What would the media reaction be if it was Labour and Corbyn who had presided over this mess?

[User133847]

Now, you have to concede that whoever was in power had an impossible job on their hands and damned if they do and damned if they don't the whole way through. Part of the problem with Boris Johnson is he's a people pleaser and wanted to make popular decisions and ended up pleasing nobody. He's had the one side who wanted harsher restrictions and faster and on the other side those who wanted less restrictions and just get on with things. He's delayed till the last possible minute every time to take action, for a reason.

Looking at the media at the moment, there's a lot of sympathy for Boris. The papers and the Right media (talkradio etc) really going to bat for him today and peddling the "poor Boris" and "nobody could have done any better". Now, that statement isn't the purpose of the thread. I have no idea how Labour would have done, but the question is, if this was Labour and Corbyn instead of Boris, would the media be so forgiving? They'd be demanding heads on sticks, surely. The double standards are crazy.

I didn't want Corbyn or Boris as PM, neither were ever getting my vote, but i'm sick of journalists and pundits making excuses for Boris, when if it was Corbyn they'd be going crazy.

This is with the exception of a few journalists like Piers Morgan who have slaughtered the government and the PM. That's basically how a lot more prominent journalists would have been towards Corbyn. He would have been forced out before now by this.

It would certainly be an interesting thought for experiment. The scientists would have been the same ones as now so a lot maybe the same but lifting of lockdown in the summer would have been slower.
We’d be in the EU vaccine procurement scheme though so that is a blessing.

I cannot understand how Johnson is getting away with all his lies, mismanagement and 100,000 deaths - what does it have to take for him to resign! So he - scrapped the pandemic committee 6 months before the pandemic, bragged about shaking the hands of covid patients, said we should 'take it on the chin and let it go through the population', failed to listen to scientists about lockdown, presided over a privatised track and trace service which is shambolic (but gave contracts to loads of his chums), failed to sack Cummings for a clear breach of the covid laws, presided over chronic underfunding and privatisation of our public services ..... total charlatan and totally unsuited to being PM but oh most people still think 'oh good old Boris, he does his best ' no he doesn't, he does not care about the fishermen losing their jobs because of Brexit or the 100,000 dead cos he is a narcissist, a gaslighter, a misogynist and a racist amongst other things. When are we doing to wake up

Yep, I imagine if Corbyn had presided over this there'd be lynch mobs assembling.

But Johnson's just trying his best.

Media would be calling for heads on sticks.

Why is Johnson allowed to get away with not answering the question at PMQs? It is infuriating. He is supposed to be accountable and answerable to us, the public.

If Labour had been in charge and made the same or similar decisions, then The Guardian, Independent, Mirror etc. would have been praising the brilliant leadership and "progressive" decisions. The Mail, Times, Sun etc. would have been calling them incompetent murderers. The BBC would be trying to remain "balanced" and reporting the news without comment, and Piers Morgan would still be attacking anyone who appears before him and hoping that historic accusations of phone tapping and insider trading remain buried.

As to the decisions themselves, I think they would have been very similar in England and almost exactly the same in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. One thing may have been a week earlier, another a week later, you may have been able to meet one more or one less person outside and so on. Cummings would not have been sacked as he would have been a nobody, but Corbyn would be under intense pressure to sack himself for his rule breaking dinner party.

@jcyclops

If Labour had been in charge and made the same or similar decisions, then The Guardian, Independent, Mirror etc. would have been praising the brilliant leadership and "progressive" decisions. The Mail, Times, Sun etc. would have been calling them incompetent murderers. The BBC would be trying to remain "balanced" and reporting the news without comment, and Piers Morgan would still be attacking anyone who appears before him and hoping that historic accusations of phone tapping and insider trading remain buried.

As to the decisions themselves, I think they would have been very similar in England and almost exactly the same in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. One thing may have been a week earlier, another a week later, you may have been able to meet one more or one less person outside and so on. Cummings would not have been sacked as he would have been a nobody, but Corbyn would be under intense pressure to sack himself for his rule breaking dinner party.

That's probably about right. The BBC would be the usual toothless tiger not wanting to upset the government, therefore give them an easy ride.

You're right about The Mirror and The Guardian might be more forgiving of a Labour government than they are this one, but the Mail, the Telegraph, the Express and the Murdoch papers are very noisy and are the majority of the readership. Then you've got the likes of Talk Radio as well . These have all criticised Boris Johnson for locking down or not opening up, more than anything. That noise has helped delay lockdowns too late. Ultimately they have his back.

I don't like him, but Piers Morgan is one of the few prominent journalists or broadcasters now who do the job of asking the difficult questions and trying to hold the government to account, regardless of which side is in power.

If Jeremy Corbyn had been Prime Minister then in March last year restrictions would have come in earlier, if only from bowing to union pressure.

I feel the real comparison should be with what an alternative Tory leader would have done, and either Michael Gove or Jeremy Hunt would have acted much quicker than Boris Johnson.

I have no idea how Labour would have done, but the question is, if this was Labour and Corbyn instead of Boris, would the media be so forgiving? They'd be demanding heads on sticks, surely.
I don't understand how you have reached your conclusion. Are you just saying the media don't like Jeremy Corbyn and so would treat him unfairly because of that?
What is the reasoning behind your arriving at this conclusion?