You should probably avoid looking at the front pages of UK newspapers today. It’s embarrassing [IMAGES]

Walking past newspaper stands in Britain this morning, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d wandered accidentally into North Korea. Or A N Other state renowned for a supine media worshipping its glorious leader for that matter. So before you stroll through this shambles, remember: you were warned. We’ve selected the worst three of the bunch from today’s UK newspapers.

The Times

Coming in first is the Murdoch-owned Times. Apparently, if Europe doesn’t capitulate to the demands of Theresa May, it’s going to get ‘crushed’. May’s threat actually amounts to: Give us a good deal or we’ll turn ourselves into a tax haven. Never mind all those promises of increased sovereignty, holding corporations to account, and increased funding for public services. May’s entire plan hinges on bribing corporations to stay in Britain by cutting their taxes. And that will mean either less money for public services, or more money for them coming from you to make up the difference. The only person getting crushed in all this is the UK taxpayer.

The Daily Mail

In close second, those hairy-knuckled louts at The Daily Mail. Kim Jong-un has received less flattering headlines from the North Korea Times, and they literally think he is a God.

Invoking the inglorious memory of Mrs Thatcher, The Mail even cutesifies Prime Minister Theresa May with her own cartoon.  You can almost hear them cry:

Look how she swings her handbag of doom into every pillar of social democracy! See how they fall like skittles! Privacy, workers’ rights, the NHS, education, the welfare system… Bwahahahaha!

The Guardian

In third place, The Guardian. A paper that positions itself as the liberal voice of the UK media, but which somehow manages to back every war, piece of regressive legislation, and attack on any politician who might actually change it. They might have avoided the caps lock and the cartoons, but The Guardian adopts an identical position: May got tough with the EU. Tough is good.

Beyond UK newspapers, the story was quite different

But if the shame of sharing an island with the people behind these front pages was not deep enough, it’s worth a look at how international media viewed May’s ultimatum. It seems best summed up by German newspaper Die Welt.

So lonely pic.twitter.com/iBs7zUbWzc

— WELT KOMPAKT (@weltkompakt) January 17, 2017

In short, force is not the same as power. Until Britain has a government that leads with compassion and dignity at home and abroad, we will continue to slide into irrelevance. Within Europe, or without it.

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Featured image via Geograph