There is always the assumption that the summer is the ‘silly season’ in terms of news and politics. This is not the case for 2015, so far. Instead of pointless stories about animals doing funny things, the media has some quite complicated issues to deal with, not least the migrant crisis in Calais. For some in the media, the Labour Party leadership contest continues to be the gift that keeps on giving.
So what can we learn from the political news this week?
- The unions dislike Blair. Never one to mince his words, Dave Ward, General Secretary of the CWU, called Blairism a ‘virus’ in the Labour Party. Liz Kendall reacted to these comments on Newsnight but they simply highlight the very different views of the world held by many in the party. Discussions and debates usually lead to agreed outcomes. No such coming together currently appears likely.
- Language still has the power to disturb. Some accepted the Prime Minister’s use of the word ‘swarm’ to describe the migrants at Calais whilst others were disturbed. It demonstrated that single powers can still exert great power and that for politicians every single word matters.
- Heathrow is Boris vs. George. Continued comments against the expansion of Heathrow by Boris are not just about airport expansion. The decision, promised at the end of the year, is also about the contest to be the next leader of the Conservative Party. Given that the new airport will not have been built by the time of the contest, we can expect it to be an issue then as well, especially if the decision is pro-Heathrow at the end of the year. Boris will not give up without a long and protracted fight.
- Business trips. The PM loves a good international business trip. A chance to take leading UK businesses across the world to champion their products or services and sign a few deals. In a fairly derogatory way, according to media reports, the Business Secretary, Sajid Javid, led a separate delegation of businesses from the north of England.
- One Lord a-partying. The exploits of Lord Sewel brought with it a suitable level of media outrage. It also highlighted the continued failure of Governments to do anything meaningful about the reform of the second chamber. With David Cameron about to import more new peers, the total number could exceed 800.