George Osborne has made a stunningly awkward TV appearance next to Conservative candidate for Mayor of London Zac Goldsmith, which has left many questioning whether the Chancellor might be a little ‘tired and emotional.’
A tweet comparing the Chancellor’s performance to that which one might expect from a toddler on gas at the dentists has since gone viral, along with comparisons to Osborne’s previous unaccountably spaced out public appearances.
George Osborne is a genuine toddler who has just been on gas at the dentist. https://t.co/Eoe1C1NpB8
— Rhys James (@rhysjamesy) May 4, 2016
The Canary recalls this baffling appearance in the House of Commons.
And then there was his attempt to interact with human beings.
https://vine.co/v/OvEm7Ljwmtv
Goldsmith’s campaign was in enough hot water already, steeped as it has been in some of the most divisive and racist language we’ve seen in British electoral history.
The final straw for many came last week, when Goldsmith wrote a piece for those known race-baiters The Daily Mail, linking Khan to the terrorist attacks of 7/7. The piece was so overtly racist and unbefitting of a candidate for political office, that it provoked an immediate and angry response from Conservative Peer Baroness Warsi.
This is not the @ZacGoldsmith I know.
Are we @Conservatives fighting 2 destroy Zac or fighting to win this election? pic.twitter.com/fzYBUDSjMG— Sayeeda Warsi (@SayeedaWarsi) May 1, 2016
It wasn’t just Baroness Warsi who was appalled. As The Mirror reports:
Life-long Tory and Daily Mail columnist Peter Oborne told the BBC’s Sunday Politics programme: ” Sadiq Khan is as mainstream as they come.
“He fights anti-Semitism. He backs same-sex marriage. He’s against extremism, and he’s being portrayed as some radical in the literature of Zac Goldsmith .”
“It’s very important that Londoners vote out Zac Goldsmith and his disgusting campaign.”
The hateful campaign has unified a solid bloc to vote against the Conservative candidate in Thursday’s ballot, rallying at the Twitter hashtag #NastyZac – with voters wishing to send a strong message to all political parties that campaigns conducted in this fashion will not be tolerated. Many called for Prime Minister David Cameron to suspend Goldsmith from the party, as Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn has recently with members who allegedly made anti-Semitic comments.
Evening @David_Cameron There are growing calls for you to suspend #NastyZac now. Mr Corbyn has acted, will you do the same? @ZacGoldsmith
— Rachael Swindon #WeAreCollective (@Rachael_Swindon) May 2, 2016
The efforts appear to be working, with Labour candidate Sadiq Khan extending his lead to 20 percentage points in last week’s YouGov poll, and bookmakers Betfair cutting Mr Goldsmith’s chances of winning to just 2%.
The deployment of the politics of racial prejudice is dangerous, generating divisions which last far beyond the campaign of the politicians who engage in them. They have no place in our national conversation, and voters should make sure they have no place in our corridors of power either.
Featured Image via Screengrab/Flickr Creative Commons