Mensch In Murdoch Land

Former Tory MP for Corby and East Northants Louise Mensch, she of the accidental-but-more-than-likely-on-purpose smearing of the appalling Piers “Morgan” Moron, has now left the Parliamentary building and repaired to New York to spend more time with husband Peter. And she has been gifted a berth by dear old Rupe at the Super Soaraway Currant Bun.

Does Fox have news for her

And any thoughts that all the regular reading of the deeply subversive Guardian that she had supposedly been doing in the recent past would cause her to be of inconvenient view were banished as she did exactly as the Murdochs would have wanted: the Tories were Really Very Wonderful, especially Young Dave and Bozza, and Mitt Romney was possibly even moreso.

This immediate locking on to the wavelength of Rupe-friendly punditry caused the Guardian’s only slightly mischievous Jonathan Freedland to make the assertion openly that has already been discussed in private, as he Tweeted “So @louisemensch is working for the Sun. I still reckon her ultimate destination is anchoring a show for Fox News”.

I can’t fault the Freedland analysis: Ms Mensch is the kind of immodest self-promotion specialist who would have no problem following the deeply unpleasant Moron into the realm of cable news hosts. Where I do have a problem is imagining her being so incalculably shameless as to be able to spout the Roger Ailes line, day after day, no matter how extreme and ridiculous.

Maybe Ms Mensch is not quite up to speed on the propaganda machine that is Fox News Channel (fair and balanced my arse)? Well, have I got news for her. As a gentle introduction, here’s a video from a recent edition of the Daily Show where Jon Stewart compares the attitude of Fox presenters to the party conventions, with the acts of blatant hypocrisy and double standards clearly visible.

And if she needs any detail on the propensity of Fox hosts to engage in deliberate and serial dishonesty, she need look no further than PolitiFact’s background work on another Daily Show segment, where Stewart lists 21 (that’s twenty-one) whoppers that those hosts have told their viewers. These included two “lie of the year” awards and four that were rated “pants on fire” (the rest were merely rated “false”).

Then, of course, Ms Mensch would have to fit in somewhere. Who would stand aside for her? Not any of the blokes. Not Megyn Kelly. Not Greta van Susteren. Certainly not Gretchen Carlson. Not Laura Ingraham. Maybe she might replace Sarah Palin, who appears to be out of favour with Ailes right now. But she would have to leave any independent opinion at the door. Could Louise Mensch go that low?

It’s not the Beeb, Louise. And it ain’t Sky. Abandon credibility all ye who go there.