Comment – Page 2 – thecumbriachronic.co.uk

CRUMBRIA: 04.09.2025: EXCLUSIVE

THE Chronic’s attention has been drawn to a rare flash of humility from the world’s greatest living politician – Josh MacAlister, Labour MP for Whitehaven & Wokeington.

“I might only be here for four years. I’m not taking anything for granted,” our super smooth Rochdalian told edjukashun newspaper, Schools Week.

Oh, how we prefer this version of the MP! He began his parliamentary career in West Crumbria with out-of-control hubris and was always giving it the Barry McGuigan (big ‘un).

Not even 40, he seemingly held the answer to everything – if you read his column in the Times & (Red) Star.

Could it be that the Labour Government’s plunging popularity and Josh’s doomed bill to ban mobile phones in schools have served up a long overdue slice of humble pie?

Electoral Calculus puts his chances of keeping the Whitehaven & Wokeington seat at 28%.

Reform UK are on 72%. Figures like that should arouse any MP to sniff the Mellow Birds, etc.

But he remains a much-loved media dahling here in Crumbria, who is yet to face anywhere near the level of journalistic scrutiny of his Tory predecessor, Mark Jenkinson MP.

The local media here is now stuffed with gullible and impressionable young Labour cheerleaders pretending to be reporters.

In a soft profile piece for Schools Week, the MP also cleverly sidestepped questions on whether he had any ambitions to be Education Secretary.

(Getting a PR piece in Schools Week, the so-called favourite newspaper of school leaders, may indicate otherwise.)

To be fair, having had actual teaching/classroom experience, we’d say ‘Tosh’ deserved a go at running the Department for A-star GCSEs.

The eager beaver would surely do a better job on the stump than sourpuss Bridget Phillipson.