Kelvin McFilth Apology Hypocrisy

It isn’t just the legendarily foul mouthed Paul Dacre and his obedient doggies at the Daily Mail who have suddenly decided to turn their fire on Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson for the heinous crime of Doing The Job He Was Elected To Do With Malice Aforethought, or perhaps Being An Effective Politician With Intent. Former Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie has also decided to get on on the job in his usual inimitable style.

Kel starts as he means to go on - by being so abusive, his copy borders on the actionable. “FAT FRAUD IS STILL IN MY SIGHTS” rants the headline, although, just as on so many occasions when he was in the editor’s chair, no reliable support for the “fraud” claim is forthcoming. Instead, he rambles into pub bore mode and engages autopilot.

“You would have thought a man with a mouth as big as Tom Watson [pot, kettle, Kel] would have found it easy to stop filling it with doughnuts for just one second to give a heartfelt apology to Leon Brittan’s widow for hounding him to his grave over a false rape claim”. Except he didn’t hound anyone, and did apologise - to the family. But do go on.

“Oh no. I put in a call [you figured out how to use your mobile? Give that man a Cheeto] to [Watson’s office] asking when I could expect the apology I called for in my column on Monday. He kept schtum [treated you with the respect you deserve, then, Kel]. If you remember, he used the same trick in the Great Commons Expenses Fiddle [wrong - Watson was open about it]. Say nothing and it will go away. Not from me it won’t”.

I’m sure Tom is quaking in his boots, or maybe not. But on rants Kel. “this is what he said as he pressured prosecutors to pursue Lord Brittan: ‘He is as close to evil as any human being could get’”. No he didn’t: someone else said that, and Watson quoted them. That isn’t the same thing, except in the sad world of Kelvin McFilth.

But enough. There have already been three convictions from Watson’s actions. Brittan is still under investigation. Tom Watson, whatever the baying Labour-hating press pack is trying to pin on him - the impression is given that this issue is their way of hanging an issue round Watson’s neck, rather as they (wrongly) hung Mid Staffs round Andy Burnham’s - has done nothing more than the job he was elected to do.

And while we’re on the subject of apologies not being forthcoming, or having to be wrung out of the culprits, perhaps Kel would care to cast his mind back to the not insignificant matter of his Maxima Culpa over the Sun’s disgraceful “reporting” of the Hillsborough stadium disaster, when he not only refused to even acknowledge wrongdoing, but admitted that he only said sorry after Creepy Uncle Rupe told him to.

Kelvin McFilth is in no position to pretend that he occupies the moral high ground. No editor before or since has done so much to debase the press and bring its reputation into disrepute. And no editor before or since has been such a congenital liar, bully, and stinking hypocrite with no sense of self-awareness - or, indeed, of shame.

Take your demand and shove it, Kel. Sort yourself out before calling on others.