Corbyn Purge Fantasy Busted

As Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn enters just his second full day in the job, the avalanche of frequently desperate media coverage continues. Such is the torrent of poorly informed drivel that it is becoming harder to find any nuggets of common sense. But there is more than enough idiocy to go round, with even the formerly upmarket Telegraph succumbing to the temptation to hunt with the boo-boys.

There is also more than enough rank hypocrisy on view: as Corbyn signalled that he was taking issues such as mental health and the disengagement of young people from politics seriously by creating shadow cabinet posts dedicated to them, he was whined at for sexism and tokenism, rather than complimented. Even the broadcast media joined in the leering and sniggering, showing the electorate that it too is really grown up. Or not.

The collective idiocy was exemplified by the Telegraph observing that Corbyn had appointed John McDonnell as shadow chancellor, and decreeing “Corbyn has just appointed a nutjob as shadow Chancellor”. A supposed paper of record engaging in mental health smears. This met with the approval - albeit indirectly - of the Tel’s not even slightly celebrated blues artiste Whinging Dan Hodges.

Also believing whatever coincided with his sincerely-held prejudices was the loathsome Toby Young, who Tweeted “Wow. Corbyn really did upgrade Angela Eagle to First Sec of State in response to Twitter outrage. Even I doubted that”, without noticing that his source had heavily qualified the suggestion. But pride of place had to go to the perpetually thirsty Paul Staines and his rabble at the Guido Fawkes blog.

Under the heading “Corbyn’s Labour HQ Purge Underway”, and in a style that suggests this was yet another exercise in advanced creativity from newly anointed teaboy Alex “Billy Liar” Wickham, readers are told “Sources in the know report that when Corbyn walked into Brewer’s Green yesterday the staff refused to applaud him”. Sadly, the Fawkes folks do not have any Labour Party sources. So that’s yet more creativity, then.

It gets worse: “Their jobs are now being advertised on W4MP”. Ah yes, the Labour Party advertise jobs, so there must be a purge. Sadly (again) this turns out to be bullshit. While readers are told “Respected comms chief Paddy Hennessy is also out, he’s off to spin for Sadiq Khan”, neither of the W4MP adverts are for his post. And quoting the Fawkes Sun column only reveals more unconfirmed speculation.

Here, we learn that “Sources say Corbyn will ruthlessly replace others with his more extreme supporters, enabling him to control the party”. Ooh, more of those “sources”. What kind of “sources” are those, then, O Great Guido? The ones you see in the mirror, or the kind that you bumped into over a pint of tasteless nitro-keg beer at the Westminster Arms? The creativity and cat-calling is reaching critical mass.

With any luck, it will spontaneously combust and thus give us even more to laugh at.