It is entirely un-newsworthy for people on opposing sides to dislike one another. But that doesn’t stop the language of fake hurt and victimhood being ceaselessly deployed
I went to sleep thinking about Angela Rayner. (I think I even dreamed about her, but I would never burden you with that.) Multiple front pages had a picture of her at Labour conference smoking, which would be the most subversive thing about her, were it not for her calling Boris Johnson “scum” at a fringe meeting.
So many conversations have ricocheted off her speech: is “scum” the authentic language of the British working class, or is that insulting to working-class people? (A side question: I would always say “scumbag”, which is much more affectionate, but why? It is merely a bag full of scum. Talking specifically about Johnson, on the other hand, I would be much more likely to reach for a swear word.)
