New Times,
New Thinking.

Boaty McBoatface is no more, and other stories on this good day to bury bad news

Your mole looks into the stories the government would rather you let sail by...

By Media Mole

Win, lose or draw, today was set to be a healthy day for British democracy. Until this: Boaty McBoatface is no more. Oh buoy.

Back in March, when the Natural Environment Research Council invited people to suggest names for their new £200m polar-research ship, this name shot to the top of the polls. Its success quickly kicked up a media storm, with commentators liking and loathing the prospect in equal measure: an irreverant symbol of national pride, said some; an embarrassment, said others. Much like Boris Johnson then.

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