Wednesday 19 April 2017

How the papers covered the election shocker

The chaos that David Cameron started continues. Here are today’s front pages on Theresa May’s announcement that she is pushing for a June election. 
The split across the front pages reflects the split in Westminster and the split across the country. The majority of the papers reckon it's a 'brave' political decision ... but not all. And in Scotland there is another view altogether. Here you go ... 


The Daily Mail, of course, is on May's side. It uses a smiling, if slightly sinister, pic of the PM and reckons she has called the bluff of the 'game-playing' remoaners. It's an unequivocal message - a rallying call once used by Lenin - which caused a bit of a Twitter stir. 


The Scottish Daily Mail isn't quite as bullish ... but the message is still clear. Is it just me or do the colours and design of the page look vaguely like the French flag.

At the other end of the scale The National actively tells its readers to vote against Brexit ... and for a Tory-free Scotland.



Back to the Brexiteers ... and the Daily Express paraphrases the Prime Minister's message. 

Meanwhile the Morning Star pulls no punches for the other side. It calls the Prime Minister 'cowardly' and instead of a live picture uses one with her wearing an absurd red 'Paddington' hat.


The Guardian also paraphrases the PM's message and uses a John Crace sketch on the front. Is the big shadow to Mrs May's left a cryptic message? 


The Daily Mirror terrorises its readers with a haunting memory of Margaret Thatcher. 'Yesterday she put herself and the Tories first,' it says.


The Mirror's sister paper in Scotland, the Daily Record, goes for a more dishevelled picture and also opts for the line that it is all in the PM's self-interest. Good headline.


The Courier in Dundee also picks up on the lady is for turning angle.


Blue murder says The Sun ... which really means an 'extravagantly loud outcry'. About right I guess. The paper is confident that the PM will kill off Labour and smash the rebel Tories.


The Scottish Sun has the pick of the tabloid headlines ... reflecting the poll-weariness of the Scots (and maybe the rest of us too). 


The Scotsman reckons the Scots have got their referendum after all. 


Elsewhere in Scotland, The Herald sees the decision as a gamble ... albeit with the dice heavily weighted. 
The Daily Telegraph goes for strong display ... overlaying the masthead on the photo and declaring 'May's bolt from the blue'.


Its columnists are all definitely on the May side ... 'an astonishing act of political courage,' says Philip Johnston. 


Meanwhile Matt, as always, hits the nail on the head.  

The Times reckons it will be a landslide. Its polling info is that there will be a Tory majority of more than 100 as Labour's pro-Brexit supporters will desert.


The FT goes with its usual 'matter of fact' headline ... but the graphic is good. The yellow line shows what happened on the FTSE, the blue line what happened to sterling. Little wonder we are confused. 


Metro has no axe to grind ... so plays it down the middle. Good page, the X in the headline is a nice touch.




Theuses a windswept picture of Mrs May and plays the headline as straight as can be. 




50 days, say City A.M. It brings it home that we haven't got long ... and that any opposition is going to struggle to put forward a meaningful campaign. The blurb that caught my eye, though, was this:



How could you resist?


The Daily Star opts for a Rice Krispies' theme. Well, what else can you do with the word 'snap'?


The regional papers needed a local angle and The Gazette in Teesside uses a quote from Redcar MP Anna Turley that it was time to 'buckle up'. 


The Northern Echo reports on an early casuality ...  Tom Blenkinsop, MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, who announced he will not be standing because of  'irreconcilable differences' with Jeremy Corbyn. The blurb isn't about that though - it's about an ostrich that legged it in Newton Aycliffe.



Elsewhere, the EDP is clearly suffering - maybe like the rest of us - from election fatigue. But there will be some good stories emerging throughout the country in the next 50 days. It is a real opportunity for regional papers to shine.

Thanks as always to Tomorrow's Papers Today.


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