Sun Labour IRA Smear Busted

Rupe’s downmarket troops at the Super Soaraway Currant Bun have seen their YouGov poll post a whole 1% lead for the Tories for two days in a row. On the basis of this not particularly ringing endorsement for Young Dave and his jolly good chaps, the paper has decided that they will win in May. So it’s time to tell readers that Labour is in league with terrorists. Or at least people who can be made to look like terrorists.

Yeah, those rotten lefties are so desperate that they’ll do election deals with anyone! And so, this morning, there it was on the front page: “DESPERATE LABOUR WOOING SINN FEIN”. Really? “LABOUR chiefs have held secret talks with Sinn Féin about forming a post-election coalition, it emerged last night”. Emerged where, Murdoch poodles? In a Sun editorial meeting discussing how best to smear Mil The Younger, perhaps?

But there’s more: “Discussions have taken place over whether the political wing of the IRA [that means they’re terrorists] would prop up a minority Government led by Ed Miliband … The move will outrage families of victims of Republican killers”. Readers are shown photos of Gerry Adams and Miliband together, just in case they hadn’t got the idea. So what does the Labour Party have to say about that?

“Labour has denied approaching Sinn Fein to stake out the party’s view on a hung parliament”. And the apparent source for the Sun story, Pat Doherty, who represents West Tyrone, has “reiterated that his party would not take its seats in May”. It would be a challenging proposition for a minority Government to be propped up by a party whose declared policy towards the Westminster Parliament is abstentionist.

Doherty spelt it out: “Let me reassure you we will not be entering into the House of Commons, or indeed the House of Lords". The BBC has confirmed it: “The Sun is reporting that Labour has sought talks with Sinn Fein about forming a post-election coalition. The paper quotes a Sinn Fein source saying he'd been approached by members of the shadow cabinet. Sinn Fein have not taken up their five seats in Parliament and say they have no intention of doing so”. That is why this is just a smear.

Sinn Féin have not taken up their Parliamentary seats in recent times. The reason for this is straightforward: the party is a Republican one which does not recognise the legitimacy of British rule anywhere on the island of Ireland. As such, its members are not prepared to swear an oath of allegiance to the Crown.

Anyone with brain engaged knows this. Yet the Sun’s hacks clearly think that this kind of puerile smear will influence their readers, showing just how little regard they have for their intelligence. This story is right down there in the gutter alongside such prize turds as the Mail’s “Clegg In Nazi Slur”, rushed out in the run-up to the 2010 contest when it became clear that Cameron was not winning the TV debates.

Expect more of this brainless smearing. Murdoch wants to show he is still strong.