“I WANT my country back!” thundered Lee Anderson as he declared that he was defecting from the Conservative Party to Reform UK.
Don’t we all, Lee!
But I can’t think of anything less likely to win back our lost country than falling for the easy charms of Reform.
Breaking news from the Department of the Bloody Obvious — the better Reform do at the general election, and the more votes they take from the Tories, the less likely that Reform’s supporters will enjoy the new Britain that follows.
The better Reform do, the more likely the Tories are to be annihilated and the more likely that we will all be bending a knee to Labour for the next five years — or ten.
I get it, Lee. I really do. I understand your disappointment, your bitterness, your loss of faith. I feel it in myself.
So do millions more. But out here in the real world, Reform are not the way.
Reform are the self-harming protest vote that enables a Labour landslide.
However Reform spin it, they are punishing the Tories for not delivering a Brexit worthy of the name, they are draining the swamp for a truly patriotic party, they are reclaiming the spirit that won BoJo his landslide, blah blah blah.
A VOTE FOR REFORM IS A VOTE FOR LABOUR.
If you want to vote for Reform, fine. But you may as well cut out the middle man and just vote for Labour.
Because that’s what you will get. Guaranteed.
The one thing supporting Reform will never ever get you is your country back.
When Lee Anderson advocates for Reform, he is preparing the ground for a Labour-run Britain that he will loathe.
Reform will not win you your country back, Lee. Reform will bury it.
If you want your country back, then you need the bottle to fight for it.
And joining Reform is just another form of surrender.
“I feel we are slowly giving our country away,” Anderson said.
“We are allowing people to erase our history.
“We are giving up our streets to a minority of people who literally hate our way of life.
“We are allowing people into our country who will never integrate and adapt to British values.”
I could not agree more.
We live in a two-party system. Everything else is a protest vote
Tony Parsons
But you can’t duck this cold, hard fact, Lee.
You and your Reform chums are giving our country away to Labour.
The political journey that Anderson has made — from Labour to the Tories to Reform — is understandable to many Brits who feel totally let down by the major parties.
But constantly switching allegiance is no route to power. We live in a two-party system. Everything else is a protest vote.
Put on the spot by Sky’s Beth Rigby about his constant party swapping, Lee gave her a three-word answer. “Country. Constituency. Party.”
Some thought he was not answering Beth’s question.
I thought it was an eloquent and concise expression of Lee Anderson’s fundamental beliefs.
He places his country above every other loyalty. Next come the people he represents in his constituency. And only then comes his political party.
And if only there were more MPs like him. Because they — and we — should all place our country above political affiliations.
But defecting to Reform will inflict nothing but harm on the country that you and I both love, Lee.
Defecting to Reform will inflict nothing but harm on the country that you and I both love, Lee
Tony Parsons
And if Reform’s Ukip tribute act needs a catchy slogan, then please have this one on me.
“We want our country back — let’s get in Labour!”
Not quite taking back control, is it?
FRANK HESTER, who donated at least £10million to the Tories, made racist (and moronic) comments about Diane Abbott that he now regrets.
Ironically enough, Hackney MP Abbott is suspended from the Labour whip, pending an investigation into her own allegedly racist comments.
In a letter to The Observer, Abbott asserted that Jewish people do not suffer racism “all their lives” – a bewildering comment that Keir Starmer himself condemned as “anti-Semitic”.
But despite our never-ending national debate about racism, it is worth remembering that this country has a Hindu Prime Minister.
And love him or hate him, nobody gives a damn about Rishi’s race. Isn’t that worth celebrating?
VLAD’S MAD ON NUKES
RUSSIA’S Vladimir Putin has normalised the threat of nuclear war.
Leaders in the old Soviet Union and the US did not make bellicose nuclear threats during the Cold War.
The talk was of MAD – Mutually Assured Destruction – and the understanding that there could be no winners in a nuclear war.
Putin has changed all that.
This week, just ahead of Russia’s laughably fake elections, Putin told a state broadcaster that he would use nukes if, “the existence of the Russian state, our sovereignty, independence” became threatened by the war he started in Ukraine.
Putin belligerently preens with his nuclear bombs like a drunk at pub closing time, threatening to punch everybody’s lights out.
Every time Mad Vlad waves his nukes around he makes the possibility of nuclear warfare more likely – an apocalyptic catastrophe for both Ukraine and Russia.
Not to mention the human race.
PARTY ANIMAL
BOND girl Ana de Armas threw a 16th birthday party for her dog Elvis on the set of her new movie Ballerina.
Ana is mad about the mutt.
“Happy birthday, Elvis, my sweet boy,” she posted. “I love you beyond words.”
Elvis himself looked a bit confused by his celebrations.
His elaborate cake. The unconditional love of a screen goddess. The other four-legged guests in party hats.
But then if he was a human, Elvis would be turning 112.
And you and I will probably look a little confused at our 112th birthday party.
THE genius of Netflix sensation One Day is that the episodes are so short they do not demand a major commitment.
The 20-year love story between Dexter (Leo Woodall) and Emma (Ambika Mod) is told over 14 gloriously brief episodes that often clock in at under 30 minutes.
Episode 11, where Dexter struggles to adjust to domestic bliss, is a brisk 19 minutes.
Compare that to Martin Scorsese’s Killers Of The Flower Moon (running time an excruciating three hours, 26 minutes) or The Irishman (three hours, 29 minutes).
One Day will teach you more about the human condition in 19 minutes than the increasingly unwatchable Martin Scorsese will teach you in four hours.
Something on the side, Em?
PEOPLE who know about these things reckon it was the raciest red carpet EVER at Vanity Fair’s Oscars party.
Emily Ratajkowski caused a sensation when she made her bid for Best Unsupported Sideboob in a feisty frock by French brand Jacquemus.
Talk about revealing.
Ironically, about the only thing that Emily didn’t have out was – a movie!
I HAVE always really liked Shania Twain but, honestly, it is a bit of a stretch to book her for the “Legends” slot at this year’s Glastonbury.
I know there’s inflation, but this is ridiculous.
Previous Glasto headliners include Johnny Cash, Van Morrison, The Cure and Jimmy Page and Robert Plant.
In other words – true legends.
But Shania Twain? In the words of the song – That Don’t Impress Me Much.
LEAVE KATE ALONE
STOP bullying Kate. Leave the woman alone and allow her time to recover from her surgery.
Millions of us could not give a flying fig if there was some doctoring to the photo Kate released for Mother’s Day.
Who cares?
There was no hidden agenda, no political subtext. It was a delightful image of a beautiful woman and her three adorable children.
The people obsessed with this photograph should really turn off social media and get out of the house a bit more.
Kate usually takes the photographs in her family and I strongly suspect she thought she could improve upon the efforts of her husband.
That she was forced into making an apology is distressing.
There is nothing to apologise for.
Just leave her alone.
No, Kate does not need to “come clean”, or confess, or reveal every corner of her private life.
Just give her the time to recover from surgery.
The Royal Family needs her. The country needs her. The monarchy seems lost without her. So give her time to get better.
WILLS’ ANGER
ON Thursday night William and Harry enjoyed – or is that endured – what was billed as a “rare joint appearance” at The Diana Awards in London, celebrating the achievements of young people across the globe.
But after William made his speech he left before Harry could phone in his video link.
It is said that if their late mother was still alive, then Diana would bang their heads together and force a reconciliation between the battling brothers.
Sadly, I don’t think even that would work.
On Thursday we learned just how incredibly angry William feels towards his mouthy kid brother.
These days William can’t even stand to be in the same room as Harry’s video link.