The August ‘silly season’ concludes. From John Prescott on crabs, to Boris Johnson’s ‘beard’ & Angela Rayner in Hove
Parliament returns on 1st September so this weekend sees what has been traditionally known as the August ‘silly season’ in the media draw to a close. Of course in 2025 with social media and 24 hour news there is no actual shortage of news.
Even so the habits of the right-wing media remain. In August 1997, the first summer of the newly elected Labour Government, PM Blair was away, and Deputy PM John Prescott was in charge. On 17th August 1997 Prescott was by the Thames launching a new environmental initiative. He was pictured addressing a Chinese crab in a jar. He named it Peter (Mandelson) and pondered if it would claw its way on to the Labour NEC.
Fast forward 28 years and it’s the second August of another Labour Government. There is a slight tweak to the silly season story. PM Starmer had brief holidays in Scotland and Europe but the intrepid ‘reporters’ of the Mail & Telegraph failed to track him down it seems. Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner who was pictured in the DJ Booth at an Ibiza nightclub in 2024, this year has been spotted in Hove where she has reportedly bought a property. Cue much tut-tutting from the right-wing media, absolutely none of whom of course have ever taken a holiday in August or bought a house.
Meanwhile Boris Johnson has grown a holiday ‘beard’. Farage had holidays on the Kent Coast and Cornwall but despite the media hanging on his every ‘thought’ these were unreported. Presumably this was because the Reform PR dept didn’t send details to the media. They did send one claiming Farage had attended five press briefings during the Parliamentary recess. In fact it was only three because he was on holiday… Silly Season indeed.
If we are to be serious for a moment, issues of work-life balance, holidays and political theatre arise here. Mainly however just the perpetual behaviour of a mostly right-wing media.
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