The Canary Weekly Round Up: shock Reform, Corbyn’s classism, assisted suicide, big boots, and more

What happened in the news this week from a left-wing, working-class, white, disabled woman’s perspective

Ok, so where do I start?

Well firstly FUCK Stormzy!

Fuck Stormzy…?

Yeah I said it – and WHAT? Instead of “Oh, Jeremy Corbyn…” it should now be “Oh, Stormzy you sell out…”

So in case you haven’t yet seen the new advert for McDonald’s, it features Stormzy ordering his new, limited time only “Stormzy Meal” which consists of, in my opinion, the items least ordered from McDonald’s. But because it’s now endorsed by the rapper, it will be no doubt flying off the greasy shelves of the fast food restaurant.

With Stormzy now getting way too big for his boots and blatantly forgetting his roots (see what I did there), he has now also deleted his social media posts on Palestine. So, along with the shit food, poor workers rights, and rubbish advert – Stormzy has completely sold out. Unlike the amazing masterpiece that was Kendrick Lamar’s Superbowl halftime show – which also featured a dancer holding a Sudan/Palestine flag with the words Gaza and Sudan, who was then wrestled to the ground by white men, which in itself spoke volumes.

Classism from Corbyn…?

Yep, you read that right.

To be perfectly honest it was quite literally one of those jaw-dropping moments. If you missed it, Jeremy Corbyn was on Peston this week appearing as a guest. Whilst there, he was being asked what he thought of Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs), with his response being:

it’s like speaking to a baying mob in a down-market pub…

Now this might seem like a fair response to many, but for me it highlighted the complete classism of politics, activism, and the continued assumptions about working-class people, and yes – he should have known better. This is yet another sign to many of us that we are going backwards as a society.

Shock, as we spiral into right-wing fascism and technicism…?

As well as seeing members of the left let themselves down this week, we have also been watching the entire political class shit itself over Donald Trump and Elon Musk.

At home, after years of crushing the left wing, trade unions, and working class, over a decade of austerity, and now a new Labour Party government and the Tories trying their best to please Reform by fighting over who’s the most racist, we have now seen MI5 protecting neo-Nazi agents.

Along with this, instead of protecting our proud front-line NHS doctors, we have seen a doctor named Nadeem Crowe be removed from his duties due to his social media posts in support of Palestine.

And finally we saw the BBC laying cover for prince Andrew.

But when it came to our political and corporate classes looking after us we saw a Just Stop Oil supporter found guilty of redecorating Cambridge University, Thames Water shutting its only water bank for 10,000 people after a leak affecting various South London post codes, and we saw government-owned Southeastern breach its contact over ticket office opening.

Whilst in the new world of Trump we have his new Executive Orders fomenting chaos in the rest of the world, South Africa being held to ransom, and his new right-had man Musk seizing government data. Not really the Whole New World that Jasmine and Aladdin were singing about in Disney’s Aladdin, but you’ll be fine – just as long as your not part of the LGBTQ+ community and you don’t go to the World Cup in 2034…

Political reform, yes – but Reform, no…!

The other interesting thing we have witnessed this week is the complete shock from political commentators wondering how and why Reform has gained so much ground in Scotland.

Hmm, this really is a mystery isn’t it? (rolls eyes 🙄). I mean, when you have a racist Labour minister wishing death on voters, and the left quite literally screaming about the far right for the last Tory-run decade, did they really wonder what was going to happen?

Did they not see the classist, racist, homophobic, misogynistic, ableist society that they were representing…?

But it’s OK! Keir’s now woken up. And of course, if our politicians were a true representation of us, even those of us who live on run-down council estates, drink in down-market pubs, or were underrepresented minoritised people, they would know this already, right..?

Again, rolls eyes 🙄.

We need legal assistance, but not suicide assistance…

With there being a obvious increase in the popularity of right-wing ideologies, and with the new Labour government making changes to the support and entitlements chronically ill and disabled people will receive, many of us have found the debate over the Assisted Dying Bill very upsetting.

There is a growing belief – very much like the belief that asylum seekers, homeless people, and people on benefits are costing our country too much money – that disabled people may actually be #BetterOffDead, as they too are now becoming a cost and burden to society.

Which of course, in my opinion, is complete bullshit – but unfortunately very real for asylum seekers, homeless people, people on benefits, and disabled and chronically ill people.

As the Bill gets debated, led by Kim Leadbeater, many have found themselves hopelessly watching the U-turns and wondering where this will leave them as disabled and chronically ill people. And most importantly, whether we are really wanted in a growingly right-wing, fascist society.

But it does speak volumes that even the Sun agrees that the Assisted Dying Bill debate is completely flawed. Along with this, we have seen a shocking admission from the NHS over its disabled mental health patients, as they have no idea how many there are.

Hmm, I can tell you where the fascists are…

(points to parliament)

So, that was the week in the Canary. If you missed anything or want to hear more news, check out Rachael Swindon’s weekly column, #SwindonsSundaySermon, if you don’t already.

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Featured image via the Canary