To think the right wing tabloids have gone too far?

[Mistigri]

Reactions of the Mail, Express and Sun to yesterday's court decision on brexit:

The Mail's front page has a picture of the three high court judges with the headline "Enemies of the people". One judge is criticised for being "openly gay".

The Express says this is the UK's greatest crisis since the Second World War.

The Sun (proprietor: R Murdoch) takes to task the "foreign elites" who brought the case. Because their readers are less likely to approve of attacks on white pensioners (the other claimant), they focus their attack on the non-white woman claimant.

The Mail is the most problematic IMO; attacking the judiciary is another step on the road to facism.

How can we have any reasonable political debate in this environment?

[Petronius16]

The judges made it quite clear, they were not passing judgement on the rights or wrongs of the result of the Referendum.

They made a judgement on a point of law, as requested by a few of our citizens.

In other words they did their job.

Weep for the fact that those papers are the country's best sellers.

[pennycarbonara]

how was he attacked or criticised?

It's called dog whistle politics


However. Rupert Murdoch is 85. He can't be around for that much longer and his kids are known to be somewhat more liberal.

[2kids2dogsnosense]

I hate the press.

I hate, hate, hate the press.

[TheElementsSong]

"gay" in a list of what they deem as negative traits is enough.

It's so they can do a wide-eyed "But I don't see any homophobia or racism, you're just paranoid/deluded" thing with a clear(ish) conscience.

[SlottedSpoon]

allegretto I totally agree, I am not lacking in understanding about the intent and I totally get what they are hinting at. I just wondered if he had been directly attacked or criticised as people upthread had suggested, in what surely would have been considered legally as an act of homophobia.

And again, the statements made about the other judges in that list are just that - statements. By the looks of things it's left to the reader to decide whether they qualify as negative qualities or criticisms or not.

But as I have already said, it was snidey, underhand and totally irrelevant to mention his sexuality at all.

[ghostyslovesheets]

Yanbu op
Less than 6 months ago a remain campaigner and mp was murdered by a man shouting England for the English- now the press brands people who want parliamentary sovereignty enemies of the people
Grossly irresponsible and just plain wrong

[SpunkyMummy]

Well, it's the press. Sharks...

[BusterGonad]

Allegretto it wasn't in a list of negative traits, it was in a list of things about himself, it mentioned his partners name, and it mentioned he made history by being the first opening gay judge. What is so wrong in that?

[DanicaJones]

It's so depressing the newspapers so many people in this country read and the values that they must share with them.

[CockacidalManiac]

A lot of wise posts on this thread. It's a new low for some already debased newspapers.

[LineyReborn]

I was reading the Mail Online at 5am and it's been toned down since then.

[MLGs]

They put "gay" in the list of things things hat they felt made them enemies of the people, or certainly not fit to judge

[user1471545174]

What anniegetyourgun said. Very well put.

[Olympiathequeen]

I voted leave and stick by it, but those newspapers are pretty disgusting. I never buy newspapers anyway, especially the Mail.

[39up]

I think you have to be exceedingly disingenuous to claim that the Daily Mail wasn't using dog whistle homophobia to slag off one of the judges.

[MilkTwoSugarsThanks]

You do realise that if we stay in Europe now they will absolutely rip the piss out of us and never take our politicians seriously in debates or listen to any requests we make don't you?

"Give us 100% more money"
"No"
"Yes. What ' you gonna do about it? Leave? Hahahahahahahahaha!"

"Make abortion illegal in Europe."
"No."
"Yes. What ' you gonna do about it? Leave? Hahahahahahahahaha!"

We're stuffed either way.

(Yes I do know it's not that simple and rather extreme, but the thought of something along those lines sits at the back of my head and niggles.)

[MLGs]

Do you think it's possible that the extreme nature of these headlines means that people will wake up to how misleading and potentially damaging they are?

[lljkk]

We aren't going to stay in EU... well, maybe if there's a general election & LibDems get majority. I suppose stranger things have happened in last year!!

[DrDreReturns]

Why can't people understand what the ruling actually means? It's just saying that the process must be subject to parliamentary scrutiny, not that leaving the EU will be blocked! Why is that so controversial - it's how things should be done in this country.
I agree with the PP who said that the editors understand the ruling perfectly well but are misrepresenting it to whip up hysteria / boost sales.

[CockacidalManiac]

I'd really like someone to explain how this isn't homophobic.

[Bountybarsyuk]

Not that I should be spending any time reading the Mail comments...but I think the headline about the judges has managed to offend about half of the Mail's usual readership/Brexiters. They don't want to be associated with mob rule and against the rule of law.

[DrDreReturns]

It is homophobic. They wouldn't mention it if he was straight. His sexuality is irrelevant.

[53rdAndBird]

"Leaving the EU is about sovereignty! We want British courts and British parliament to be supreme."



"Nooooo! Traitors! Enemies of the people!"

[LittleLionMansMummy]

Completely and utterly agree op and came on mn to say something similar. I can accept (just about! ) that people voted differently to me and I'm happy to listen to their reasoned arguments. But I am utterly despairing of the level of hatred and division currently being stoked by the press. And when you read the comments from readers it sounds more like Nazi Germany than modern day Britain. The press are being totally irresponsible. I don't want Britain turning into a modern day vision of Lord of the Flies where subversive calls to civil action, unrest and military coups are commonplace. I am well aware that most people who voted Leave are not racist, but the lines being trotted out perpetually by the media at the moment have flung the door wide open to a violent vitriol that is encouraging something akin to fascism and further dividing our country. I don't want to live in a Britain like that, where people who otherwise seem like normal family people are calling for the removal of everyone who was not born here. I keep thinking I've woken up in a parallel world where Joseph Goebbels is alive and well and in charge of the British media. I'm utterly depressed and wish there was some way of addressing it.

[ChazsBrilliantAttitude]

In what way is the sexuality of one of the judges relevant to the decision? They also manage to mention that he is Jewish too. In what way is is religion relevant? Or the value of the LCJ house?

Talk about ad hominem attacks. If you disagree with the decision - attack the decision, question the law but don't put the judges' personal lives into the frame.