As ever, responsibility for this alleged civic misery was pinned on a single figure – Sadiq Khan.
Spending New Year’s Eve in London, I briefly considered going to watch the capital’s world-famous fireworks. A quick search for practical information, however, led me straight to the Daily Mail, and into a predictable swamp of grievance.
Article after article warned that spectators wouldn’t get anywhere near the display, that parks once used as viewing points had been closed, and that the whole experience had been hollowed out by cost-cutting. The message was clear: don’t bother. I didn’t.
As ever, responsibility for this alleged civic misery was pinned on a single figure – Sadiq Khan.
The Mail splashed: “What’s it really like at Sadiq Khan’s London NYE fireworks?” promising a “brutal verdict.” Readers were told that revellers were “penned in like sheep,” subjected to “awful” views, and charged £45 “for the pleasure.”
The evidential basis for this sweeping condemnation was one angry man. The article revolved almost entirely around a single social media user, who had taken to X to post a string of expletive-laden complaints.
“If you’ve ever wondered if you’re missing out going into London to watch their famous New Year’s Eve firework display, don’t worry, you’re not,” Mr Dodman told his 200,000 Instagram followers. “It’s fing s*.*”
The Express, meanwhile, found its own angle of outrage. It reported that Khan had been “blasted” for a “pathetic” EU-themed fireworks display, with stars from the European flag appearing on the London Eye.
The paper thundered that the display was a “disgrace,” quoting social media users appalled that EU symbolism had appeared at all. “We voted to leave the EU 10 years ago,” one complained. “Sadiq Khan is still putting its flag up during the New Year’s fireworks.”
The right-wing meltdown didn’t go unnoticed.
Sheffield for Europe pointed out that the Express had failed to mention the stars were included to mark Team Europe’s Ryder Cup victory, an event in which the UK competes as part of Europe. They also noted a more basic error. The 12 stars are not, in fact, an invention of the EU. They were adopted in 1955 by the Council of Europe, of which the UK remains a member. In or out of the EU, it is still, technically, our flag. And then there was the small matter of accuracy. Britain left the EU in 2020, five years ago, not ten.
“Unfortunately, the quality of their journalism is lamentable,” wrote Sheffield for Europe.
No one expects journalistic neutrality from the Mail or the Express. But if newspapers are going to whip themselves into a fury over fireworks, the very least they could manage is factual competence. And of course, their strange obsession with Sadiq Khan only happens because of his success as a politician. In that sense, long may their obsession continue.
Left Foot Forward doesn’t have the backing of big business or billionaires. We rely on the kind and generous support of ordinary people like you.
You can support hard-hitting journalism that holds the right to account, provides a forum for debate among progressives, and covers the stories the rest of the media ignore. Donate today.
