Don’t Menshn Your Twitter Idiocy

At the peak of her fortunately brief period in the limelight, part-term Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin was lampooned by then MSNBC host Keith Olbermann with one brief and damning assessment: “That woman is an idiot”. Olbermann, in his time at the helm of Countdown, did not, though, come across (thankfully) former Tory MP Louise Mensch, whose latest foot-in-mouth antics put Ms Palin in the shade.

(c) Doc Hackenbush 2014

What happened yesterday can be put directly: Ms Mensch suggested that Labour leadership hopeful Liz Kendall was being smeared by supporters of Jeremy Corbyn, but the Twitter autocompletes she showed were from her own search history. She was then mocked for her idiocy. Articles appeared in both the Guardian and HuffPost detailing her faux pas. So did she retract, or apologise? Er, no. She blamed the Guardian.

You think I jest? The fateful Tweet claimed “Twitter's autocomplete on Liz Kendall MP. This is the sewer that is Jeremy Corbyn's support”. But the results shown in her accompanying photo - not, it seems, screen shot - were from her own search history. This the Guardian reported. “.@KevinJRawlinson I assume you are the author of the piece stating that I tried to "smear" the Jeremy Corbyn campaign, which is false” she protested.

And there was more: “.@KevinJRawlinson Can you sustain that I ‘did not respond to a request for comment’? I have no emails, calls or tweets from you”. Rawlinson had sent her a Twitter DM, to which she had not replied. This he reported. She was still unhappy, though: “.@KevinJRawlinson are you the same Kevin Rawlinson credited with utterly false piece about my ‘bid to smear the Corbyn campaign’?” she demanded.

She didn’t try to smear the Corbyn campaign? “It is a complete lie to say I made any bid to smear the Corbyn campaign @Guardian; as is the falsehood that I refused comment”. He didn’t claim she refused comment, and she’s been slagging off Corbyn’s supporters for several days now. “I archived the @Guardian's utterly false piece  stating both that I tried to ‘smear’ the Corbyn campaign and refused comment”. Er, big deal.

“I actually even double checked my spam folders to see if they asked for comment. No”. Try checking your DMs, then. And while you’re at it, explain why the Guardian article does not contain the word “smear”. But on she ploughed: “Is utterly false. Will take advice tomorrow. No ‘bid to smear Corbyn's campaign’. No refusal of comment”. Is she going to sue? On what grounds? Hey, get the popcorn in!

But she wasn’t finished: “The @Guardian's piece about me is totally, utterly false. They also did not seek a comment from me. I have no emails or calls”. Check your DMs (again). “Again, I made no ‘bid to smear Jeremy Corbyn's campaign’ and it is a gross traducing of my character. Utter falsehood”. Nobody used the word “smear” - except you.

Note also that Ms Mensch fails to mention the HuffPost, such is her intent to go after the Guardian. But the fact remains that Kevin Rawlinson’s piece does not make any suggestion of smears, and Louise Mensch got caught in an act of basic stupidity for which anyone with an ounce of common sense would hold their hands up and apologise.

There is only one conclusion: as Olbermann said of Ms Palin, “that woman is an idiot”.