Why Theresa May Is The J-Lo Of Politics

Why Theresa May Is The J-Lo Of Politics

What do pop stars, chocolate bars and Prime Ministers have in common?

No, it's not a dodgy one liner.

All three have all been subject to the mighty PR 'rebrand' and our image driven, pop culture hungry society just can't get enough of it.

But as anyone who lived through the troublesome days of Cadbury's 2007 Wispa rebrand will know, new packaging doesn't mean a new product.

And this is where pop culture and politics really collide.

On July 13th 2016, the British public were invited to attend the Conservative's official relaunch party hosted by the UK's new Prime Minister, Theresa May.

The face that greeted us was of course a familiar one, Theresa May, the cabinet climber who held multiple ministerial roles during the leaderships of three Prime Ministers including her predecessor, David Cameron.

And as she stepped onto the podium to deliver her first speech as PM, it's true the packaging looked the same, however as her speech drew to a close it became clear that Theresa May had undergone biggest re-branding since Jennifer Lopez became Jenny from the block.

Forget Wispa. Theresa May is the Conservative Party's very own JLO.

I reveal why in the video below, Pokepolitics Episode 1- The Secret Life of Theresa May PIMP.

The Tory lead departure from Europe thrust Theresa May into the top job gave the party the golden opportunity to fool the British public into thinking that not only did we have a new Prime Minister, we had a new government.

The Brexit/May hook up was the Conservative Party's rebranding wet dream, but as your dry cleaning lady will tell you there are some stains that just won't budge.

And If we take a look at her back catalogue it's clear to see her greatest hits album includes a compilation of right wing anthems.

2010

May, in her role as Home secretary, scrapped the Equality Act which ensured public bodies addressed inequalities caused by class factors.

2011

She voted against creating more jobs for young people funded by bank bonuses.

2013

She voted against building 100,000 affordable homes.

2014

She voted not to ban estate agents from charging their fees to tenants instead of the landlords.

2016

Theresa May lent her support to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who's proposal to change the terms of junior doctor contracts many see as a direct attack against the NHS. May accused junior doctors of "playing politics" after they announced strike action against the contractual change.

2016

May set the minimum salary for immigrants who have already lived in the UK for five years to £35,000. Her claim that she wants a "union between all of our citizens" should perhaps have an addition of 'if you are rich enough.'

LGBT Rights

Theresa May's LGBT rights views may have softened. Her new cabinet, however, contains more opponents of same-sex marriage than David Cameron's.

Brexit

May quietly gave her support to the Remain campaign, however her anti-immigration stances suggest she more isolationist than her first speech as PM would suggest.

So don't be fooled by the rocks that she's got.

Who knows what her next hit single will be, but as her honeymoon period as the new kid on the block draws to a close, it will be interesting to see if she can keep up her new image.

Now I don't know about you, but I could murder a Wispa right now.

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