Welcome back to another edition of LWIP! I had to let you all down last week as I was busy coping with the stress of moving house, but there were some pretty juicy stories I would have missed, so I am including the last two weeks of political news in this edition. From the stunning revelations surrounding Matt Hancock to a girl crying on television, strap in for another edition of Last Fortnight in Politics.
There Were No German Bombers
England’s Last 16 clash against Germany last week was played against a backdrop of political discussion and debate.
There were a multitude of people criticising England fans for singing songs glorifying the British victory over the Germans in World War Two, arguing it was somewhat in poor taste.
The FA also warned fans who sing the famous ‘Ten German Bombers’ song would be banned from Wembley. Instead of the song about the RAF of England, fans in the ground faced criticism for booing the German national anthem, with some labelling them racist.
England won the game 2-0, in case you’ve been living under a rock, and images of a German child crying in Wembley quickly fell into the hands of an often relentless social media.
The girl faced some fairly poor online abuse, though the extent to which a girl no older than 9 would have actually seen what people on Twitter were saying about her is up for discussion.
So in steps Joel Hughes, a man from Newport, South Wales, to set up a fundraiser for the girl to try and show her not all football fans are horrible, with the aim of raising £500.
£35,000 later and after a deluge of criticism for his ego-fuelled online fundraiser (including from yours truly), Mr Hughes placed his Twitter on private after he was found on a sex fetish website and his Instagram revealed he has taken pictures of random women without their consent, with some often seedy captions.
And all that because Thomas Muller missed that one-on-one.
He Shoots, He Scores!
Another football topic? Nope, just a reference to my friend and yours, Matt Hancock.
The Health Secretary fell into some seriously hot water last week when CCTV footage was leaked of him cheating on his wife with his aide, Gina Coladangelo.
After issuing an apology for breaking social distancing rules, rather than apologising for ruining the life of his partner and kids, Downing Street stated they accepted his apology and drew a line under the whole thing.
Hancock faced increased pressure when multiple Conservative MPs sent letters to the whip’s office demanding Hancock step down and he did so on the Saturday evening.
There are many questions which arise out of this affair, who leaked the footage being one of them. However, the most puzzling of them all appears to be how Matt Hancock can be sleeping with not just one woman, but two at the same time.
Batley and Spen
Another by-election was held last week, what’s not to love about electoral politics?
The constituency of Batley and Spen in West Yorkshire was forced to hold a by-election after its former MP, Tracy Brabin, became Mayor of West Yorkshire.
The seat of the late Jo Cox, who was murdered in the very constituency she was serving, was contested by 16 candidates, including her sister, who won the seat. Former Labour and Respect Party MP George Galloway was among the other candidates.
Labour’s Kim Leadbetter managed to hold the seat for her party, but only with just over 300 votes more than the Conservatives in second, representing a 7% decrease in their vote share in the constituency.
Jayda Fransen, former leader of Britain First and all-round criminal, came second bottom, receiving only 50 votes.
Kim Leadbetter is the new MP for Batley and Spen.
Canadian Wildfires
A heatwave that has gripped Canada has transcended into wildfires across the country.
Lightning strikes are sparking wildfires across Western Canada and there are now more than 170 fires across British Columbia.
The small village of Lytton had to evacuate its 250 residents after it was struck by a blaze last Wednesday which engulfed the entire village.
Temperatures of almost 50C have been recorded across North America, breaking many weather records, with scientists warning the impact of climate change will make these extreme weather events more common.
Military personnel have been deployed to assist in the areas worst affected.
100 Years of the CCP
The Chinese Communist Party has been celebrating its 100-year anniversary.
Its leader, Xi Jinping, has warned that China will not be bullied by Western powers and has promised countries attempting to oppress China will “get their heads bashed”.
China has faced a lot of criticism over human rights abuses in Hong Kong recently, especially from the United States.
There have been widespread celebrations across China for the anniversary of the formation of the CCP, with military parades and patriotic songs across the country.
Huge crowds participated in the celebrations in another dogged display of loyalty to the party-state.
Pint of Politics Blog 