Poor and freezing Britons will no doubt be cheered by the BBC’s report that Britain is to build a new stealth fighter jet.

Poor and freezing Britons will no doubt be cheered by the BBC’s report that Britain is to build a new stealth fighter jet. How cozy to know the skies above are being protected while you and your children are huddled under dank blankets with ice on the inside of windows.

It’s surreal what people are being insulted with these days. The term “stealth jet” is well-named. The stealth of robbing people with a ridiculous boondoggle.

Rishi Sunak, the British prime minister, announced the “good news” while visiting an RAF base as if it was an early Christmas gift to the nation.

The state-owned BBC was on hand like a helpful elf to lend some gloss to the news.

“The prime minister says the joint venture aims to create thousands of UK jobs and strengthen security ties,” chirruped the Beeb, adding, “It is hoped the new Tempest jet will carry the latest weapons.”

Why would any sane person “hope” for the “latest weapons”?

The new fighter jet is planned to phase out the existing Typhoon plane by the mid-2030s. The latter seems perfectly adequate at killing people, so why the need for improvement?

The newer killing machine will cost tens of billions of pounds to develop with private arms maker British Aerospace taking a lead role. British workers squeezed for more taxes can look forward to filling the coffers of already rich corporate capitalists and their investors. HoHoHo in reverse!

It is not explained why the existing Typhoon must be phased out or why more of them are simply not produced if there is an onerous need to “keep Britain secure”.

And if it is all about “creating thousands of jobs” then why doesn’t Premier Sunak invest tens of billions into building hospitals and schools? Now we would be talking about real social security, as opposed to fantasies, and that is why such talk must be eviscerated by the BBC.

The news of the fighter jet delivery – which the BBC gushes to tell us will have “artificial intelligence” on board (I mean, WTF!) – comes as British charities warn of a crisis in “fuel poverty” among Britons. Up to 7 million people (nearly one-tenth of the population) cannot afford to heat their homes this winter. Desperate parents are having to choose between feeding their children and heating houses.

This is also while workers across Britain are taking strike action every day this month to combat record levels of poverty and inflation. Teachers, nurses, rail and postal workers are all taking to the streets to condemn a crisis in living costs. And in sinister response to the rising protests, the Conservative government of Rishi Sunak is preparing “emergency legislation” that will criminalize industrial strikes while readying plans to have armed forces take over running essential public services like ambulance vehicles and power generation. If that sounds like creeping fascism it’s because it is.

Image and reality in Britain – as in many other Western states – are increasingly coming apart at the seams.

Sunak (42) became the “young and dashing” prime minister at the end of October. He is the first British premier of Indian heritage and photo ops were aplenty when he lit Diwali lights in Downing Streets to celebrate the Hindu festival for peace and goodwill. Oh, how diverse and liberal Britain is! This is the usual superficial and inane liberalism of Western states.

Sunak is a multimillionaire whose Indian wife doesn’t pay taxes in Britain for her family’s global business empire.

How exactly lighting Diwali lights fit with a new fighter jet armed with the latest weapons is not explained by Sunak or the BBC.

“The security of the United Kingdom, both today and for future generations, will always be of paramount importance to this government,” intoned Sunak as if he is the most patriotic Santa. “That’s why we need to stay at the cutting edge of advancements in defence technology – outpacing and out-manoeuvring those who seek to do us harm.”

Here is where Sunak sheds the Santa Claus image and takes up the role of telling spooky stories to frighten the public.

Who are those villains who “seek to do us harm”? Well of course there is Russia and Vladimir Putin’s “regime” whom Sunak tried to sound all gung-ho and tough against while at the G20 summit in Indonesia last month. Perhaps if Britain didn’t arm a NeoNazi regime in Ukraine and didn’t blow up Russian gas pipelines then international relations would be a bit more harmonious and Britons would not be freezing in their homes from extortionate fuel bills.

Britain’s new Tempest fighter jet will be built in a joint venture with Italian company Leonardo and Japan’s Mitsubishi.

“The international partnership we have announced today with Italy and Japan aims to do just that, underlining that the security of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions are indivisible,” said Sunak.

“The next-generation of combat aircraft we design will protect us and our allies around the world by harnessing the strength of our world-beating defence industry – creating jobs while saving lives.”

Here we go again: creating jobs and saving lives… while striving to start wars.

The significance of Japan’s involvement is the geopolitical marker given to China as a target.

Sunak has read the script from the British establishment that relations with China must be aggravated. Hence last week he declared that a “golden era” of presumed friendly business relations between Britain and China was over. (The arrogance of Britain to presume any such thing!)

Sunak, the BBC, and British media generally are infiltrating the public mind with notions of hostility towards China in the same process of gaslighting against Russia.

So while British families are hungry and cold they are being extorted for more money to make British fat cats even fatter because building a new fighter jet is going to “keep us safe from those who want to do us harm”.

When image and reality are so divergent then perhaps the only thing that fills the void is total social collapse and popular rebellion. There is no longer any middle ground to meet on.

Never mind the Diwali lights in Downing Street. This street of shame would be more appropriately lit up with Molotov cocktails.