bache
Russian thugs are in France for the Euros. The Star says 150 of the “hyper-violent” Russian Ultras are “on their way to ambush England fans again”. Surely to ambush people you need the element of surprise. The only surprising thing these goons are capable of is breathing with their mouths closed.
The Star says the goons have given “bungling” French police “the slip”. The paper posts a picture of what appears to be pre-steroid Ultras division. The Mirror goes for the more pumped up version on its front page, and the news is no less inflated. The hooligans are “ULTRA EVIL”. They are “planning to attack the England v Wales match”. They are reportedly supported by Russian MP Igor Lebedev, who the Mirror says tweeted, “Well done, lads, keep it up.”
Over page 4 and 5 we get more from Igor: “I don’t see anything wrong with the fans fighting. quite the opposite, well done lads, keep it up.”
As General Igor urges more aggro from his Moscow hilltop, we read that a few Russian Ultras were stopped at the airport, but other “slipped away from Marseilles by train”. You might wonder how anyone can slip anywhere in a country monitored by CCTV and armed police on the look out for jihadis.
We also read of Andrew Bache, 51, an England fan batted by Russian with an iron bar by Russian fans. He is in medically induced coma. Perhaps Igor can send him a card?
The Sun says Russians chanted “DIE! DIE! DIE! as Mr Bache lay on the ground.
And then we see an oddity. On Page 4 Joey Barton tells how he “feared for his safety” on the street of Marseilles as he came face-to-face with the Russian nutters. He as “petrified”. His pals had a “”young lad” with them. Readers may recall that this is same Joey Barton who in 2008 was jailed for assault and affray. Barton was caught on CCTV in Liverpool punching one man 20 times before an attack which left a teenage boy with broken teeth. Judge Henry Globe QC said it was a “violent and cowardly act”.
Finally, we note that six England fans were jailed over hooliganism in Marseilles. There are not Ultras. But they are ultra thick.
Posted: 14th, June 2016 | In: Back pages, Key Posts, Reviews, Sports, Tabloids | Comment
Big Brother sex: Marco Pierre White Junior in Slave and Master chef
Did you see the “Big Brother Live Sex Show”? No, us neither. Well, that’s not true. We did see it last year, the year before that and the year before that but this year’s shag we missed. Thankfully, lending onanists a helping hand is the Daily Star, which leads with news of “record complains over soft porn scene”.
Most of those complaints most likely seep from the offices of the Star and BB broadcaster Channel 5, where the moaning and groaning sounds like a episode of Channel 4’s Sex Box, BBC TV’s Versailles, Sky’s Game of Thrones or wherever else viewers can get their prime time aids to masturbation on the magic box. “why can’t we do more porn?” they ask. “Big Brother is tamer than The Archers.”
Daily Star readers and Big Brother watchers demand more than soft porn. They want the proper porn. And on Page 11 they vent their spleens at the antics of Marco Pierre White Junior, an ambulatory comic strip who has been generously given the same name as his famous dad to help readers know who the hell he is. MPW’s leftovers have been engaging in “randy games” with Laura Carter (no, us neither). The TV chef’s son suckled on Laura’s breast and shoved his hand down her shorts. He then tied a belt about a his throat and asked her to whip him into a pink mousseline.
They then “dived under the covers for what appeared to be full-on sex romp”. Appeared? The Star’s Peter Dyke needs to get up to speed with his porn. If he turns to page 32, he can see the advert and sign up for Television X, a porn channel run by the Daily Star’s owner.
Posted: 14th, June 2016 | In: Celebrities, Reviews, Tabloids, TV & Radio | Comment
