Louise Mensch – Pants On Fire

The case of Meriam Ibrahim, a Sudanese woman who converted to Christianity and who has since been sentenced to death for apostasy, has galvanised diplomats around the world into action in her defence. The Sudanese authorities have been put under intense pressure to take a more lenient course. It is a delicately balanced situation. So the last thing needed is someone shooting their mouth off.

(c) Doc Hackenbush 2014

But that is exactly what the Super Soaraway Currant Bun gave its readers yesterday, as former Tory MP and now practised self-promotion specialist Louise Mensch went in with both feet, denouncing the Sudanese and ranting “Not a single penny of British aid to these brutal bastards, not one, until the rights of women and Christians are protected”. Pity about all the other faiths, mind.

Some viewers may find this image disturbing

Quite apart from the singularly disturbing call for collective punishment – readers will need no reminder of the kinds of regimes which majored in that kind of thing – is Ms Mensch’s sick-making appropriation of a difficult situation (that’s difficult, as in difficult for the kinds of people who do difficult situations for a living) as part of yet another brazen piece of self-promotion.

So Sayeeda Warsi supports the Mensch line, does she?

And, just to show that she is capable of scraping the barrel as thoroughly as the next unprincipled pundit, she then pretends that real politicians – such as the ones she chose to walk out on nearly two years ago – back her stance. “Thanks for all kind comments on my [Meriam Ibrahim] piece in [The Sun] – good to see [Sayeeda Warsi] quoted speaking out”, she asserted.

No she doesn't. Try again, eh?

So let’s look at what Sayeeda Warsi actually said. There is just one relevant entry on her Twitter feed, reading “Sudanese Charge [d’affaires] summoned to [Foreign Office] today on appalling [Meriam Ibrahim] case. Sudan must uphold international obligations on religious freedom”. Ms Warsi did not support the stance taken by her former colleague. And for Ms Mensch, it gets worse.

Ah, now Justine Greening supports her ...

Another former colleague directly quoted on the Mensch Twitter feed was Justine Greening: “Also quoted speaking up for [Meriam Ibrahim] – [Justine Greening] and [Hillary Clinton]” she told. Ms Greening had, in fact, said “Withdrawing [UK Aid] from thousands of Sudanese families would only compound this terrible situation. That cannot be right”. So she has directly opposed the Mensch stance.

... nope, she actually opposes Ms Mensch

The case of Meriam Ibrahim needs calm diplomacy and cool heads. It is not the kind of situation that needs self-promoting nobodies like Louise Mensch to barge in and demand that everyone look at Herself Personally Now. Moreover, she has only made herself look worse by peddling a pack of lies about the level of support for her selfish grandstanding. And her call for collective punishment is a disgrace.

Louise Mensch promoting herself is not the problem. Paying her for it certainly is.