Nesrine Malik and Brexit as Culture

 The Guardian is trying to relate actual news with the Conservatives. Front page has analysis of Truss tax proposals in numbers. But I have realised this is not the way to cope when policy is seen as culture. The tax cuts benefit a particular set of voters but they now also believe in tax cuts as part of a mix of rhetoric. I may overestimate this but it makes some sense of things. Yesterday Sunak in Sun wrote about "Starry Eyed Boosterism" and this is the best term yet to describe Truss economics.

Nesrine Malik in Guardian writes about culture wars as a way for Conservatives to hide from reality such as Brexit, housing or the economy. Brexit consequences are real but I want to explore Brexit just as culture. It could be off topic to compare the claims made in 2016 with reality now. there never was an evidence case. The culture continues. This is where Sunak is failing to get support. He voted Leave but he appears to be a "bean counter" like Cameron and the IMF worthies with Project Fear.

Express today has "Positive" Truss with claim that the best days are ahead for Britain. Editorial mentions "naysayers at the Treasury".

It is uncertain how the culture wars continue outside UK media. Actual newspaper sales continue to decline.

UK and alternative facts #PartyGate #OxfordMidSummer

Daily Mail has a story based on quotes from Nadine Dorries on "witchhunt" and "kangaroo court". This is about the Commons and establishing facts around Partygate. Since Brexit it seems the newspapers have behaved as if they can set the agenda. Was it always so? Brexit was a success and a rationale. Hostility to Brexit is offered as an explanation on why there is a hearing. Nothing in Mail on what the substance might be. ( Also nothing on Pincher. Has he resigned? Will there be an election? Is there any story about this in a newspaper?

Newspapers can develop a unique take in the absence of television independence. Two tweets are interesting.

Maitlis and Sopel no longer work for the BBC. How would they report this if they did? How will BBC report Parliament?

( I am still thinking about the drama around #OxfordMidSummer but straight facts seem enough. this could be worked into dialogue later. Maybe drama is a phase between aspects of reality clarity or so it seems )

Starry Eyed Boosterism #starryeyedboosterism Sunak has a name for it.

This is a test, finding a word for something. My theory is that for Conservative members Brexit has become a culture issue, not based on economic reality. Also this may have been the case from the start. The economic case for Brexit made in 2016 was about a vision not a model. I will look back later to check examples.

The current contest between Truss and Sunak is making this clear. Sunak supported Leave but is now seen as a "bean counter" . This means that he tries to explain policy with some analysis and reference to economics research. In 2016 Gove spoke against "experts" such as Bank of England or IMF. They are also "bean counters" .

Truss recently has claimed that the recession predicted by the Bank of England is not inevitable. She has faith in tax cuts to boost the UK , presumably very quickly. Sunak in Sun today writes ( p2 ) "We need clear-eyed realism not starry-eyed boosterism." My guess is that the Conservative members like the starry-eyed boosterism they have enjoyed ftom Johnson and will be happy to continue with Truss. But at least Sunak has a word for it. #starryeyedboosterism finds not much yet on Twitter but the tag explains a lot of history and something may continue. 

Also in Sun page 8 - Rich 10% richer , low earners pay up just 1% as inflation spikes. Trevor Cavanagh page 10 expects biggest Great Britain crash since 1929... pehaps as many as 12m people in rea pocerty, according to "one seasoned economic analyst". "These are not people on the fringes but those - like Sun readers - at the core of society".

If this is what they read in the Sun what to make of #starryeyedboosterism going forward?

#OxfordMidSummer Whips News and Missing News

 Since the election results I have been thinking about both the open material on part one and the more detailed work I may do on part two if there is an advance budget from somewhere. There turns out to be a lot of work. So far there have been notes in real time and it seems ok as a plot. But now there are events that could look back to previously. this sort of thing is part of a murder mystery. There are clues in what the audience has already been shown. Still it takes a bit of study from the writing process.

For new readers, there is a group of off duty police officers in a pub garden somewhere near Oxford. they have been joined by some friends / journalists. In part two the action moves closer but this all started just looking at Partygate and the Met from a distance.  Conversation now includes the Whips Office and someone remembers there was a police inquiry previously when some MPs thought the behaviour was close to blackmail. This inquiry was ended. Apparently some newer MPs may just not have understood what was normal.

I cannot find any reference to this in recent reporting of how a whip was appointed or what was happening in the office. Conversation will include how things have been reported or not reported.  As memory serves the story just quietly vanished. But some MPs may remember something. 

#OxfordMidSummer note on second hit and run

 As mentioned in a tweet ( search on @will789gb and #OxfordMidSummer ) the second body from a hit and run has been discovered. So the action is moving closer to the off duty conversations some distance from London.

More later.

Part Two and "Londongrad" #OxfordMidSummer

 I have decided to concentrate on Part Two. This is the fully funded production with a budget including legal insurance. ( Part one continues but is a creative commons project so there is no budget to take out the rough edges in a formal script ) .

Reality follows imagination. I had got as far as a big house somewhere in country near Oxford. Bodies of students found in lanes nearby, probably just a hit and run. ( Second one expected Tuesday week of bye elections ) Then I found a documentary from Sky based on Buzzfeed reporting.

This is way over the top as a body count even for ITV mid evening. Latest info is that none of the 14 deaths are seen as suspicious by UK police. There appears to be intelligence from USA with grounds for further investigation. So part two opens with the police at the big house for some reason. Arrival of bailiffs from Moscow causes surprise. The house has been security for a property deal in Moscow that went wrong. How did this happen. No previous connection was known.

Thee is no direct connection to #Brexit in conversations. Looking at the last year or so the supposition could be that the Owen Patterson story showed an assumption about rules and what was possible in asserting counter facts. This may have started with Brexit when misinformation was widely accepted. This is only briefly mentioned but the story could go further back if there is some interest. Also depends on what turns up in reality.  

#OxfordMidSummer Police / Journalism conversation

 This is an outline of conversation for tomorrow evening.

Cast to include at least one police officer and one journalist. ( Still not sure who the later version will be written for )

Event was the Sunday Morning show on BBC1. Sadiq Khan interview included questions about the Met and Partygate.

Police officers upset by this, show concern. Too many questions are being asked. They do not know the answers. Journalist starts to probe a bit too far for comfort.

Police start having a go about the journalism. The Met may have been slow but what about the journalists who must have known about the parties and background but not much reporting. Mention of James Slack leaving do and how the Sun has not reported much. Also Lee Cain leaving do. Would the guests have been connected to Vote Leave and what is Dominic Cummings trying to do?

No answers but rising to a higher level of interest.