It's done because there's few other ways to reach the audience that rag has. Could whatabout the media appearances of various politicians but it's not really comparable. Some things are done because there's little alternative, not because people enjoy it. Someone on here once said that no-one with a life watches PMQs, and it's true - politics outside elections is for obsessives. This is the logical endpoint for those not boycotting the rag, of trying to reach non-graduate working age people who have barely a passing look at politics. The other way to do it is microtargetting on Facebook, and that's happening too. It's shit but there's a reason for it.
I’ll concede that the rag has a presence in the U.K, but its readership has in fact fallen drastically and it’s now the 7th most read newspaper according to yougov.
It’s nowhere near the behemoth you’re suggesting, and it’s absolute child’s play compared to social media.
And even if it was/is deemed so important, there are many alternative methods of delivery than having your face plastered all over the rag on a Sunday morning. Many years before an election.
I said: "left wing politicians have to reach out to non-left winger voters in order to get the Tories out".
You said: "In fact, two of the last three election winners (Cameron and May) did not write direct addresses in this paper".
AFAIK, Cameron and May are Tories. Scum readers tend to vote Tory. Tory leaders don't need to write in the scum to get their readers to vote Tory. The status quo is that scum readers vote Tory. Unless you persuade them otherwise. Since you have no interest in changing this status quo, you don't want Labour politicians to try and persuade them.
Can you detail why you thought bringing Corbyn into this convo had any relevance? Would genuinely like to know the logic behind that.
Reports are Corbyn just farted in his sleep. Shit, must mean we’re going to lose to City. Am I doing it right?
You said writing in the s*n has to be done to persuade people - but I’ll reiterate two of the last election winners didn’t (although the paper supported them in the election - this can be achieved without writing direct addresses).
My point is simple really: there are sufficient alternative methods other than this, which you know is flirting with the anthesis of your party. I can completely empathise with the many who feel this is a dig in the ribs.