Simon Danczuk Purge Paranoia

[Update at end of post]

Following the news that the Constituency Labour Party in nearby Heywood and Middleton had agreed to complain to the national party about the apparent attempt by nominally Labour MP Simon Danczuk’s sidekick Matt Baker to smear former Rochdale Council leader Colin Lambert, Danczuk has not only issued a forthright denial of involvement, but has declared that this is the start of a purge of moderate Labour MPs.

In this, he has been assisted by the perpetually thirsty Paul Staines and his rabble at the Guido Fawkes blog, and especially their newly anointed teaboy Alex Wickham, someone all too ready to cite the name of David Icke in conversation. Wickham, who yesterday was full value for his nickname of “Billy Liar”, declared that Lambert was a “hard-left firebrand”, something a Zelo Street source in Rochdale later described as “laughable”.

Behold the mindset of Danczuk cheerleaders

Meanwhile, Danczuk went the rounds of his media friends, stopping off at the Sun, which has recently paid him at a rate of £2,000 an hour for his involvement in a story slagging off his party leader, and the Mail, which has paid him a mere £1,000 an hour for something similar. “CORBYNITES ON ‘WITCH HUNT’ TO PURGE MODERATES, MP CLAIMS … Simon Danczuk says 50 moderates will be forced out” told the Sun.

A reminder of what this is all about ...

The Mail echoed this line: “Corbyn purge of moderates has started, claims Labour MP Simon Danczuk who warns of 'concerted effort' to oust him”. There has even been a supportive, if moderately demented, Sun editorial. Titled “Labour purge”, it froths “SIMON Danczuk is a decent MP. Moderate, plain-spoken, popular with working people … Just the sort Labour needs in the North with Ukip stealing its support … So naturally he’s first up against the wall now the revolutionaries and their vicious Twitter warriors are in charge … Every moderate Labour MP Labour ditched is another nail in the party’s coffin”.

There was, as Captain Blackadder might have observed, only one thing wrong with this idea - it was bollocks. As I told yesterday, no “revolutionaries” are involved. There is no move to “purge” any Labour MP - not even Danczuk. The suggestions that others are in line for this fantasy “purge” are never accompanied by any names, as there aren’t any.

... versus the usual Murdoch pack of lies

Let me put the Sun, Mail and the rest straight: the email at the centre of the complaint from Heywood and Middleton CLP has been forwarded to Greater Manchester Police. That’s as in the Police, not some kind of fantasy “revolutionary” movement. It forms part of a live Police investigation called Operation Clifton (see HERE).

The reason for its inclusion in this investigation is because the email cited Cyril Smith. This, too, is nothing to do with Jeremy Corbyn, “revolutionaries”, “purges”, or any other fanciful term Simon Danczuk’s friends in the right-leaning part of the Fourth Estate dream up in the meantime. The press has obediently published Danczuk’s view. That they cannot, or will not, do their job and investigate properly will only make them look worse later on.

Nobody at the top of the Labour Party is trying to “purge” Simon Danczuk. All that his flailing and moaning does is to show the weakness of his position, and the apparent paranoia that is taking hold. There is only one person to blame for his predicament - and that is himself. Hello Simon!

[UPDATE 2 October 1805 hours: the idea that Simon Danczuk is the victim of some kind of Corbyn-inspired "purge" has now been shown to be purest fantasy.

The email smear campaign story has made BBC North West Tonight, with political editor Arif Ansari talking not only to the MP, but also Paul Turner-Mitchell and, at greater length, Colin Lambert, who has signalled that he is starting legal proceedings against Danczuk and his former sidekick Matt Baker.

Rochdale Online has reported "Former Rochdale Borough Council leader, Councillor Colin Lambert has confirmed that he has instructed his lawyers to commence legal action against Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk and his former spin doctor, Matt Baker for what he describes as a 'concerted campaign to damage him'. He says he expects court papers will be lodged early next week".

This has nothing to do with "purges", nothing to do with "Corbynistas", and as yet very little to do with the national party. It has everything to do with Danczuk's own behaviour, and that of his former assistant - who was employed by the MP at the time that email was sent. That last fact, as Spike Milligan might have observed, puts Simon Danczuk in a very difficult position]