On 3 October, prime minister Theresa May gave her keynote speech to the Conservative Party conference. So on 4 October, this made the front page of nearly every major newspaper. The trouble is, the headlines have little to do with any policy statement. Instead, each and every one of them covered the fact that she danced in. Badly. While ABBA’s Dancing Queen blared through the conference hall.
The reaction across social media was spectacular. Amd one person’s response, in particular, is just delicious.
Dancing Queen?
Many people pointed out that May didn’t even choose the most appropriate ABBA song to start with:
Really? I doubt the band’s long-earned reputation will ever recover. SOS or Waterloo would have been more appropriate. Or indeed Money Money Money. In Brexit Britain it’s a rich man’s world.
— Ian Slater 🇪🇺🏴🇩🇪🇺🇦 (@isslater) October 3, 2018
https://twitter.com/LennieMerrick1/status/1047536752435630087
But in a stroke of utter genius, Theresa May Dancing to Stuff popped up on Twitter and remixed her ‘dance’ to a brilliant range of well known songs.
For example, there was Sound of Da Police, by hip-hop giant KRS-One:
https://twitter.com/dancingtheresaM/status/1047764993985404928
Perhaps a discrete nod to the total denial that there’s any link between Tory cuts to policing and rising crime figures?
Then there was the glorious theme tune to Thomas the Tank Engine:
https://twitter.com/dancingtheresaM/status/1047579545598087168
Since the Conservatives came to power, the UK’s privatised railway system has collapsed into total chaos. And too many people can’t even afford UK rail fares, now the most expensive in Europe. Even Thomas probably hopes that Labour comes to power soon, as it promises to re-nationalise the railways.
May also ‘sashayed’ in on The Imperial March from Star Wars:
https://twitter.com/dancingtheresaM/status/1047536891476824065
This is perhaps the most appropriate song for anyone suffering under the government’s Universal Credit policy, which is forcing people further into poverty and out of their homes. Too many sick and disabled people are also dying under Universal Credit.
Amongst many others, there is one tune that needs no introduction: Liar Liar, by Captain SKA:
https://twitter.com/dancingtheresaM/status/1047547668476649472
Is it a joke?
These ‘Theresa May Dancing to Stuff’ tweets are brilliant. But no matter how much they might make us laugh, her dance was truly sinister:
Just imagine if Corbyn had presided over 120,000+ deaths because of his policies and came on stage dancing, laughing and joking? There would rightly be uproar. But Theresa May gets lauded and fawned over. #ToryCutsKill
— Anita (@a_nitak) October 3, 2018
https://twitter.com/yagbebi/status/1047528216095854593
There was nothing in May’s speech that offered any hope to the millions of people who’ve been savaged by Tory austerity policies. Because it’s not the first time she’s promised an end to austerity. And since then, nothing has changed:
478 days apart. But the same headline. You can call this many things but journalism it is most definitely not. pic.twitter.com/wFyETWDCow
— Tory Fibs (@ToryFibs) October 3, 2018
It seems that the most May can offer the UK is a truly cringeworthy dance. It’s not enough. It’s time for her and the Tories to go, and they can dance out to whatever tune they want.
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Featured image via screengrab