Corbyn Women’s Carriages Spin Busted

Another day, another opportunity for Labour leadership hopeful Jeremy Corbyn to be misrepresented by the press, and for the punditerati to use the occasion to project their own prejudices and shortcomings on to him. He was asked about having women-only carriages on trains. He did not endorse the idea, but, being a democratically inclined sort of politician, said he would be prepared to consult on the idea.

He still doesn't look scary

That was enough for the spin machine to be fired up, and it was soon claimed that Jezza was in favour of gender segregated travel, which he was not. Then came the pundits, revealing more about their own shortcomings than his.

Who would be first to make a Grade A prat of themselves? Step forward John McTernan to wibble “Pretty sure that ISIS back a policy of women-only carriages on public transport”. Yes, Corbyn means SCARY MUSLIMS (tm)! He wasn’t the only one with that prejudice on display: Sarah “Vain” Vine, aka Mrs “Oiky” Gove, told “First women-only trains, next headscarves”. More SCARY MUSLIMS (tm)! And there was more. A lot more.

Manhattan village idiot Louise Mensch was going to stop this idea single-handed: “Jeremy Corbyn not only invited vicious homphobes to Parliament he now supports gender segregation. Not on my watch”. Wrong again. As usual. Spectator editor Fraser Nelson wanted the world to know that his pressing need was more clicks: “Jeremy Corbyn is quite right - it's time for women-only carriages on trains, says Rod Liddle”.

Pay money to read Rod Liddle? Yeah, right. Meanwhile, Alex “Billy Liar” Wickham, newly anointed teaboy to the perpetually thirsty Paul Staines at the Guido Fawkes blog, lived up to his nickname: “RMT describe Corbyn's women-only trains as ‘a really welcome move’”. His former colleague, the odious flannelled fool Henry Cole, had other concerns: “How will men get to the buffet car unless women only carriage is at the back”.

Yes, stuff the facts, how do you continue to get pissed? Any more prejudice? Yes, the Telegraph’s not at all celebrated blues artiste Whinging Dan Hodges had plenty: “Watching Corbyn followers trying to defend women only carriages lunacy. It's identical to the way Farage's followers defend him. Cultism”. Corbyn now equals Farage! And over at the so-called Taxpayers’ Alliance, Jonathan Isaby claimed “Following Corbyn's logic, racially-segregated train carriages would stop racist abuse. That's why women-only carriages would also be wrong”. Typical TPA - starting from a false premise.

All that was left was for the Mirror to remind the generally right-leaning chorus of disapproval that “Women-only train carriages aren't just Jeremy Corbyn's idea - the Tories proposed them too”. Indeed, Claire Perry did so only last September. And Sebastian Payne for once had something perceptive to say: “Corbyn’s ‘women-only rail carriages’ points to his coming battle with Fleet Street”. On that, I agree with him.

What Corbyn did not say tells you all you need to know about the deficiencies of those who are paid in money to sit in judgment on others. What a complete and utter shower.