Guido Fawked - Watson Smear Busted

Right on cue, while they are wallowing in the news from Downing Street on Young Dave’s new cabinet of jolly good chaps, and the ecstatic reception Cameron has received at the 1922 Committee, the perpetually thirsty Paul Staines and his rabble at the Guido Fawkes blog have embarked on one of their favourite pastimes, smearing Labour MP and deputy leadership candidate Tom Watson.

Fart in lift Inquiry strains to cover cracks

This satisfies several objectives: Watson correctly identified the Fawkes folks’ drift into becoming stooges of the right-wing press, he represents the grassroots of the Labour Party, an organisation that Staines and his pals are dedicated to trashing at every opportunity, and he has been an implacable foe of the tabloid press, especially that of Creepy Uncle Rupe, who has gifted the Fawkes rabble a column.

Very Important Journalist. Or maybe not

So newly anointed teaboy Alex “Billy Liar” Wickham has decided to kick Watson, out of the usual vindictive sense of spite, and because the right-wing press will in any case expect its loyal servants to do so. “Tom Watson Diverted Resources From Marginals For Vanity Project” he proclaimed this morning. That’s an interesting allegation - does he have the first shred of evidence to stand it up? Er, no he hasn’t.

Highly sound bloke: Tom Watson MP

But then, Wickham is not nicknamed “Billy Liar” for nothing. He goes on to claim that Watson “spent this election campaign rounding up hundreds of Labour activists and herding them to Sheffield Hallam. Watson’s vanity ‘mission to kick Nick Clegg out of parliament’, as he briefed the Birmingham Mail, even saw him try and fail to get Owen Jones to stand. This post on his Facebook page reveals Watson’s responsibility for diverting valuable resources away from marginal seats, which Labour went on to lose”.

Sadly, there is no evidence of Watson “rounding up hundreds of Labour activists”, but instead, a number of personal visits to Sheffield Hallam, plus a Saturday when students helped out the campaign. The Facebook link [HERE] does not reveal any responsibility for diverting anything - Watson had no formal party role in the election.

So when “Billy Liar” tells the Fawkes blog’s readers “Those resources diverted by Watson would have been much better spent in marginals like, say, Morley and Outwood”, he is, to no surprise, lying once again. Of course, if he has anything more than the links provided, the Labour Party would probably like to see it, but as he doesn’t, they won’t. But don’t forget, folks, he’s a “fine young journalist”. No, don’t laugh.

Alex Wickham, on the one occasion he has passed before my inspection, wore a large overcoat to disguise the fact that he’s nowt but a squirt. That seems to have given him delusions of adequacy, as well as the confidence to lie more blatantly, and more frequently. But all he has done here is to show that Tom Watson is someone his press pals fear, and rightly so. And all that cheap attacks like this will do is to stiffen his resolve.

So that’s credibility sprayed up the wall and an own goal. Another fine mess, once again.